Bodies (2023 TV series)

Bodies is a British science fiction crime thriller television limited series primarily written and created for Netflix by Paul Tomalin and directed by Marco Kreuzpaintner and Haolu Wang. It is based on the 2015 DC Vertigo graphic novel of the same name, written by Si Spencer and illustrated by Dean Ormston, Tula Lotay, Meghan Hetrick and Phil Winslade. The series consists of eight episodes and premiered on Netflix on 19 October 2023.

The story starts with the appearance of a dead body in Longharvest Lane in the Whitechapel area of London. This event happens in the same location in four years – 1890, 1941, 2023 and 2053 – and leads to four investigations by Metropolitan Police detectives that eventually become interlinked, with far-reaching consequences.

Main cast

 * Jacob Fortune-Lloyd as DS Karl 'Charles Whiteman' Weissman (1941)
 * Amaka Okafor as DS Shahara Hasan (2023, 2053)
 * Kyle Soller as DI Alfred Hillinghead (1890)
 * Shira Haas as DC Iris Maplewood (2053)
 * Greta Scacchi as Lady Polly (Hillinghead) Harker (1941), daughter of Alfred Hillinghead and wife of Sir Julian Harker
 * Synnøve Karlsen as young Polly Hillinghead (1890)
 * Tom Mothersdale as The Body (all), a man found at Longharvest Lane / Professor Gabriel Defoe (2053), inventor of time travel
 * Michael Jibson as DCI Daniel Barber (2023), Hasan's superior and Elias Mannix's biological father
 * Stephen Graham as Elias Mannix (2053), Commander of United Britain / Sir Julian Harker (1890, 1941), a banking magnate who forms a social cult
 * Gabriel Howell as young Elias Mannix (2023), an estranged 15 year old

Recurring cast

 * Derek Riddell as DCI Calloway (1941), Whiteman's superior
 * George Parker as Henry Ashe (1890), a photojournalist with whom Hillinghead becomes romantically involved
 * Amy Manson as Charlotte Hillinghead (1890), wife of Alfred Hillinghead
 * Michael Shaeffer as Hayden Harker (1941), son of Sir Julian and Lady Polly and Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police

Guest stars

 * Jonny Coyne as DI Farrell (1941), an antisemitic superior who distrusts Whiteman
 * Alexandra Roach as Maggie (2023), a forensic investigator
 * Mark Lewis Jones as Andrew Morley (2023), Elias Mannix's adoptive father, Elaine's husband
 * Kate Ashfield as Elaine Morley (2023), Elias Mannix's adoptive mother, Andrew's wife
 * Anna Calder-Marshall as Lady Agatha Harker (1890), Sir Julian Harker's mother
 * Natalie Gavin as Sarah Mannix (2023), Elias Mannix's mother
 * Kae Alexander as DI Bothroyd (2023), an SO15 detective

Development
The series was announced in February 2022 with Paul Tomalin set as creator and executive producer. Moonage Pictures was set to produce. Danusia Samal also serves as a writer.

Casting
In July 2022, Shira Haas, Stephen Graham, Jacob Fortune-Lloyd, Kyle Soller, and Amaka Okafor were cast.

Filming
Filming began on 16 May 2022. Joel Devlin serves as the cinematographer. Many scenes were filmed in the 'Old Town' of Kingston upon Hull, making use of the Victorian buildings in Hull's city centre; others were filmed on board Hornblower Cruises' boats in York and at the City Cruises Boatyard in York. Harker's home is Wilberforce House on High Street, Hull. Many of the futuristic scenes were filmed at the University of Leeds and at Sheffield's Little Kelham and Park Hill developments. Part of Wentworth Woodhouse normally hidden from the public was used for Longharvest Lane. The series was completed on 21 October 2022.

Reception
The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 81% approval rating with an average rating of 6.8/10, based on 26 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "Anchored by the indispensable Stephen Graham, Bodies multiple twisting time strands coalesce into one satisfying binge." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 65 out of 100 based on 7 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

The Irish Independent notes a recurrence of motifs, words (such as 'Know you are loved') and names (such as 'Harker' and 'Mannix'), akin to the 2012 film Cloud Atlas.