‘Down Cemetery Road’ (2025) Apple TV+ Series Review - Ruth Wilson and Emma Thompson Investigate

Morwenna Banks has adapted Down Cemetery Road from Mick Herron's book of the same name (which I have not read), but even without this basic information, one can easily guess that this show has been written by a woman. It's imbued with, um, a woman's touch, and that touch makes itself apparent in scenes like the one where Gerard (Tom Goodman-Hill) tells Mark (Tom Riley) that he's come to his house just to pick up his wife's scarf and his coat, and both men expect Sarah (Ruth Wilson), Mark's wife, to fetch them. Or take another, similar scene where Mark dismisses Sarah's trauma—she's recently come across a dead body—and tells her to take a scarf to the dry cleaners. Zoë (Emma Thompson) is married to Joe (Adam Godley), but she visits another man to satisfy herself sexually. Joe knows about this arrangement — it looks like a mutual agreement between the couple — and, even though it causes him pain, he has accepted it for his wife's happiness. Maybe the fact that Zoë merely uses that other man as a sex object has made it a bit easier for Joe to swallow this deal. He knows Zoë loves only him, and he's right. Then there is the scene where Sarah and Zoë are on a boat, with a "you go, girl" energy. And the finale involves a men vs women scenario where...well, by now, you could have guessed which side would have claimed victory. Down Cemetery Road is about a missing girl, a grieving widow, and a wife who has lost her youthful vigor and curiosity. They form a meaningful bond and, directly or indirectly, help each other move on in life. 

Sounds good, right? Well, if Down Cemetery Road had gone beyond these sentimental Women's Day card vibes, it could have been an enjoyable series. In its current form, it can be described as an almost drama, an almost comedy, an almost thriller, an almost mystery. It's also nearly a road movie with a whiff of buddy comedy. The atmosphere is sometimes sitcom-y, while at other times it resembles a "hangout movie." Consider this moment from Down Cemetery Road to better understand it. Rufus (Ken Nwosu) "takes out his balls" to show off his juggling skills, giving rise to a line about never trusting a juggler later in the series. Down Cemetery Road is Rufus, and it handles its various threads like balls that need to be juggled smoothly. Before you can bite into, say, Sarah's personal issues or get invested in the larger conspiracy involving a dangerous weapon, Down Cemetery Road tosses that particular strand up in the air and catches another — say, Zoë's problems or a passionate quest for vengeance. As a result, it's hard to stay invested in anything (see? Never trust a juggler). But... do Banks and directors Samuel Donovan, Börkur Sigþórsson, and Natalie Bailey want you to be invested in the traditional sense? Are they not just trying to be casual and laid back by making something light and fluffy? 

I can see why a show like Down Cemetery Road was greenlit. Try explaining it to someone, and you'll probably say, "It's about a woman who, after an explosion, discovers that a girl is missing. She enlists the help of a detective to find the child, but then more murders occur, leading to the revelation of a dark secret. Along the way, she befriends a stranger, and there's also a bumbling comic figure who tries his best to please his boss but keeps failing. And let's not forget — there's a 'hidden island' somewhere." Sounds ambitious, right? Or maybe just a little crazy — a wild concoction, perhaps? Now you know why this project was filmed. Nevertheless, there's a major difference between intent and execution. Down Cemetery Road boasts an "anything goes" ethos, but what unfolds on screen is mostly a patchwork of tired clichés and predictable conventions. The show has plenty of crazy bones in its body. That craziness, alas, comes without inventiveness or risk. If nothing else, I would have liked to see Sarah's profession as an art conservator come into meaningful use at some point. Instead, the only thing the show does with it is give Sarah an excuse to wear a magnifying glass while briefly examining a picture. Why assign such an interesting job to your character and then do almost nothing with it? It's like assembling elements from various genres without doing any of them justice. Oh, wait — I think I just described this series.

Final Score- [4.5/10]
Reviewed by - Vikas Yadav
Follow @vikasonorous on Twitter
Publisher at Midgard Times
Note: All eight episodes of Season 1 are screened for this review.
Premiere Date: October 29, 2025, on Apple TV+ with the first two episodes, followed by one episode every Wednesday.