Maryland cast: who stars in ITV drama with Suranne Jones, Eve Best, and Stockard Channing?

Maryland, a new drama co-created by and starring Suranne Jones, is starting this week on ITV. 

The series follows two estranged sisters who receive unexpected news about their mother’s death – but also, more surprisingly, news that she’d died on the Isle of Man rather than in what they thought was her home. It quickly becomes clear to them that their mother was leading a double life she’d kept entirely secret from them, living as part of a community they knew nothing about. Did they ever really know their mother at all?

Here’s everything you need to know about the cast of Maryland, from where you recognise them from already to what you should watch them in next.

Suranne Jones as Becca

Who do they play in Maryland? Suranne Jones plays Rosaline, the younger of the two sisters. She takes the news of her mother’s double life particularly hard, given how much importance she placed on what she thought was a very close relationship.

Where do I recognise them from? It’s almost easier to list the things you don’t know Suranne Jones from – she’s everywhere! – but Jones is perhaps most recognisable for roles in soap opera Coronation Street, historical drama Gentleman Jack, and nautical crime thriller Vigil.

What should I watch them in next? One of Jones’ most celebrated dramatic roles is Doctor Foster, which follows a woman who discovers her husband has been living a double life – a nice thematic pair with Maryland, and always worth rewatching given the strength of Jones’ performance anyway. 

Eve Best as Rosaline

Who do they play in Maryland? Eve Best plays Becca, the older of the two sisters. She lives away from the rest of her family, working in an intense finance job in London, and worries about the return of a childhood illness. 

Where do I recognise them from? You’ll know Eve Best from roles in Hugo Blick’s political thriller The Honourable Woman or medical dramedy Nurse Jackie. More recently, she received particular acclaim for her portrayal of Rhaenys Targaryen in House of the Dragon. 

What should I watch them in next? For something completely different, you might want to check out Life in Squares, a turn of the century period drama about a group of artists navigating a fast-changing world. 

Stockard Channing as Cathy

Who do they play in Maryland? Stockard Channing plays Cathy, a close friend of Mary’s in her secret life on the Isle of Mann.

Where do I recognise them from? You’ll know Channing as Rizzo from Grease, Alicia Florrick’s mother Veronica from The Good Wife, or as Ouisa Kittredge in the film version of Six Degrees of Separation (a role that earned her an Oscar-nomination in 1993).

What should I watch them in next? The West Wing – where Channing plays First Lady Abigail Bartlett – contains some of her best work. Certain episodes (in particular the stretch that closes Season 2) has a certain thematic similarity to Maryland, too, though to say more might be revealing too much… 

Hugh Quarshie as Pete

Who do they play in Maryland? Hugh Quarshie plays Pete, a neighbour of Mary’s on the Isle of Man who clearly had a closer relationship with her than Becca and Rosaline are entirely happy to acknowledge…

Where do I recognise them from? You’ll know Quarshie from all sorts of things – he’s a prolific actor, having appeared in Riches, Stephen, Breeders, Doctor Who, and Star Wars: The Phantom Menace – but you’ll no doubt know him best from Holby City, where he played surgeon Ric Griffin for 19 years. 

What should I watch them in next? Riches, where Quarshie plays a Logan Roy style business mogul, is worth checking out if you’re a Succession fan. 

Dean Lennox Kelly as Jacob

Who do they play in Maryland? Dean Lennox Kelly plays a taxi driver on the Isle of Man who forms a connection with Becca and Rosaline after he picks them up when they first arrive.

Where do I recognise them from? Kelly is best known for starring as Kev Ball in Shameless, a role he played on and off between 2004 and 2013. You might also recognise him from The Invisibles and Collision, or more recently from Shadow and Bone and The Walk-In.

What should I watch them in next? It’s worth checking out Jamestown, a period drama about the first settlers in America – outside of Kev Ball in Shameless, Jamestown’s Meredith Rutter is one of the roles Kelly played longest, and if you’re a fan of his work elsewhere it’s worth seeing what he can do on a bigger canvas. 

George Costigan as Richard

Who do they play in Maryland? George Costigan plays Richard, Becca and Rosaline’s father and Mary’s husband. He lives alone, but close to Becca, who checks in on him regularly.

Where do I recognise them from? You’ll recognise Costigan from a run of different guest appearances and supporting roles in shows like Ridley, Doctor Who, Vera, and Gentleman Jack, but he’s probably best known for starring in Line of Duty, So Haunt Me, and the film Rita, Sue, and Bob Too.

What should I watch them in next? If you’ve not seen it already, Costigan plays a key supporting role across Happy Valley – there’s a few similarities between his role there and in Maryland, so each performance would likely complement the other nicely.

Who writes and directs Maryland?

The initial idea for Maryland came from star Suranne Jones, who went on to develop the series with writer Anne-Marie O’Connor. Maryland is O’Connor’s first UK drama commission, having previously created Sky’s supermarket-set comedy Trollied and executive produced Channel 4’s Hullraisers.

All three episodes of Maryland are directed by Sue Tully, a director who has previously helmed episodes of crime drama Line of Duty, the psychological thriller Too Close, and detective procedural Strike. 

Maryland begins on ITV1 at 9pm on Monday 22 May. New episodes will air at the same time each night, with the full three-episode boxset available to stream on ITVX from Monday evening. You can find more of our coverage of Maryland here, and read our review of the series here.

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