Save Me: A Gripping Child Disappearance Thriller on Arte

The British thriller series Save Me is available for streaming on ARTE, bringing Lennie James’ complex narrative of disappearance and redemption to a wider audience. The series, which combines a tense crime mystery with deep human elements, follows the desperate search for a missing child and the dismantling of a man’s carefully constructed life.

Created, written and starring Lennie James, the drama centers on Nelson Nelly Rowe, a man living in Deptford who is described as a down-and-out, sofa-surfing womanizer. Nelly leads a charmed existence in his neighborhood, known as a decent bloke who helps others, though this facade masks a struggle with alcohol and a volatile temper.

The plot is set in motion when Jody, the estranged 13-year-old daughter Nelly fathered, mysteriously disappears. Nelly finds himself accused of kidnapping his own daughter, a charge that forces him to launch a determined quest to find her and prove his innocence. In his pursuit of Jody, Nelly is forced to lie, beg for favors, and push his friendships to their absolute limits.

Production and Cast

The series features a high-profile ensemble cast. Suranne Jones stars as Claire McGory, Nelly’s former lover and the mother of Jody. Stephen Graham portrays Fabio Melon Melonzola, a convicted sex offender and computer expert who serves as Nelly’s best friend. Other key cast members include Jason Flemyng as Tam, a strip club bartender and cross-dresser, and Adrian Edmondson as Gideon Charles, a prominent figure in a pedophile ring.

Lesley Manville joins the cast in the second series as Jennifer Charles, the wife of Gideon Charles. The production was handled by World Productions and originally premiered on Sky Atlantic.

Series Timeline and Structure

The first series of Save Me premiered on February 28, 2018. Following its initial run, the show was renewed for a second series in March 2018. This second installment, titled Save Me Too, premiered on April 1, 2020, and concluded on May 6, 2020.

Across its two seasons, the series consists of 12 episodes with running times ranging between 46 and 51 minutes. On the ARTE platform, the series is listed as being available until February 8, 2027.

Critical Reception

Critical analysis of the series has highlighted its ability to elevate the missing-child trope through complex characterizations. The Guardian described the production as a well-functioning, gripping thriller that establishes a convincing world before violently dismantling it.

Lennie James as writer and star, Suranne Jones as a desperate mother, and a complex mystery with a missing child at the heart of it – there are so many elements of Save Me (Sky Atlantic) that point towards a Guaranteed Quality TV Moment that it would have been shocking if it failed to live up to expectations.

The Guardian

The series is noted for its nervous energy and unsettling atmosphere, while also being described as a work that overflows with humanity despite its dark subject matter.