Coldwater [2025-]

February 28, 2026

Series – 1 Season – 6 Episodes (40 minutes) – Dark Comedy/Crime
Second season unconfirmed

It’s not a coincidence that the three series I first started writing about were British, innit. Coldwater is a dark comedy starring Andrew Lincoln (The Walking Dead) and Ewen Bremner (Trainspotting). On paper, the story is your standard-issue “neighbors with a dark secret”. After an incident in London, John, Fiona, and their children decide to move to a quiet Scottish village, only to find themselves in an even bigger incident. An incident that will keep escalating. Coldwater gut-punches you right there, in the opening ten minutes, setting up the vibe for the rest of the story. And I’m not talking about Andrew running and crying, completely covered in blood.

The main topic is, believe it or not, masculinity and the examination of what it feels like to be a middle-aged man. As one of those specimens, I can confidently say that I felt that gut-punch. You basically get the best of both worlds. Both the highly popular topic of a couple who stumble into a deadly mess and the thought-provoking examination of not just the role of a man but also its realities. The “London playground incident” is one of those nightmarish scenarios that leaves you thinking constantly about it. About what you would do in that situation and how would you handle its aftermath. And it’s such an easy cope to just say I would do the right thing,

It’s easy to say that you would do “the right thing” but would you? Even if you think you would, when the moment happens, would you bottle it? During those times, the atmosphere gets quite uncomfortable but I urge you to just roll with it. They should’ve just leaned into these uncomfortable situations and created a lot more of them. I hope they do this for the second season. While all of this sounds quite good, I have to inform you that the show loses steam in the hectic second half. Things get more and more preposterous and relatively unrealistic, countering the excellent opening.

I’m thinking they had a great draft with quite a few superbly written events; it’s just that the way they gel together is a bit wobbly. Along with the rest of the narrative, as you want to create something that can have more than one season. Some of the viewers struggled with the tone of the whole series as it sits uncomfortably between serious and comical. Coldwater is definitely worth watching, if for nothing else than for the several intriguing motives that include not just masculinity but also religion, morality, and relationships. There’s also a bit of humor elevated by superb performances.

First of all, it was so good to see Andrew Lincoln in a British production. I have to admit I had no idea he’s from London. Secondly, it was even better to see Ewen Bremner again. I loved him as Spud in Trainspotting and as Shawn Nelson in Black Hawk Down. I still remember him shouting Twombly at Tom Hardy. We also have gorgeous Indira Varma (Game of Thrones) and Eve Myles (Keeping Faith). However, I think that Lois Chimimba stole the show here as the spunky Catriona. I especially loved her accent. The setting of an idyllic countryside Scottish village was also a major plus. Too bad they didn’t take full advantage of this, but I guess they had to spin their story.

Coldwater reminded me of an American series, Based On A True Story, starring Kaley Cuoco (The Big Bang Theory). The Yanks went for more trendy topics like podcasts and true crime, along with a lot more humor. Here, things remain quite bleak and dark, and what humor there is comes from the bizarre nature of the situation. And some slapstick, which I appreciated immensely. In the end, this is a welcome distraction that should keep you engaged for six 40-minute episodes. If you’re looking for something similar, do check out much better Bodkin.