Netflix's premise is deliberately short. Two sisters commit an act of vengeance, something goes wrong, and they run. The drama will then dig into what drove them to that point and whether escaping the consequences was ever really part of the plan.
The streamer announced the series at the Edinburgh TV Festival on August 26. Production is scheduled to begin in 2027. Netflix has not set a premiere date.
A compact follow-up for Jack Thorne
The Unheard brings Thorne back to Netflix following Adolescence, but the connection is more useful as production context than as a description of the new show. This is a five-part story built around adult sisters, revenge and pursuit rather than another variation on Adolescence's subject matter.
Mounia Akl will direct. Her feature work includes Costa Brava, Lebanon, while the production companies behind the series are Warp Films, Matriarch and Plan B.
Stephen Graham is also among the executive producers. His presence provides another link to the group behind Adolescence, though Netflix is clearly positioning Winslet and Peake as the faces of the new drama.
Winslet and Peake are the pitch for now
There are still large blank spaces around the project. Netflix has not revealed the sisters' names, supporting cast, filming locations or a release window. There are no production stills yet either.
That makes the casting announcement do most of the work. Winslet returns to limited television after roles including Mare of Easttown and The Regime. Peake most recently brought considerable dramatic weight to Say Nothing. Putting them together as sisters gives The Unheard a relationship to build around before the chase mechanics even begin.
Netflix used Edinburgh to make a wider UK statement
The Unheard was only one piece of a much larger batch of British commissions. Netflix also announced two projects from the Top Boy world, new comedy, live programming and a series drawing on Roald Dahl's adult short stories.
Anne Mensah, Netflix's vice president of UK content, framed the slate around the need to compete for attention in an unusually crowded British market. The company is talking about creative risk while attaching established talent to several of its biggest new commissions.
For The Unheard, the next concrete milestone is production. Cameras are due to roll in 2027.
