The very best psychological thrillers are the ones you can’t stop watching - and Playing Gracie Darling is exactly that. The haunting new Paramount+ drama, which is set in Australia, is one we can almost guarantee you’ll be halting your nightly doomscroll and ignoring your phone for. It tells the chilling story of a small-town girl who vanishes during a séance, a disappearance that sends shockwaves rippling through her hometown for decades - and it's creepy indeed!
The series follows Joni, the best friend of the girl who went missing - as she returns to their hometown almost three decades later in an attempt to find out what happened on that fateful night. But things take a horrifying turn when yet another girl - Gracie’s niece, in fact - vanishes under eerily similar circumstances. As well as having a gripping premise, the series stars some TV greats: The White Lotus’s Morgana O’Reilly (who plays Joni) and Brian and Maggie’s Dame Harriet Walter (Pattie), and it aired in Australia earlier this year to rave reviews.
As we wait for Playing Gracie Darling to arrive on our screens, here’s everything you need to know about the series, including the cast, plot and how to watch it.
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What is Playing Gracie Darling about?
The six-part series centres around Joni, a child psychologist who grew up in a small town in Australia. Her best friend, Gracie Darling, went missing - mysteriously - during a séance and was never found. Almost three decades later, the girl’s disappearance is still notorious: it’s become a game that the town’s local kids play (they name it ‘Playing Gracie Darling’). But after one seemingly normal game, horror strikes when another girl - Gracie’s niece - disappears.
The official synopsis continues: “Joni, now a child psychologist, returns to the town where her best friend Gracie mysteriously disappeared to confront her deep fear of the unknown and find out what really happened to Gracie that fateful night. Local sergeant Jay will partner with Joni to uncover the truth, while Gracie’s sister Ruth faces a mother’s worst nightmare when her own daughter vanishes under hauntingly similar circumstances. Moira, Ruth’s mother, clings to faith as she faces her own worst fears.”
The White Lotus’s Morgana O’Reilly, who plays Joni, said she “devoured” the script in one sitting. She added: “Joni is a complex, paradoxical woman haunted by ghosts of past and present. I'm especially drawn to the relationship between her and her teenage daughter. I know how triggering motherhood can be; when you think you have something well hidden, your kids know how to dig it up. So many skeletons. I can't wait to get stuck into this character and her world.”
Who’s in the cast of Playing Gracie Darling?
The cast of Playing Gracie Darling includes:
- Morgana O'Reilly as Joni Gray
- Harriet Walter as Pattie
- Rudi Dharmalingam as Jay
- Celia Pacquola as Ruth
- Annie Maynard as Anita
- Dan Spielman as Peter
- Anne Tenney as Moira
- Chloe Brink as Mina
Is there a trailer for Playing Gracie Darling?
Yes, you can watch the trailer for Playing Gracie Darling below.
Is Playing Gracie Darling any good?
Yes - it’s got a perfect blend of mysterious storyline and stellar acting, and the drama is told magnificently from a female lens. When it aired in Australia, viewers couldn’t stop watching it - which is the sign of something truly special!
How can I watch Playing Gracie Darling?
Hurrah - there’s not long to wait! Playing Gracie Darling will be available to watch on Paramount+ from Thursday 11th September.
What other psychological thrillers can I watch now?
Another brilliant girl-gone-missing drama is The Stolen Girl, a tense thriller from Happy Valley producer Nicola Shindler that plays on a scenario that is every parent’s worst nightmare: a child not coming home from a sleepover. It was released earlier this year and you can watch it now on Disney+. For more deliciously dark drama, try The Couple Next Door, which follows a high-flying pair of doctors whose lives begin to take a strange turn when a mysterious colleague moves into their cul-de-sac. You can stream series 1 and 2 now on Channel 4.
