Lady in the Lake (TV series)

Lady in the Lake is an American drama-thriller miniseries based on the novel of the same name by Laura Lippman. The series premiered on Apple TV+ on July 19, 2024.

Premise
In 1960s Baltimore, an investigative journalist working on an unsolved murder clashes with a woman working to advance the agenda of the city's Black community. She ditches her abusive, overbearing husband and Pikesville home to pursue a career as a newspaper reporter. She becomes obsessed with unraveling the mystery of two separate killings: eleven-year-old Tessie Durst and a bartender named Cleo Johnson.

Main

 * Natalie Portman as Maddie Schwartz
 * Moses Ingram as Cleo Johnson
 * Y'lan Noel as Ferdie Platt
 * Brett Gelman as Milton Schwartz
 * Byron Bowers as Slappy Johnson
 * Noah Jupe as Seth Schwartz
 * Josiah Cross as Reggie Robinson
 * Mikey Madison as Judith Weinstein
 * Pruitt Taylor Vince as Bob Bauer

Guest

 * Wood Harris as Shell Gordon
 * Dylan Arnold as Stephen Zawadzkie
 * David Corenswet as Allan Durst
 * Jennifer Mogbock as Dora Carter
 * Bianca Belle as Tessie Durst
 * Charlie Hofheimer as Wallace White
 * Tyrik Johnson as Teddy
 * Veralyn Jones as Merva
 * Mark Feuerstein as Hal Durst
 * Angela Robinson as Myrtle Summer
 * Samir Royal as Lionel Johnson
 * Hallie Samuels as Mrs. Durst
 * Ronnie Gene Blevins as Officer Boško
 * Masha Mashkova as Ms. Zawadzkie
 * Nikiva Dionne as Patrice Murphy
 * David Johnson III as Officer Percy Davis
 * Selema Masekela as Cedrick
 * Rebecca Spence as Louise Durst

Writing
The television series is based on the novel of the same name. Laura Lippman, the author, took inspiration from two real-life murders that happened in her youth. The first was the abduction and murder of 11-year-old Esther Lebowitz, a white Jewish girl whose death was heavily publicized. The second death was 33-year-old Shirley Parker, a Black woman who was found dead in the fountain of the Druid Hill Park Reservoir. Parker's death was only given attention in African-American newspapers, specifically the Baltimore Afro-American.

Casting
The miniseries was given the greenlight in March 2021, with Natalie Portman and Lupita Nyong'o set to star, and Alma Har'el set to direct all episodes of the series. In April 2022, Y'Lan Noel, Mikey Madison and Brett Gelman were added to the cast. In May 2022, Nyong'o exited the series. Moses Ingram would be cast to replace her in June. Noah Jupe, Mike Epps, Byron Bowers. Josiah Cross and Pruitt Taylor Vince would be added in July.

Filming
Filming began in April 2022, with production taking place in Baltimore. Production paused briefly in late August 2022, when the production purportedly received threats of violence while filming in the city. Police investigation showed the threats to have been unsubstantiated.

Reception
The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 67% approval rating with an average rating of 6.7/10, based on 36 critic reviews. Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 61 out of 100 based on 24 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".