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Sandra Oh and Jodie Comer face off as two fiercely intelligent women in a game of cat and mouse as BBC America brings a strong female perspective to the spy thriller genre.
The network revealed first-look photos for original series Killing Eve, premiering April 8, at the Television Critics Association Winter Press Tour in Pasadena on Friday.
Based on the novellas by Luke Jennings, Killing Eve stars Oh as Eve, a bored, smart security officer with fantasies of being a spy, and Comer (The White Princess) a talented and creative killer Villanelle.
“It was ridiculously fun,” Comer said about her character. “She’s such a free character and the more I ran with that throughout the series, the more liberating it was … I shouldn’t take away from the fact that she is definitely unhinged.”
Phoebe Waller-Bridge, lead writer, showrunner and executive producer, said the show is a rare portrayal of a thriller featuring two strong female leads. Waller-Bridge previously produced Fleabag, which aired on Amazon and stars in the upcoming film, Solo: A Star Wars Story.
“There is something glorious about a woman existing without fear or consequences of her actions,” Waller-Bridge said.
Oh said her character Eve is insecure and hasn’t found her voice yet, but, as Waller-Bridge points out,” there is something in Even that is dark. There is something she feels about Villanelle being out in the world that is exciting to her, when everybody else is terrified.”
On the subject of strong females, BBC America also highlighted the Doctor Who Christmas Special that introduced Jodie Whittaker as the thirteenth doctor.
“Our network is better and stronger for being a platform where the doctor can be a she,” said BBC America President Sarah Barnett.
The network also showcased Planet Earth: Blue Planet II, which debuts January 20 across BBC America, AMC, IFC, WE tv and SundanceTV.
Narrator Sir David Attenborough, who attended via satellite from London, said the show also address “the threats facing the ocean, which are very considerable and of course, man made.”
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And BBC America introduced its foray into fringe sports with Premiere League Darts, coming out in February, that offers “the spectacle of wrestling, the stakes of poker and fans beyond anything you’ve ever seen.”
“It’s a shot at something entirely different on our air,” Barnett said.
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