Laura Donnelly Hunts a Scottish Serial Killer in ‘The Dark’
ITV’s newest crime thriller, 'The Dark,' stars Laura Donnelly as DI Monica Kennedy, based on the novels by GR Halliday.
ITV originally commissioned The Dark, a new crime thriller drama, in mid-2025. Based on GR Halliday’s 2019 debut novel, From the Shadows, from his DI Monica Kennedy series, it was adapted by writer Matt Hartley (The Leak). Set in the Scottish Highlands, the first novel introduces DI Kennedy as she takes on multiple murders for the Serious Crimes unit.
Halliday’s Scottish Noir tone puts his thrillers in the same company as Val McDermid and Ann Cleeves, both of whom have had their novels turned into major hit TV series. This new series is only commissioned for only one set of episodes, currently; however, there are three books in the series, including Dark Waters and Under the Marsh, so if the show is a success, it could easily return for Season 2 and 3.
“ITV is home to some of the most iconic detective shows, so it is an honor to be writing The Dark and adding to that great canon of work,” Hartley said in the press release. “I am hugely grateful to Polly Hill for her faith in me and excited to be working with her, alongside the brilliant producers at Poison Pen, to bring this new, distinctive crime thriller to life. I can’t wait for viewers to meet the inimitable DI Monica Kennedy and to journey into the dark with her.”
Here’s the series synopsis:
When the body of a young man is found eerily staged in the idyllic Scottish wilderness, detective Monica Kennedy fears this is just the beginning of a terrifying campaign that will strike the heart of a rural community. As paranoia rises, suspicions and secrets are forced into the light, and the locals start to realize that there is a serial killer hidden amongst them. With her experience dealing with the darkest side of humanity, Monica Kennedy quickly becomes entangled in a heightened cat-and-mouse game with a cunning killer. Only she can stop this monster before he claims any more victims. But when her own history creeps up on her, she begins to lose trust in her own judgment. Will it be her own actions that are the biggest risk to herself and her family?
Laura Donnelly and The Killer in 'The Dark' (ITV Studios/Mark Mainz)
Laura Donnelly (The Nevers) stars as DI Monica Kennedy, with Mark Rowley (Karen Pirie) as partner DC Connor Crawford.
The series also stars Emun Elliott (The Gold), Helen Baxendale (Noughts + Crosses), Cal MacAninch (Trigger Point), Stella Gonet (Spencer), Phil McKee (Professor T), Tunji Kasim (Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story), Catherine McCormack (Lockerbie: a Search for Truth), Rona Morrison (Macbeth), and small-screen newcomer Liam King.
Phil McGee, Liam King, Mark Rowley, Tunji Kasim, and Helen Baxter in 'The Dark' (ITV Studios/Mark Mainz)
Hartley is the lead writer on the series alongside Lena Rae and Nessah Muthy; Gilles Bannier (Blue Lights) is lead director, with Matt Brown producing. Hartley and Bannier executive produce along with Ben Stephenson, Preethi Mavahalli, Luke Woellhaf, and Fern McCauley for Poison Pen Studios, in association with ITV Studios.
The Dark is expected to debut on ITV in the summer of 2026. It currently lacks an American distributor, but hopefully that will be rectified soon.
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