Everything you need to know about psychological thriller The Third Day - and how to watch it

The Third Day stars Jude Law and Naomie Harris (Photo: Sky/HBO)The Third Day stars Jude Law and Naomie Harris (Photo: Sky/HBO)
The Third Day stars Jude Law and Naomie Harris (Photo: Sky/HBO)

A new original psychological thriller from Sky is released tonight (15 September).

Created by Dennis Kelly (Utopia, Pulling) and Felix Barret, founder of British theatre company Punchdrunk, The Third Day tells the story of three standalone, yet interconnected stories.

It will even feature a live episode in what Sky called an “epic theatrical event”.

This is everything you need to know about the new drama.

What is The Third Day about?

The Third Day is split into three stories which are standalone, yet interconnected.

The first story begins with Summer, three episodes of TV broadcast on Sky Atlantic, which tells the story of Sam (played by Jude Law) who is drawn to a mysterious island off the British coast.

“Sam is unable to leave the idyllic and dangerously enchanting world he has discovered, where the secretive rituals of its inhabitants bring him to grapple with experiences of loss and trauma hidden in his past through the distorted lens of the present,” Sky says.

After Summer, viewers are brought into the world of The Third Day through Autumn, which is a theatre show to be broadcast live on Sky Arts (not Sky Atlantic), and online.

Sky says: “Capturing events live and in one continuous take, this cinematic broadcast will invite viewers deeper into the mysterious and suspenseful world of The Third Day, and will blur and distort the lines between what’s real and what’s not.”

After Autumn comes Winter, which concludes the stories from The Third Day, which will be three more episodes of television broadcast on Sky Atlantic.

Struggling single mother, Helen (played by Naomie Harris) also finds herself drawn to the island, in pursuit of answers.

She and her family find themselves caught between the forces of the island, with the lines between fantasy and fact are distorted.

Who is in the cast?

Jude Law (The Young Pope, The Nest) stars as Sam, the lead for the first half of the series called Summer.

For the latter half of the series, Winter, Naomie Harris (Moonlight, Collateral Beauty) will take the lead as Helen.

Others who have been cast in the show also include:

  • Katherine Waterston (Mid90s, Logan Lucky)
  • Emily Watson (Chernobyl, Little Women)
  • Paddy Considine (The Outsider, Informer)
  • Mark Lewis (Gangs of London, The Crown)
  • Amer Chadha-Patel (Beecham House, Year of the Rabbit)
  • Freya Allan (The Witcher, The War of the Worlds)
  • Börje Lundberg (A Man Called Ovie, Zombie)
  • Tom Lawrence (The Head, The King)

Is there a trailer?

Sky released a trailer for The Third Day on 9 April.

It shows Sam (Law) and Helen (Harris) arriving at the mysterious island - and it doesn’t take long before things start going wrong.

Amongst the clips we see in the trailer, we see a strange festival on the island, Sam convinced he recognises things on the island and Helen being chased by an unknown perpetrator.

The trailer ends with both Sam and Helen in the water, struggling to stay afloat.

When will The Third Day air?

The Third Day is split up into three sections - Summer, which has three episodes, will begin airing weekly on Sky Atlantic starting on Tuesday 15 September, at 9pm.

The live Autumn theatrical event will be broadcast on 3 October on Sky Arts and online.

The final three episodes, Winter, will then begin airing weekly on 6 October on Sky Atlantic.

All episodes of The Third Day will also be available through NOW TV.

A version of this article originally appeared on our sister title Yorkshire Evening Post