Six Four is an upcoming drama-thriller limited series that calls for danger, betrayal, and an arduous search for the truth. The performance adapts Six Four, a bestseller by Hideo Yokoyama, in a four-part series that tells the story of a traditional suburban family gone out of control. The initial conflict seems simple: a missing teenage daughter of police officer turned detective Chris O’Neill (Kevin McKidd, i.e. Owen Hunt on Gray’s Anatomy. But as Chris and his wife, Michelle, search for their daughter, they uncover a shocking web of corruption. Their daughter isn’t the only suspected missing person case in the area, and in the battle for their family, the two unravel what may be one of the biggest criminal cover-ups of their lives.
The original novel received critical acclaim after its 2012 publication in Japan and, later, in 2017, publication in the United Kingdom. In addition, the title appeared on the New York Times’ 100 Notable Books of the Year list and was named one of the best books of the year by The Washington Post, San Francisco Chronicle, And literary hub, among many others. The praise and awards credit the author of the source material, Hideo Yokoyama, for his unique writing style and real-world journalistic experience in a “true crime” setting. During his time as a police reporter, it took Yokoyama nearly a decade to write Six Four. This long development period led to a non-traditional, “slow-burn” crime novel centered around personal, complex interactions between characters. Six Four earned critical acclaim for focusing on relationship dynamics rather than the fast-paced action that typically characterizes crime novels. Hideo Yokoyama created a unique crime story with diverse characters, compelling twists and everything that defines a great mystery thriller.
Ahead of its 2023 premiere, here’s everything you need to know about ITVX’s Six Four.
Six Four: The Plot
The official synopsis is as follows.
Acting Police Detective Chris gets a startling revelation about a notorious, unsolved case that once divided the police when a local girl named Julie Mackie disappeared. Now, reeling from the news that his own daughter is missing, Chris is approached. by a journalist who tells him that fatal mistakes were covered up in Julie’s disappearance. When he revisits the case, Chris discovers a series of undeniable mistakes, corruption and unbridled ambition.
While Chris struggles to make sense of what he’s discovered, his wife Michelle takes matters into her own hands in search of their daughter. Using skills learned as a former undercover cop, Michelle takes increasingly greater risks as she follows a trail of clues to the criminal underworld she previously escaped from, where vice and extortion held the power to rise to the top of the political establishment.
“While Chris and Michelle do everything they can to get to the bottom of the truth, the Justice Minister’s daughter is suddenly kidnapped, just as the Minister is about to win a political election victory. The kidnapping has unnerving similarities to the Mackie case. Is the past repeating itself, or is the explosive truth of what really happened to Julie Mackie about to be revealed?”
Six Four differs uniquely from many of its crime thriller counterparts by defending both parents as law enforcement officers, what with Chris as a police detective and Michelle as a former undercover cop. Michelle and Chris O’Neill have a wealth of knowledge, real-world experience and prominent connections that can all be used in the search for their daughter. This makes it all the more terrifying when the two struggle to make progress in the investigation. This venture involving high-ranking politicians and a “deep criminal underworld” seems too much for the two parents to handle alone, but they have to. Michelle and Chris must find their daughter, solve the unexplained kidnappings and confront their sinister past as it draws them to the center of the mystery.
Six Four: The cast and crew
Six Four with Kevin McKidd (Grey’s Anatomy, Trainspotting) and Vincent Robinson (Boiling Point, Sherlock). The cast also includes Richard Coyle (Fantastic Beasts: Dumbledore’s Secrets), James Cosmo (The Bay)Alex Ferns (The disturbances)Iona Anderson (The long calf), Andrew O’Neill and Nilani Chetty.
The series has been adapted by BAFTA Scotland-winning screenwriter Gregory Burke (Black watch) and co-written by Clare McQuillan. Six Four is directed by Ben A. Williams (Sherwood, Baghdad Central) and executive produced by Gregory Burke, Juliette Howell, Tessa Ross and Molly Bolt. It is produced by House Productions (Sherwood, Brexit – The Civil War), a subsidiary of the BBC.
Six Four: the release date
Six Four will be streamed on ITVX on March 30, 2023. It will be broadcast linearly on ITV1, a UK television network, in late 2023.
Six Four: everything else
In an issue of Stylist Magazine, screenwriter Gregory Burke was excited about the upcoming series.
“I’m so excited to bring Six Four to the screen with the wonderful combination of House Productions, ITV and BBC Studios. In the heart, Six Four is a human story about two people under immense pressure who both choose to confront their pasts. It’s a story about how chance can shape a life, exploring the corruption that runs through institutions and exploring the secrets and monsters that lurk in every family.”
In a statement to BBC’s Media Centre, the commented acclaimed novelist Hideo Yokoyama about the upcoming adjustment.
“I am equally surprised and delighted that people have found something universal in my work. That little boy who was so obsessed with Sherlock Holmes stories would be thrilled to hear this. I express my sincere gratitude to everyone involved in production and decided to make this series and I can’t wait to see it.”