This piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, the series being covered here wouldn’t exist.
Flanagan’s take on the classic Poe short story centers on Roderick Usher (Bruce Greenwood), a pharmaceutical CEO who must face the sins of his past as his children start dying by mysteriously violent means.
“It’s batshit crazy in the best possible way,” actor Carla Gugino told Netflix in an interview before the SAG-AFTRA strike. “It has quite a lot of very dark humor, but also really touches the soul.”
Gugino plays a malevolent shapeshifter named Verna whose origins reportedly connect with a “very famous Poe character.”
“There is a fantastical supernatural element to the story, and she is the manifestation of that,” Gugino said, adding: “You could say she’s the executor of fate or the executor of karma.”
Gugino’s character is featured in the show’s poster, which can be found below along with some first-look images from the series.
The Fall of the House of Usher also stars Mary McDonnell, Willa Fitzgerald, Carl Lumbly, Mark Hamill, Henry Thomas, Crystal Balint, Kyliegh Curran, Samantha Sloyan, Matt Biedel, Kate Siegel, Rahul Kohli, Daniel Jun, T’Nia Miller, Paola Núñez, Sauriyan Sapkota, and Ruth Codd.
The series premieres on Netflix on October 12, 2023. Check out some more first-look images below as well as the poster, which suggests that Gugino’s Verna might have some corvid roots. I bet you a dollar she says “Nevermore” at some point in the series.
Vanessa Armstrong is a writer with bylines at The LA Times, SYFY WIRE, StarTrek.com and other publications. She lives in Los Angeles with her dog Penny and her husband Jon, and she loves books more than most things. You can find more of her work on her website or follow her on Twitter @vfarmstrong.
