Benedict Cumberbatch's Patrick Melrose Sets May Premiere Date

Benedict Cumberbatch's Patrick Melrose is set to launch Saturday night programming for Showtime. The prestige network announced Friday that Cumberbatch's Patrick Melrose miniseries will premiere on May 12 as the first scripted original to air on their new night of programming. (via The Hollywood Reporter)

Patrick Melrose is based on the semi-autobiographical novels by Edward St. Aubyn. The series features Doctor Strange star Cumberbatch as the title character, a man who turns to substance abuse to help him recover from his childhood with a highly abusive father (Hugo Weaving). Jennifer Jason Leigh, Blythe Danner, Allison Williams, Jessica Raine, Pip Torrens, Anna Madeley, Prasanna Puwanarajah, Holliday Grainger, Indira Varma, and Celia Imrie also star in the series.

Each episode of the series is set to cover one of St. Aubyn's novels. The series will go through a number of different locations and time periods, including the south of France in the 1960s, New York in the 1980s, and the United Kingdom in the early 2000s. The show, a co-production between Showtime and Sky Atlantic, is set to air for five consecutive Saturdays at 9 p.m./8 p.m. Central time.

"As the size of our programming slate continues to grow, it makes sense for Showtime to offer another night of premieres — allowing us the opportunity to eventize series like Patrick Melrose," said President and CEO David Nevins in a statement. "Offering original content on Saturdays not only enables us to fully service our subscribers with diverse offerings, it gives viewers enough time to enjoy them all. And a series with the ambition and quality of Patrick Melrose is the perfect place to start."