The Dark, ITV's six-part serial killer drama adapted from GR Halliday's novel From the Shadows, airs its series finale tonight (Monday, July 27). The show follows detective Monica Kennedy (Laura Donnelly) as she investigates a young man's body found staged in the Scottish wilderness, leading her to believe a serial killer is targeting a rural community.
Series conclusion and potential return
Monica's search for the killer ends tonight, with viewers awaiting the big reveal. The series has not yet been renewed by ITV, but lead actress Laura Donnelly previously addressed a possible return. Speaking exclusively to the Mirror ahead of the drama's premiere, she opened up about Monica's backstory, which she feels could be explored beyond the season finale.
"What I really loved when I read the first script was how gently it held that actually," she said. "Rather than going in strong [like], 'Oh, we've got this big backstory coming', you know, it was just very much hinted at, and I love that it really takes its time in unveiling itself."
Exploring Monica's backstory
Donnelly continued: "Monica's whole backstory, the way it has shaped who she is, there are still, even as we finish season one, there are still tonnes of question marks about that, and a long, long way to explore." She praised writer Matt Hartley's pacing, noting that detective shows often reveal too much too quickly.
Mark Rowley, who plays Monica's detective colleague DC Conor Crawford, added: "It's nice just to prolong that, to keep the audience hooked in for longer to be like, 'Okay, what's really going on here?'" He described the character as "so strong" with a "held back vulnerability" that keeps viewers curious.
Donnelly concluded that the backstory "could take a few seasons to work through," teasing the possible return of the "properly scary" series. The Dark is available to stream on ITVX.
