What We Know About Emily Blunt's Western TV Show The English

After almost two decades of acting exclusively in movies, Emily Blunt will make her TV debut in an upcoming Western drama series. Titled The English, the BBC/Amazon Prime co-production stars the British-born Blunt as an aristocratic Englishwoman who throws herself into a revenge mission in 19th century America, alongside a Native American man (Chaske Spencer) acting as her guide. Here's a few key things to know about this intriguing series.

What is the plot of The English?

Per an official synopsis cited by Deadline, the series uses “the core themes of identity and revenge to tell a uniquely compelling parable on race, love and power.” The English centers on Lady Cornelia Locke (Blunt), an aristocratic English woman who travels to 1890s Wyoming and embarks on a dangerous revenge mission against the person she believes murdered her son.

Lady Cornelia is accompanied by a former Pawnee scout, Eli Whipp (Spencer), who acts as her guide, but also has his own agenda. He's deeply conflicted about "the English"—which per Vogue is a blanket term used to refer to American settlers from any country, not Britain alone—and is on a mission to reclaim colonized land in the midwest.

According to the synopsis, the pair's journey across the harsh country pushes them both to their limits. “Both of them have a clear sense of their destiny but neither is aware that it is rooted in a shared past,” it reads. “They must face increasingly terrifying obstacles that will test them to their cores, physically and psychologically. But as each obstacle is overcome it draws them closer to their ultimate destination, the new town of Hoxem, Wyoming.”

Who else is involved in The English?

In addition to Blunt and Spencer, the series cast includes Stephen Rea (The Shadow Line) as Robert Marshall, sheriff of the newly built town of Hoxem, Wyoming, where the story takes place. Valerie Pachner (The Kingsman) will also feature as a young widow named Martha Myers. Rafe Spall, Tom Hughes, Toby Jones, and Ciarán Hinds are all part of the starry ensemble too.

The series is written and directed by Hugo Blick (The Honourable Woman), who also executive produces alongside Blunt.

"I find the most interesting Westerns tend to be about personal loss and the restoration of justice," Blick told Vogue in an interview about the series. "Perhaps what’s most interesting about The English is who it chooses as its two heroes, an Englishwoman and a Native American man, and the precise nature of justice they’re both looking to restore.”

Is there a trailer for The English?

In early September, the BBC released the first trailer for The English (watch above), and also confirmed a premiere date. The show will begin airing on November 10 on BBC Two in the UK, following its world premiere at the London Film Festival in October. It'll then launch in the US, Canada and other worldwide markets on Amazon Prime Video on November 11.

Blick has also offered some hints of what to expect from the two central players, spotlighting the singular nature of Spencer's performance in particular during his Vogue interview. “That Chaske managed to inhabit the elevated Western persona of a cinematic hero, historically the preserve of a Wayne or Lancaster, Eastwood, or Newman, with all the nuance and dexterity of that inheritance—and for him to do so as a Native American playing a Native American—felt pretty groundbreaking to all involved."

Emma Dibdin

Emma Dibdin is a freelance writer based in Los Angeles who writes about culture, mental health, and true crime. She loves owls, hates cilantro, and can find the queer subtext in literally anything.