ITV1 has picked up the Tudor-era mystery drama Shardlake, which will begin its broadcast run on Monday, June 9, after quietly getting dropped by Disney+.
Originally produced as a Disney+ UK original, the four-part adaptation of C.J. Sansom’s bestselling historical novels starred Arthur Hughes as lawyer-turned-investigator Matthew Shardlake and Sean Bean as Thomas Cromwell, Shardlake’s patron and the most powerful operator in Henry VIII’s court. The series first premiered on Disney+ in April 2024 but won’t return for a second season.
Set during the dissolution of the monasteries, Shardlake centers on a murder investigation at a remote religious outpost—one that places the hunchbacked lawyer in the crosshairs of political danger and ecclesiastical resistance.
Anthony Boyle plays Jack Barak, whose shifting loyalties complicate Shardlake’s mission. The ensemble also features Babou Ceesay, Paul Kaye, Ruby Ashbourne Serkis, and Peter Firth.
While Disney+ made the call not to extend the series, ITV1 sees an opportunity to bring a moody, prestige period thriller to a primetime audience—particularly one that missed the original streamer drop.
