This is a fictionalization of Captain Sir John Franklin's lost expedition to find the northwest passage through the Arctic in 1845-1848. He has two ships, HMS Erebus and HMS Terror, filled with the latest technology. Captain Francis Crozier (Jared Harris) piloted the Terror and led the expedition after the death of Franklin (Ciarán Hinds).
This is a very good ten episode limited series. When I first heard about this series, I feared the portrayal of the native population as the villains of the story. Historically, Lady Franklin with supporter Dickens had made the natives savages while disputing the report from explorer John Rae. It would have been tragic to continue that old colonial attitude. While this has some supernatural elements, the drama is the crew itself. There is a great villain and a very tense story. The outcome is not in doubt but the journey is fascinating. The isolated atmosphere is strangely haunting. There is harrowing action. There are great characters and more importantly, there are great actors. This is a good little surprise from AMC.
ADD: Apparently, its original success allowed the show to turn from a limited series to an anthology series. The second season has new showrunners and a ghost story about the WWII Japanese-American internment. I like the unique Japanese culture. I like the moment in time. It has a feel of a mixture of the J-horror and a modern slasher horror. It does meander a bit and the story would probably be much more compelling in a shorter span. It's a step down from the first season.
