Suspicion is a British thriller television series based on the Israeli series False Flag. Set in London and New York City, the series premiered on Apple TV+ on 4 February 2022. It received generally mixed reviews from critics. The series was cancelled after one season.
Contents
Premise
Five people – three men and two women – have their lives turned upside down after being identified by London police as suspects in the kidnapping and subsequent disappearance of American media mogul Katherine Newman's son Leonardo.
Cast
Main
Kunal Nayyar as Aadesh Chopra, a cybersecurity technician
Georgina Campbell as Natalie Thompson, a tax consultancy finance manager
Elyes Gabel as Sean Tilson, a mysterious ex-military operative
Elizabeth Henstridge as Tara McAllister, a psychology research fellow at Oxford University
Angel Coulby as Vanessa Okoye, a senior NCA investigator and former RMP officer
Tom Rhys Harries as Eddie Walker, a wealthy history student at Oxford University
Robert Glenister as Martin Copeland, the COO of Cooper-Newman Public Relations
Lydia West as Monique Thompson, an NYU student and Natalie’s younger sister
Clare Perkins as Lydia Thompson, Natalie and Monique's mother
Gerran Howell as Leonardo 'Leo' Newman, an Oxford University student and Katherine’s son
Karl Johnson as Eric Cresswell, a former professor of mathematics and climate modelling at Cambrook University
Jennifer Ehle as Amy, the CEO of International Oil and Petroleum Energy
Noah Emmerich as Scott Anderson, an FBI Violent Crimes and Major Offenders (VCMO) special agent assisting the NCA
Uma Thurman as Katherine Newman, the CEO of Cooper-Newman Public Relations and nominee for Ambassador to the United Kingdom
Supporting
Ross McCall as Owen Neilssen, an FBI supervisory special agent and Anderson’s boss
Mandip Gill as Sonia Chopra, a teaching assistant and Aadesh’s wife
Parth Thakerar as Shiv Kapoor, Sonia’s brother
Faraz Ayub as Ajay Kapoor, Sonia’s brother
Kulvinder Ghir as Rakesh Kapoor, Sonia’s father
Ben Bailey Smith as Joe Gibson, a lawyer and Natalie’s fiance
Martin Savage as Reuben Carson, Okyoe’s superior at the NCA
Ian McElhinney as Sean’s Northern Irish grandfather
Dominic Tighe as Steve McAllister, Tara's estranged husband
Bijan Daneshmand as Masoud Ghorbani, a counterfeiter
Production
Development
In July 2019, Apple TV+ announced the development of an English-language version of award-winning Israeli thriller False Flag, created by Maria Feldman and Amit Cohen, with Keshet International, the distribution and production arm of Keshet Media Group, the same company behind the original Hebrew-language series. In March 2020, Apple ordered an eight-part series to be produced by Keshet's British production arm, Keshet UK, and directed by Chris Long, with Rob Williams serving as showrunner. Both also executive produced along with Howard Burch, Avi Nir, Anna Winger, Maria Feldman, Amit Cohen and Liat Benasuly. The show was cancelled by Apple TV+ in July 2023.
Casting
Along with the series order in March 2020, Uma Thurman was cast to star in Suspicion, with Kunal Nayyar, Noah Emmerich, Georgina Campbell, Elyes Gabel, Elizabeth Henstridge, and Angel Coulby also joining the cast. In November 2020, it was reported that Tom Rhys Harries had joined the cast.
Filming
As of March 2020, production had reportedly begun in the United Kingdom on Suspicion, but had to be suspended due the COVID-19 pandemic. In September 2020, Apple was reportedly preparing to restart filming in England, with filming confirmed to have started in November 2020 in Brixham. Filming also occurred in New York City in May 2021, with several cast members being seen on set in Central Park, Washington Square Park, and the Upper East Side. Season one concluded filming on May 18, 2021.
Release
The eight-part series premiered with two episodes being released on Apple TV+ on Friday, 4 February 2022, with the remaining six episodes airing every Friday thereafter. In 2025, the series was re-released on ITVX in the UK.
Reception
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 48% of 29 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.20/10. The website's consensus reads: "While this espionage thriller achieves a genuine atmosphere of paranoia, it is dogged by the Suspicion that star Uma Thurman is being wasted on a shallow mystery."
The Hollywood Reporter's Angie Han writes, "Suspicion is broadly competent, in that the dialogue is serviceable, the performances unobjectionable (though those watching for Thurman should be warned she’s barely in it at all), the narrative easy enough to follow." Barbara Ellen of The Observer said the drama was "undone by erratic drama and nonsensical themes". The Wall Street Journal's Dorothy Rabinowitz was more complimentary, dubbing it "ambitious".