'Finding Alice' Star Keeley Hawes Explains Why Grief Can Be 'Funny'

Acorn TV's new show proves that you can find comedy in the darkest of places.

Finding Alice launches on the streaming service on Monday, September 13, and tells the story of a wife who has to deal with the death of her husband the day after they move into their dream home together.

Keeley Hawes (Bodyguard, The Durrells in Corfu, Misbehaviour) stars as the eponymous Alice, who with the support of her family and in-laws, must deal with the fallout of her partner's death and all of the rigmarole that comes afterwards.

While the show's subject matter could become macabre, somber or pensive, Hawes tells Newsweek how it's only natural that comedy is born out of a grim situation. "It is one of those things where humor often arises in those moments. Anybody we spoke to while developing it, they'd have a funny story about a funeral or about someone passing because - people try to find the light when times are bad," she said.

British comedies have a strong track record of being adopted by the United States, and Hawes thinks this latest comedy-drama will translate just as well as those that have come before.

"I think Americans love the British sense of humor, they really get it. I've been watching The White Lotus and I said to my husband, 'this is extreme' and a lot of the humor actually feels quite British; very dry and very dark.

"I'm hoping people will get it. Even in the UK some people struggled with the idea of finding the lighter moments in the darkest."

Hawes, who is also an executive producer on the show, isn't carrying the comedy on her own. Her supporting cast include an impressive list of classic British actors. Joanna Lumley (The Wolf of Wall Street) and Nigel Havers (Chariots of Fire) play Alice's mum and dad, while Gemma Jones (Bridget Jones's Diary) and Kenneth Cranham (Maleficent) play the parents of her deceased husband Harry.

Having such esteemed colleagues was "fabulous," according to Hawes, but when COVID hit production with five weeks left of shooting, things got much more challenging. "Several members of our cast are 70+ so that made things very difficult, we had to look after that age group in particular, it was tricky logistically coming back to film."

Hawes continued: "For everyone on set, we were all hit by the glow of Joanna Lumley's fabulous light. Everyone's day is just made better. They were all brilliant and real troopers. Everyone was up for coming back after the pandemic and making it work however we had to do that."

While each of the cast are funny in their own right, especially supporting character Nicola played by Sharon Rooney, Alice has been singled out by viewers for her quick tongue. Hawes thinks her character's reaction to grief was one of the things that unlocked her wit. "It's one of the fabulous things about her that she speaks her mind, the ante is just upped when she goes through this incredibly discombobulating situation, this massive life event.

"When do you get to hose somebody off your front lawn?" - As Alice does to a particularly irritating real estate agent in the show - "All of these crazy things she does, it's a heightened version of herself that we find. Nobody knows how they're going to behave when they're faced with this certain situation."

Plans for Another Season

Although it hasn't aired in America yet, Season 1 has wrapped up in the UK and has already been commissioned for Season 2. Though Hawes admits the logistics of when they'll film the new episodes is to be determined, she told Newsweek some of the expectations she has for Alice as she continues her journey.

She said: "I would like to imagine she would be more settled and slightly more sensible because at the moment her daughter is the sensible one and behaving more like a parent to Alice."

New six-part comedy drama Finding Alice starts on Acorn TV on Monday September 13, 2021.

Acorn TV is available on a variety of devices including Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Android TV, Roku and Chromecast.