Hulu has had tremendous success with book adaptations over the last few years. The Handmaid's Tale, Little Fires Everywhere, Normal People, Nine Perfect Strangers and Conversations With Friends have struck a chord with audiences and even been widely acclaimed by critics, too. So it's little surprise that the streaming service has decided to turn Alexis Schaitkin's 2020 novel Saint X into its own mini-series.
Leila Gestein, who previously created Hart of Dixie and wrote on The Handmaid's Tale, developed, produced and is the head writer of Saint X, while Mudbound and Empire director Dee Rees has overseen several episodes, including the pilot of the psychological mystery drama.
But what is Saint X actually about? When is it being released in the UK? And is there a trailer that’ll immediately make you intrigued about the show? Take a look below to find out.
When is Saint X released in the UK?
In the UK, Saint X lands on Disney Plus on Wednesday, June 7, when all episodes will be available to stream at once.
In the US, Saint X has already aired with the finale landing on Hulu as of May 31. Here is the synopsis for Saint X episode 8, "Faraway":
"Emily learns the truth from Clive. All is revealed about what actually happened that fateful night on Faraway Cay."
Saint X trailer
Hulu has released a trailer for Saint X, which shows how the streamer has spared no expense in creating the titular, picture-perfect Caribbean vacation spot. However, things quickly take a dark twist on the Thomas' family vacation, starting a ripple effect that’s still being felt years later. Take a look at the trailer for Saint X below:
Saint X cast
Saint X has a strong ensemble of actors at its disposal to tell its engrossing story.
Fear the Walking Dead star Alycia Debnam-Carey plays Emily Thomas. She's joined by The Good Fight's Josh Bonzie as Clive "Gogo" Richardson, Linoleum's West Duchovny as Alison Thomas, and School's Out Forever's Jayden Elijah as Edwin.
Other cast members include As The World Turns' Michael Park as Bill Thomas, Breaking Bad's Betsy Brandt as Mia Thomas, Malory Towers' Bre Francis as Sara, and newcomer Kenlee Anaya Townsend as Claire.
Saint X plot
By this point you're probably wondering, what happens in Saint X? Well, Hulu's official description says "the series, which is told via multiple timelines, upends the girl-gone-missing genre as it explores how a young woman's mysterious death during an idyllic Caribbean vacation create a traumatic ripple effect that eventually pulls her surviving sister into a dangerous pursuit of the truth."
Schaitkin's novel follows Claire, who is just 7 years old when her college-age sister Alison goes missing on the final night of their holiday at Saint X. After searching for several days, Alison's body is found. Two male employees from the resort are arrested, but with little evidence to prove their guilt, they're released. At the same time, Claire's death and the unknown details around it turns it into tabloid news, which tears the rest of the family apart.
Over a decade later, with Claire now living in New York City, she runs into one of the men suspected of killing her sister. As a result, Claire starts to investigate Alison's death all over again, while she also starts to wonder who exactly her sister was, all as she follows the man who might have been involved in her death. Just how close the adaptation is to the books remains to be seen, though.
What we do know is that Hulu's adaptation of Saint X will be told from several different perspectives and follow various timelines. This will allow it to dive into numerous themes of grief, privilege, class, family, media, community, and race in an authentic and detailed manner, while also taking a fresh approach to mystery and thriller genres.
Saint X episodes
Here is the synopses of all the Saint X episodes that have been released so far:
Saint X episode 1, "A Lovely Nowhere"
"The Thomas family arrive on Saint X for a seemingly idyllic trip. In present day Brooklyn, Emily has a surprise encounter with someone from her past. The genesis of Gogo and Edwin's friendship is shown."
Saint X episode 2, "Woman Is Fickle"
"More information is revealed about what happened the night Alison disappeared as she finds herself drawn to both Edwin and Tyler. Emily digs deeper into Alison's past. A tourist family makes a shocking discovery on an off-resort excursion."
Saint X episode 3, "Men of Interest"
"Gogo and Edwin become the prime suspects in Alison's death after her body is discovered. Emily lies to Josh and Sunita as she continues to follow Clive."
Saint X episode 4, "A Disquieting Emptiness"
"More of Clive's history is shown after he left the island. Clive reluctantly opens up to Emily, who continues to aggressively pursue him with help from Sunita. Alison and Edwin grow closer."
Saint X episode 5, "Colonial Interference"
"Someone from Clive's past reaches out to him. Tyler attempts to push things with Alison. Emily's obsessive search for answers challenges her relationship with Josh and leads her to clash with Sunita."
Saint X episode 6, "Loose Threads of the Past"
"Emily is unable to stop thinking about the letter as the Thomas family visits her and Josh. Claire's past is revealed."
Saint X episode 7, "The Goat Witch and the Sinner"
"Emily promises Josh she'll get help. Young Edwin's secret is revealed. Alison tries to find the most exciting way to spend her last night of vacation."
Saint X episode 8, "Faraway"
"Emily learns the truth from Clive. All is revealed about what actually happened that fateful night on Faraway Cay."
How to watch Saint X
As a Hulu original series, a subscription to Hulu is required in order to watch Saint X. There are multiple ways to get access to Hulu's content though. First, you can sign up directly for the streaming service; you can also pair it with live TV with the aptly named Hulu with Live TV. There is also the option to bundle the service with Disney Plus and ESPN Plus through the Disney Bundle, which gives you all three for a single, discounted monthly rate.
When Saint X premieres for UK audiences in June, it is going to be streaming exclusively on Disney Plus, so a subscription to that service is going to be necessary.
