AMC+ Conjures up First Look At Sanctuary: A Witch's Tale

10/31/2023 07:00 pm EDT

What if a witch hunt involved real witches? On Halloween, Sundance Now and AMC+ released the first look at Sanctuary: A Witch's Tale, the new Sundance Now original series set in a contemporary world where witchcraft is real. Based on author V.V. James' novel Sanctuary — described as twisting "Big Little Lies with Practical Magic in a dark mystery of four women, a wicked secret, and an investigation that shakes their Connecticut town to the core" — the seven-part drama series will premiere with the first two episodes Thursday, January 4th, on Sundance Now and AMC+.

Sanctuary: A Witch's Tale "takes place in the idyllic English town of Sanctuary, where for hundreds of years witches have lived peacefully, as valued members of society. Until now," the official synopsis reads. "At the heart of the story is Sarah Fenn (Elaine Cassidy), Sanctuary's resident witch, on whom the town relies to solve their problems when conventional remedies have failed. When local teen rugby star, Dan Whithall, dies tragically in an apparent accident, his death exposes a terrifying undercurrent of suspicion and fear towards Sarah and her teenage daughter, Harper (Hazel Doupe). Mother of the dead boy, Abigail (Amy de Bhrun), once Sarah's closest friend, is wracked with grief, and to avenge her son's death, launches a modern-day witch-hunt to get 'justice,' no matter what the cost."

Debbie Horsfield (BBC's Poldark, Age Before Beauty) wrote and created the series adapted from James' novel. The series stars stars Cassidy (A Discovery of Witches), Doupe (Smother), and de Bhrun (Vikings) alongside Stephanie Levi-John (The Spanish Princess), Valerie O'Connor (Red Rock), Kelly Campbell (The Other Lamb), and Stephen Lord (Penny Dreadful). Monumental Television (Mrs Sidhu Investigates, Harlots) executive produces the series directed by Lisa Mulcahy (The Tourist) and Justin Molotnikov (Outlander).

Sanctuary: A Witch's Tale joins AMC Networks' lineup of supernatural dramas that includes the Sky Studios series A Discovery of Witches, a three-season adaptation of Deborah Harkness' All Souls Trilogy; gothic horror Anne Rice's Interview with the Vampire, the network's adaptation of Rice's The Vampire Chronicles that returns with its second season in 2024; and Anne Rice's Mayfair Witches, inspired by Lives of the Mayfair Witches, the second series set in what AMC calls the Immortal Universe.

Sanctuary: A Witch's Tale premieres January 4th exclusively on Sundance Now and AMC+, and will be available on applicable platforms in the USA and Canada.