When will ‘The Serpent’ Season 1 be on Netflix?

The British Netflix production, The Serpent, is one of the highlights that will be coming to Netflix in 2021. Here’s what we know so far including most importantly when it’s likely coming to Netflix.

Announced back in July 2019, Netflix and the BBC would team up (as they’ve done numerous times in the past) in a big-budget limited series that provides a dramatization of the 1976 arrest of Charles Sohraj.

Charles Sohraj, a notorious serial killer and fraudster from the 1970s, preyed upon tourists in Southeast Asia. The director of the series, Tom Shankland said the following: “Bringing the lost era of the hippie trail back to life has been a dream of mine, ever since I first went traveling in Asia and heard the name ‘Charles Sobhraj’.”

Now, approaching a year and a half after the project was announced, we’ve got some key new details including a trailer, screenshots, and most importantly, when we get to see it.

Jenna Coleman will be the main star of the show. Known for Doctor Who as the companion in recent years, Jenna will play Marie-Andrée Leclerc who served as Sobhraj’s partner in crime and accomplice.

The lead role itself is played by Tahar Rahim (Netflix’s The Eddy, A Prophet, The Past) with Ellie Bamber, Billy Howle, Tim McInnerny and William Brand also set to star.

The Serpent was written by Richard Warlow, Toby Finlay and Toby Finlay. They also worked together on British TV series Ripper Street.

The BBC will air eight episodes of one hour each. They are scheduled to begin airing them on January 1, 2021.

The Serpent – Picture: BBC / Netflix

What date will The Serpent be available on Netflix?

The Serpent is expected to arrive in every country, but it has not been officially confirmed when.

However, we can make an educated guess about its release date thanks to another BBC production, Giri/Haji, which was released at the same time as before (sadly, it was canceled after one season).

The series wasn’t included in the January 2021 release schedule so instead, we’re expecting it to hit Netflix once it’s wrapped up. After Giri/Haji ended airing, it was added to Netflix's catalog in January 2020. We were expecting The Serpent to hit Netflix outside the UK in either February 2021 or March 2021 but it wasn’t until early March when Netflix announced that the US would be getting season 1 on April 2nd, 2021.

Netflix UK is likely to get the series, but it's unlikely that they will until one year after it finishes airing. This will likely be early 2022. The series will remain available until then on BBC iPlayer UK, which is completely free if you own a TV license.

All episodes have been available on BBC iPlayer since New Year’s Day 2021.

That’s all we know for now, are you looking forward to watching The Serpent on Netflix? We'd love to hear from you in the comments.