Will is TNT's taken on the life of William Shakespeare. It has Laurie Davidson in the role of Shakespeare. The series was created by Craig Pearce - the mind behind Moulin Rouge, the 2013 edition of The Great Gatsby, and the 1996 edition of Romeo + Juliet.
At the start of episode one we get to meet the dreamer that is Will Shakespeare before he became the great Shakespeare that we know in literature. It's obvious that he is unhappy with the life he presently had and desired more out of life. He is tasked with carrying a specific letter for a cousin of his, which appears to be the main source of tension at this point in the series. I think the series has great potential.
Let's chat about some of the characters we are introduced in the first two episodes.
This version of Will is more human than I have ever seen Shakespeare portrayed. He struggles with how the Church, at the time, portrayed what sin is and how being a part of the theatre is wrong and his desire to be a part of that world.
Christopher Marlowe - I'm not exactly sure what to think about Marlowe yet. He seems to have a cult following. He also seems highly motivated by money, but at the same time has a heart so he's not turning in everyone for money.
Alice - She's already been established as an important character. I'm interested to see how this character is used to enhance the storyline of Will's life. At the moment, it looks like there is some intent of romance between her and Will, but I think she could challenge Will in ways that will really grow his character.
Richard Burbage - I'm not sure if this character is anything more than comic relief. He got quite a bit of screen time for him to be only comic relief. I don't have any solid ideas of direction for this character. He seems to be a friend to Will for now.
This series looks like it will be a good one. As there isn't a whole lot known about Shakespeare's life, it's hard to say if they are being true to the author or not. But so far the story they have begun is something that is engaging, entertaining, and filled with homages to Shakespeare's work that in their story he has yet to write.
At the time of writing this post, only the first two episodes have been released. The series premiered on July 10, 2017. You can catch Will on TNT on Mondays at 9pm EST.