“Murderess is a strong word to have attached to you,” says a laconic Grace Marks in the first teaser for new miniseries “Alias Grace.” “I’d rather be a murderess than a murderer — if those were the only choices.” Following hot on the heels of Hulu’s now Emmy-nominated adaptation of “The Handmaid’s Tale,” “Alias Grace” brings another Margaret Atwood novel to small screen. The six-parter will tell the story of alleged “murderess,” Grace Marks, a poor Irish immigrant and domestic servant working in Upper Canada during the 1840s who was sentenced to life imprisonment for the brutal killing of her employer and his housekeeper.
As in “The Handmaid’s Tale,” themes of female agency and women’s rights are paramount. While Hulu’s hit thriller, and the dystopian future for women it paints, stay in the realm of the speculative — however frighteningly relatable it may have become — “Alias Grace” draws on real life. The real Grace Marks served 30 years in jail, but was eventually exonerated. Her supposed partner in crime, stable hand James McDermott, was hanged.
In the teaser, an enigmatic Grace — who is played by Sarah Gadon (“The Girl King,” “A Royal Night Out”) — gives nothing away in the face of her male inquisitors. Was she guilty all along? Or simply an unwitting accessory to the crime, wrongly convicted thanks to those who wasted no time in branding her a “murderess”?
“Alias Grace” is written and produced by Sarah Polley (“Looking for Alaska,” “Away from Her”), and directed by Mary Harron (“American Psycho,” “I Shot Andy Warhol”).
The miniseries will air in Canada on CBC and begin streaming globally on Netflix on Friday, November 3. Check out the teaser below.