BritBox’s ‘Gone’ Is a Masterfully Tense Crime Drama: TV Review

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- George Kay writes BritBox’s 'Gone,' a crime drama inspired by the true crime book 'To Hunt A Killer,' following his successful Netflix series 'Lupin' and Apple TV’s 'Hijack'.
- 'Gone' premieres on BritBox with its first three episodes on July 23, followed by weekly releases of the remaining three episodes every Thursday.
- David Morrissey plays Michael Polly, the emotionally restrained headmaster of St. Bartholomew school, whose suspicious behavior draws immediate scrutiny from detectives after his wife Sarah disappears.
- Eve Myles stars as Detective Sergeant Annie Cassidy, who becomes personally and professionally entangled in the case while confronting her own unresolved trauma and a volatile ex-husband.
- Sarah Polly is reported missing after failing to return home post-rugby match, with her cold tea and reading glasses left behind in her office, signaling an abrupt and unexplained departure.
- Annie Cassidy and Becky Hammond begin investigating Sarah’s disappearance, initially classifying her as low-risk but growing suspicious of Michael and the insular world of St. Bartholomew school.
Why it matters: The series leverages slow-burn tension and psychological depth to challenge the trope of the stoic British male, exposing how emotional repression and institutional power enable hidden abuse. For viewers, the six-episode arc delivers a complete narrative with concrete resolution, distinguishing it from open-ended crime dramas.



