Kelly Reilly, the electrifying force behind Yellowstone’s Beth Dutton, takes center stage in Under Salt Marsh, a six-part crime thriller that premiered on BBC One on September 29, 2025. Touted as “bigger than Mare of Easttown” and echoing Broadchurch’s haunting intensity, this series sees Reilly as Jackie Ellis, a fallen detective whose life was shattered by a cold case. With Rafe Spall as her estranged partner, Under Salt Marsh delivers a relentless descent into lies, betrayal, and secrets so dark they threaten to unravel a small English town.
Set in the desolate, wind-swept marshes of coastal Norfolk, the story begins when a hidden piece of evidence—a blood-stained locket—reopens a 15-year-old murder case that cost Jackie her badge, her family, and her sanity. The killing of a local teenager still haunts her, and now, forced to reunite with DI Tom Hargreaves (Spall), Jackie is pulled back into a world she swore to leave behind. Each episode peels back layers of deception, from falsified alibis to a chilling family secret, blurring the line between justice and obsession in a town where everyone hides something.
Reilly’s Jackie is a revelation—a woman hardened by loss yet burning with resolve. “Playing Jackie felt like walking a tightrope over a void,” Reilly said in a BBC interview. Spall’s Tom, a cop wrestling with his own guilt, adds raw tension to their fractured dynamic. The supporting cast, including Joanna Scanlan as Jackie’s secretive aunt and Aimee Lou Wood as a tenacious journalist, deepens the drama’s emotional stakes. Filmed amid Norfolk’s eerie salt marshes, the series’ moody visuals and haunting score by Max Richter amplify its suffocating atmosphere.
Created by Chloe Fairlie (Vigil), Under Salt Marsh blends slow-burn suspense with devastating character arcs. Critics are hooked: The Independent calls it “a gut-wrenching triumph that outpaces Mare of Easttown,” praising Reilly’s “ferocious vulnerability.” On X, #UnderSaltMarsh is trending, with fans raving, “Kelly Reilly’s best role yet!” and “Episode 2’s twist gutted me!” The show’s relentless pacing and shocking reveals—like a midnight confrontation in a flooded marsh—keep viewers guessing. The finale, teased as “apocalyptic,” has sparked theories about a killer closer to Jackie than anyone expects.
Streaming on BBC iPlayer and BritBox, Under Salt Marsh redefines the crime genre with its unflinching look at grief and redemption. Reilly’s magnetic performance and the series’ claustrophobic setting make every moment feel like a ticking bomb. Will Jackie solve the case, or will it consume her entirely? As secrets bubble up from the marsh, this thriller proves Reilly is more than a Yellowstone star—she’s a dramatic titan. Binge it now before the internet spills its darkest truths. Under Salt Marsh doesn’t just grip—it haunts.
