Surface

Synopsis

After an apparent suicide attempt in which she jumps from a San Francisco ferry, Sophie Ellis has amnesia. She starts a new life with her husband, James, a venture capitalist, but struggles to recall the events that led to her memory loss. She discovers she had been having an affair with Thomas Baden, an undercover policeman, and is persuaded by Baden that James has been embezzling funds from his firm. However, as her memories gradually return, Sophie uncovers the truth: she herself had stolen the money and hidden it in an account under the name of Tess Caldwell.

As Sophie’s recollections of her past life in England resurface, she orchestrates her own death. Adopting the identity of Tess, Sophie returns to England to uncover more about her past.

Cast

Main

Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Sophie Ellis / Tess Caldwell, a woman whose memory has become fragmented following an apparent suicide attempt

Oliver Jackson-Cohen as James Ellis, Sophie's husband, who works at a high profile investment firm, Ascendant

Millie Brady as Eliza Huntley (season 2), a woman from Tess' past who lives in London

Ari Graynor as Caroline (season 1), Sophie's best friend

François Arnaud as Harrison (season 1), James's friend who also works at Ascendant

Marianne Jean-Baptiste as Hannah (season 1), Sophie's therapist

Stephan James as Thomas Baden (season 1), an undercover cop having an affair with Sophie

Phil Dunster as Quinn Huntley (season 2), Eliza's brother and the future heir to the Huntley estate

Gavin Drea as Callum Walsh (season 2), an investigative journalist for the news magazine The Brittanian, pursuing a story involving the Huntley estate

Rupert Graves as Henry Huntley (season 2), son of William Huntley, father of Quinn and Eliza, current patriarch of the Huntley estate

Tara Fitzgerald as Anna Huntley (season 2), Henry Huntley's sister

Nina Sosanya as Julia (season 2), Callum Walsh's boss at The Brittanian

Joely Richardson as Olivia (season 2), Henry Huntley's wife

Recurring

Christin Park as Victoria

Markian Tarasiuk as Elliot (season 1), a mutual friend of Sophie and James

Andres Joseph as Todd (season 1), another employee at Ascendant with a drug habit

John Macmillan as Richard Wilcox (season 2), the Huntleys' attorney

Nicholas Karimi as Lucas (season 2), a security and surveillance operator, frequently employed by the Huntleys

Isabella Laughland as Claire (season 2), Callum Walsh's research assistant

Callie Cooke as Margot (season 2), Eliza's new girlfriend

Julian Glover as William Huntley (season 2), elder patriarch of the Huntleys

Mina Andala as Katherine (season 2), former employee of the Huntley estate, a family friend of Sophie's

Billy Dunmore as Nicholas (season 2), a bartender in London

Abigail Weinstock as Katie (season 2), Quinn's secretary

Episodes

Production

The project was given a straight to series order in November 2020, with Gugu Mbatha-Raw set to star as well as serve as a co-executive producer. In June 2021, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Stephan James, Ari Graynor, Marianne Jean-Baptiste, François Arnaud and Millie Brady were added to the cast. Filming for the series had begun by July 1, 2021, in Vancouver.

The series premiered on July 29, 2022, with the first three episodes available immediately and the rest debuting on a weekly basis. On December 2, 2022, the series was renewed for a second season, with production moving to London. Phil Dunster and Freida Pinto were added to the cast between April and May 2023.

Reception

The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 46% approval rating for the 1st season based on 26 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "Gugu Mbatha-Raw's captivating performance gives Surface some depth, but this overheated potboiler only gets murkier the more it tries to spice up a derivative amnesia mystery." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 49 out of 100 based on 16 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 56% approval rating for the 2nd season based on 9 critic reviews.