Mrs. Davis Trailer: Damon Lindelof's Peacock Series Pits Artificial Intelligence Against A Nun
Prepare to be amazed — but first, prepare to be really, really confused. When it comes to boggling the mind, Emmy-award-winning writer-producer Damon Lindelof is nothing if not consistent. His latest venture might be his weirdest yet: "Mrs. Davis" is a quaint little Peacock series about the epic battle between the world's most powerful Artificial Intelligence and the nun devoted to destroying her. (I'm placing my bets on the nun, but to each their own.)
The series hails from Lindelof (known for creating "Lost," "The Leftovers" and "Watchmen") and Tara Hernandez ("The Big Bang Theory"). Hernandez showruns the series and co-writes with Lindelof, and the two creators executive produce with directors Owen Harris ("Black Mirror: San Junipero") and Alethea Jones ("Evil"). It's one hell of a creative team, backed by a solid cast: Betty Gilpin (of "GLOW" fame) stars as Simone, the nun who will hopefully save the world. Other cast members include Jake McDorman ("Dopesick"), Andy McQueen ("Station Eleven"), Margo Martindale ("Cocaine Bear"), David Arquette ("Scream"), Elizabeth Marvel ("The Dropout"), and more.
The debut season will consist of eight one-hour episodes, and our first glimpse of the series has just been released! Prepare yourself because as promised, it's a little odd. You would never be able to guess the premise of his show from watching the teaser — there are no nuns in sight, and certainly not one that seems willing to dedicate her life to defeating the all-knowing and never-visible Mrs. Davis. But all the same, I think that probably tells us all we need to know about the tone of the dystopian series.
Ready to meet her yet? Good, because Mrs. Davis has arrived and I hear she wants to talk to you.
Meet Mrs. Davis in the first teaser trailer
The trailer is.... Ominous, to say the least. Not only does it make the very unnerving decision to directly address the audience, but it implies that Mrs. Davis — the terrifying artificial intelligence at the center of the series — is aware of our existence. If I've learned anything from years of sci-fi and AI horror movies, it's that we are 100% doomed and there's no turning back now.
Just in case that fourth wall break didn't leave you vaguely terrified, the team behind "Mrs. Davis" have prepared another special treat: a special page where you can chat with Mrs. Davis herself! Doesn't that sound fun and not at all like the start of a horror movie? Objectively, this is not as scary as I'm making it sound (it's not even that interactive, the chat options are all pre-loaded) but I remain over-cautious of anything AI related and I'm pretty confident that when we see Mrs. Davis in action, vindication will be mine.
For the lucky folks attending this year's South By Southwest Film Festival, "Mrs. Davis" will make its world premiere on March 14, 2023, at SXSW as an Official Selection for the festival. As for the rest of us, the series will premiere on Peacock with four episodes on Thursday, April 20, followed by weekly releases on Thursdays.