Here’s the tightened version with a stronger first paragraph and the release schedule pulled forward so readers can catch it quickly.
Hugh Laurie is going from solving mysteries to running a criminal empire — and then trying to escape prison. The House and The Night Manager star is taking the lead in Apple TV’s The Wanted Man, an eight-episode crime drama that puts him on the other side of the law as betrayed crime boss Felix Carmichael.
The Wanted Man premieres globally on Apple TV on January 6, 2027, with its first two episodes arriving together. New episodes will then drop every Wednesday, with the finale scheduled for February 17.
Laurie plays Carmichael, an organised crime boss who finds his empire suddenly collapsing after someone inside his own operation betrays him. That betrayal lands him inside the notorious Staplehurst prison, where survival means reconnecting with the brutality that helped make him powerful in the first place.
There’s more at stake than simply getting through his prison sentence. With his family, criminal organisation and fortune all under threat, Carmichael decides that surviving behind bars isn’t enough. His solution is considerably more ambitious: escape.
It’s the kind of morally messy role that should fit Laurie nicely, particularly for anyone who enjoyed his darker work in The Night Manager. It also marks another Apple TV appearance for the actor following his role in the third season of Tehran.
The supporting cast is equally interesting. Thandiwe Newton, known for Westworld and Crash, joins Fionn Whitehead of Dunkirk and Emily, while Gina McKee, Hazel Doupe and Elliott Heffernan are also aboard. Game of Thrones and The Hours star Stephen Dillane rounds out the main ensemble.
There’s plenty of talent behind the camera too. The Wanted Man comes from George Kay, creator of Apple TV thriller Hijack and co-creator of Lupin. Kay serves as creator, writer, showrunner and executive producer. New Pictures and Kay’s Observatory Pictures are producing the series, while Jakob Verbruggen, whose previous credits include The Fall, London Spy and Dark Matter, directs. Willow Grylls and Matt Sandford also executive produce, with David Meanti serving as series producer.
Laurie also serves as an executive producer on the series, giving him a role behind the scenes as well as in front of the camera.
A betrayed crime boss, an enemy hiding inside his own organisation and Hugh Laurie plotting his way out of a notorious prison gives The Wanted Man a strong starting hand. The bigger mystery is who wanted Felix Carmichael out of the way — and exactly how dangerous he’ll become trying to get back out.
