“The Third Day” is a strange, ambitious piece of television that splits itself in half and asks you to watch both sides back-to-back. It is a drama-thriller created by Felix Barrett and Dennis Kelly for HBO and Sky Atlantic, and it premiered on 14 September 2020 in the United States on HBO and on 15 September 2020 in the United Kingdom on Sky Atlantic. The series is structured as three interconnected parts, and it tells the story of two arrivals on a mysterious island off the British coast. One arrives in summer, the other in winter. The middle part, “Autumn,” is a 12-hour live event, a theatrical experiment that runs separately from the regular broadcast schedule.
The result is a show that rewards patience and punishes skimming. It is not a series you can watch while doing laundry; it is a series that demands attention, and it occasionally delivers more than it earns.
Trailer, via Sky TV.
Summer and Winter
The first part, “Summer,” follows Sam, played by Jude Law, a man drawn to the island where he encounters a group of islanders set on preserving their traditions at any cost. The second part, “Winter,” follows Helen, played by Naomie Harris, a strong-willed outsider who comes to the island seeking answers but whose arrival precipitates a fractious battle to decide its fate.
The island is the real star of the show. It is a place of stone walls, narrow paths and ancient customs, and the series spends a great deal of time establishing why these people want to keep it the way it is. The islanders are not villains in the usual sense; they are protectors of a way of life that outsiders do not understand. That tension is the engine of the story, and it drives both halves of the narrative forward.
The two halves are structurally different. “Summer” is a traditional TV drama, told in six episodes that build toward a resolution. “Winter” is a compressed, tense sequence that moves faster and cuts deeper. The show expects you to hold the memory of Sam’s story while you watch Helen’s, and it pays off that trust in the final stretch.
The Live Event
The middle section, “Autumn,” is where the show gets experimental. It was broadcast as a 12-hour live event on the island, described by the producers as a “major immersive theatre event.” It was intended to allow followers of The Third Day to “inhabit the story as it happens.”
This is the part that separates the committed from the casual viewer. It is not a conventional broadcast; it is a performance that unfolds in real time. The series features Jude Law and other members of the cast, and it includes singer Florence Welch. The idea is bold: a live television experience that puts the audience in the moment with the characters.
It does not fully succeed. The live element is a gimmick, and the show leans on it more than it should. Watching the live event requires a commitment that most viewers will not make, and the show does not compensate for those who miss it. The story can be followed without it, but the experience is diminished.
Sam’s Story
Jude Law plays Sam, a man drawn to the island where he encounters a group of islanders set on preserving their traditions at any cost. His performance carries the first half of the series, and it is the strongest part of the show. Sam is a wanderer, a man out of place, and Law sells his confusion and curiosity without ever tipping into caricature.
The islanders around him are a closed community, and the show spends considerable time building the rules of their world. They have rituals, they have secrets, and they have a fierce desire to keep the outside world away. Sam’s arrival disrupts that balance, and the show tracks the friction between his curiosity and their fear.
The supporting cast is strong. Katherine Waterston plays Jess, Freya Allan plays Kail, John Dagleish plays Larry, Mark Lewis Jones plays Jason, Börje Lundberg plays Professor Mimir, Paddy Considine plays Mr. Martin, and Emily Watson plays Mrs. Martin. Each of them brings something distinct to the island, and the ensemble gives the first half a lived-in feel.
Helen’s Battle
Naomie Harris plays Helen, a strong-willed outsider who comes to the island seeking answers but whose arrival precipitates a fractious battle to decide its fate. Her story is the darker half of the show, and it is more violent than the first part. The island’s traditions come under attack, and the people who live there fight to defend them.
Harris is excellent in this role. She plays Helen as a woman who knows what she wants and is willing to push through anyone who stands in her way. The contrast between her and Sam is deliberate, and it sets up a thematic tension about change versus preservation.
The battle for the island’s fate is the climax of the second half, and it is well staged. The show builds to a confrontation that feels earned, even if some of the plot threads are resolved too quickly.
What Works
The strengths of “The Third Day” are structural. The split narrative forces the viewer to engage with the material in a non-linear way, and that is a risk that pays off. The island itself is a character, and the show invests time in making it feel real. The performances are uniformly good, and the writing holds together across the three parts.
The weakest part of the show is the middle section. The live event is a stunt, and it distracts from the story rather than deepening it. The show could have told its tale without it, and the inclusion feels like a marketing choice rather than a creative necessity.
The pacing is uneven. Some episodes move at a glacial pace, particularly in the first half, while others rush through crucial information. This is a show that demands patience, and it does not always reward it.
The Verdict
“The Third Day” is a show that aims high and mostly lands. It is a bold attempt to shake up the television form, and it succeeds in parts while stumbling in others. The summer half is a slow-burning character study, and the winter half is a tense thriller. Together, they make for a complete story that is greater than the sum of its parts.
The live event is the show’s weak link, and it is best approached with a grain of salt. The rest of the series is a solid piece of drama with strong performances and a compelling central mystery. It is not perfect, but it is ambitious.
The show is available on HBO and Sky Atlantic, and it is worth a watch for anyone interested in a different kind of television experience.
| Part | Format | Broadcast |
|---|---|---|
| Summer | Traditional TV drama | 6 episodes |
| Autumn | Live event | 12 hours |
| Winter | Tense thriller | Single sequence |
The score is 7 of 10.
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