Kate Winslet and Maxine Peake are joining forces for a dark new Netflix thriller about two sisters whose attempt at revenge goes disastrously wrong — leaving them running for their lives and forcing viewers to question what drove them to such an extreme act in the first place.

Titled The Unheard, the five-part limited series comes from Jack Thorne, the acclaimed writer behind Netflix phenomenon Adolescence. Mounia Akl, known for Costa Brava, Lebanon, will direct the drama, which is scheduled to begin production in 2027. Netflix has not yet announced a release date.

The project was unveiled as part of Netflix’s latest slate of British programming at the Edinburgh TV Festival, where the streamer emphasized its intention to continue taking ambitious creative risks with UK talent.

Two sisters, one act of revenge and a desperate escape

Netflix is keeping most of the story under wraps, but the central premise is already striking.

Winslet and Peake will play sisters who find themselves on the run after an act of vengeance goes wrong.

As they are desperately pursued, the series will gradually explore two questions at the center of their predicament: what pushed the sisters toward such a reckless act, and whether escaping the consequences was ever really part of their plan.

Netflix describes the five episodes as a journey into “untold darkness,” suggesting the series will be interested not only in the mechanics of a pursuit thriller but also in the emotional and psychological circumstances that brought the women to this point.

That structure gives The Unheard the potential to work on two levels at once. On the surface, it is a story about sisters fleeing the consequences of revenge. Beneath that chase sits a mystery about whatever happened before the audience first meets them.

Why The Unheard is already drawing Thelma & Louise comparisons

Early coverage has likened the project to a Thelma & Louise-style revenge thriller, although that comparison does not appear in Netflix’s official synopsis.

Ridley Scott’s 1991 classic follows two women whose attempted getaway transforms into a desperate life on the run after a violent encounter changes everything.

The Unheard clearly shares some broad ingredients: two women bound closely together, an act with irreversible consequences and a pursuit that forces them deeper into danger.

But Netflix’s description suggests Thorne’s story may place even greater emphasis on understanding why its central characters reached that breaking point.

Instead of simply asking whether the sisters can escape, the series appears designed to gradually reveal what they were trying to avenge — and whether they ever imagined there could be a normal life waiting for them afterward.

Kate Winslet returns to the limited-series format

For Winslet, The Unheard marks another major television role after a run of acclaimed limited-series performances.

She won an Emmy for playing detective Mare Sheehan in HBO’s Mare of Easttown, a bleak murder mystery that became one of the most celebrated television dramas of 2021. Her television work also includes Mildred Pierce and political satire The Regime.

Winslet’s career has repeatedly moved between large-scale films and character-driven television, making a five-part psychological revenge thriller a natural fit.

She is also serving as an executive producer on The Unheard.

Her recent relationship with Netflix extends beyond acting. Winslet made her feature directorial debut with Goodbye June, the 2025 family drama starring Helen Mirren, Toni Collette, Andrea Riseborough, Johnny Flynn and Winslet herself.

Maxine Peake will play Winslet’s sister

Opposite Winslet is Maxine Peake, one of Britain’s most respected television and stage performers.

Peake has spent decades moving between drama, comedy and theatre, with notable screen credits including Shameless, Silk, Black Mirror and Say Nothing.

Netflix has not disclosed the names of either sister or provided further details about their relationship, leaving one of the project’s most interesting questions unanswered: what kind of bond exists between them before the revenge plot collapses?

That relationship will presumably be crucial. A story about two sisters running together depends as much on what they are hiding from each other as on whatever threat is chasing them.

For now, Winslet and Peake are the only cast members officially announced.

Jack Thorne follows Adolescence with another Netflix drama

Perhaps the biggest reason expectations are already high is Jack Thorne.

Thorne co-wrote Adolescence with Stephen Graham, creating the four-part Netflix drama about a family devastated after a 13-year-old boy is arrested for the murder of a teenage girl.

The series became one of Netflix’s major global successes and further strengthened Thorne’s reputation for stories that combine social issues with intensely personal family drama.

But Adolescence represents only part of his career.

Thorne has written across a remarkably wide range of genres, with credits including Skins, This Is England, National Treasure, His Dark Materials and numerous theatre productions.

With The Unheard, he returns to a darker contemporary story built around family — although this time the central relationship involves two adult sisters and a decision that places both of them in immediate danger.

Netflix has confirmed that Thorne will also serve as an executive producer.

Mounia Akl will direct all five episodes

Lebanese filmmaker Mounia Akl has been chosen to direct the series.

Akl is best known internationally for Costa Brava, Lebanon, her feature debut about a family attempting to live an isolated existence away from Beirut before environmental and political pressures intrude on their sanctuary.

Her involvement could prove particularly interesting for a series that appears to combine intimate family dynamics with a larger external threat.

Netflix has confirmed that The Unheard will be produced by Warp Films, Matriarch Productions and Plan B Entertainment.

The executive-producing team includes Mark Herbert and Emily Feller for Warp Films; Hannah Walters and Stephen Graham for Matriarch Productions; Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner and Nina Wolarsky for Plan B; alongside Winslet and Thorne.

Graham’s involvement creates another link to Adolescence, where he starred and co-created the series with Thorne.

Netflix unveils The Unheard as part of an ambitious UK slate

Netflix announced the project during the Edinburgh TV Festival as part of a significant collection of new British commissions.

Other announcements included Jonny Boy, starring Barry Keoghan and expanding the world of Top Boy; Jaq, centered on Jasmine Jobson’s character from the same franchise; and Jig, a mockumentary from Derry Girls creator Lisa McGee.

Anne Mensah, Netflix’s Vice President of UK Content, used the festival presentation to explain the strategy behind the slate.

“In the amazingly competitive U.K. landscape, it’s not good enough to be just okay,” she said. “You need to swing for exceptional.”

Mensah added that Netflix wanted its forthcoming drama, comedy, entertainment, live and factual programming to demonstrate both the creative risks the company is prepared to take and the strength of UK television talent.

A five-hour revenge drama led by Winslet and Peake and written by Thorne certainly fits that ambition.

What kind of thriller could The Unheard become?

For now, the official synopsis is deliberately spare.

There is no explanation of who the sisters are seeking revenge against, what specifically goes wrong, who pursues them afterward or whether they are technically criminals, victims — or something much more complicated.

That secrecy may be important.

The wording of Netflix’s logline suggests the real mystery is not simply what happens next but what happened before.

The audience will apparently encounter the sisters after they have crossed a line. The drama can then gradually work backward emotionally, revealing what pushed them there while the physical pursuit continues forward.

That combination could give The Unheard a particularly effective structure: part fugitive thriller, part family drama and part psychological mystery.

And with only five episodes, there should be little room for the story to wander.

When will The Unheard arrive on Netflix?

There is currently no premiere date.

Netflix has confirmed that production will begin sometime in 2027, meaning viewers should not expect the series imminently. No additional casting or filming locations have yet been announced.

What is confirmed already makes The Unheard one of Netflix’s more intriguing upcoming British dramas.

Kate Winslet and Maxine Peake will play sisters. Jack Thorne is writing. Mounia Akl is directing. And everything begins with an act of vengeance that goes disastrously wrong.

The biggest mystery now is precisely what happened to these women before they decided revenge was worth risking everything for.