It's A Sin, the latest miniseries from acclaimed British television producer Russell T Davies, is currently airing on Channel 4 in the UK, but when will the drama arrive in the US?
British audiences are already raving about Davies' latest project, which follows five gay men who arrive in 1980s London just as the AIDS epidemic begins to cast a dark shadow over their lives. The series premiered in the UK on Friday, January 22nd and includes five episodes in total. Like many of Davies' projects, It's A Sin offers an uncanny blend of optimism and pain. Critics have also noted the series' impeccable timing, with many of its issues also resonating with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic - a topic that has also been broached by sci-fi series such as CBS' The Stand.
While It's A Sin is currently available in its entirety on Channel 4's streaming service, American audiences will have to wait a few weeks to get their hands on the show. HBO Max owns the US rights to the series, and is expecting to begin streaming it on February 18th, 2021.
With It's A Sin expected to arrive on HBO Max in mid-February, there has never been a better time to subscribe to the streaming giant. In addition to acclaimed miniseries like It's A Sin, HBO Max will also be streaming several major film releases in 2021. The service also offers Davies' previous miniseries, Years and Years, which remains one of the most compelling meditations on the political and personal turmoil of the last decade. In addition to Years and Years, HBO Max offers some of Davies' most popular works: Torchwood and, of course, Doctor Who.
While Davies may be best known for reviving Doctor Who, he has had a formidable career in writing TV dramas about the gay community - starting with the original UK version of Queer as Folk. Davies also wrote the first season of Amazon Prime's A Very English Scandal, which has recently been greenlit for a second season, albeit under a different writer. A Very English Scandal was acutely interested in issues of sexuality and homophobia in the UK, which obviously offers considerable thematic overlap with It's A Sin.
American audiences have been fortunate enough to experience some incredible stories about the AIDS epidemic over the years, including HBO's own miniseries, Angels in America. Of course, more recent attempts to dramatize the AIDS epidemic haven't fared quite as well, such as 2018's Bohemian Rhapsody, so It's A Sin has an opportunity to do particular justice by the LGBTQIA+ community, and all those affected by AIDS.