Scripted series · CBS
Harper's Island
13 weeks. 25 suspects. 1 killer.
Who's in it
Cast
The principal ensemble across the run of the series.
Elaine Cassidy
Abby Mills
13 eps
Christopher Gorham
Henry Dunn
13 eps
Katie Cassidy
Trish Wellington
13 eps
Cameron Richardson
Chloe Carter
13 eps
Jim Beaver
Charlie Mills
13 eps
C.J. Thomason
Jimmy Mance
13 eps
Adam Campbell
Cal Vandeusen
13 eps
Claudette Mink
Katherine Wellington
9 eps
Brandon Jay McLaren
Danny Brooks
13 eps
Chris Gauthier
Malcolm Ross
8 eps
Victor Webster
Hunter Jennings
3 eps
Richard Burgi
Thomas Wellington
5 eps
Amber Borycki
Beth Barrington
9 eps
Cassandra Sawtell
Madison Allen
13 eps
David James Lewis
Richard Allen
7 eps
Ali Liebert
Nikki Bolton
8 eps
Ben Cotton
Shane Pierce
7 eps
Dean Chekvala
J.D. Dunn
9 eps
Beverley Elliott
Maggie Krell
8 eps
Sean Rogerson
Joel Booth
6 eps
Matt Barr
Christopher 'Sully' Sullivan
13 eps
Haley Cook
Sales Clerk
1 eps
Chilton Crane
Karena
1 eps
Lyle St. Goddard
The Gardener
1 eps
Tom Pickett
Cab Driver
1 eps
Sarah Smyth
Lucy Daramour
2 eps
Erica Van Briel
Esthetician
1 eps
Glynis Davies
Ruth
1 eps
Callum Keith Rennie
John Wakefield
4 eps
Terence Kelly
Reverend Fain
1 eps
Sarah-Jane Redmond
Sarah Mills
2 eps
Dean Wray
Cole Harkin
4 eps
Kwesi Ameyaw
FBI Agent Hanson
1 eps
Peter Ciuffa
Man in Seattle
1 eps
Ava Hughes
Young Abby
1 eps
Aaron Pearl
Deputy Garrett
4 eps
Sonia Mais
Maid
1 eps
Maxine Miller
Julia
3 eps
Barbara Kottmeier
Agent Ana Perez
1 eps
Clint Carleton
Ben Wellington
2 eps
The Nutevio profile
TV DNA
How Harper's Island actually feels to watch, measured on the traits our editors track across every series.
Signature profile
Harper's Island reads strongest on Bingeability, Character Depth and Cliffhanger Intensity.
How hard it is to stop after one episode.
How fully written and psychologically layered the ensemble is.
How often an episode ends on a hook you can't ignore.
The sustained pressure the series keeps you under.
How much the series is designed to affect you.
How much each hour depends on the one before it.
Visual ambition — scale, craft and set-piece filmmaking.
The scale, internal logic and texture of the world.
How often the series is genuinely funny, by design.
The story
What it's about
A group of family and friends travels to a secluded island for a destination wedding. They've come to laugh... to love... and, though they don't know it... to die. As the wedding festivities begin, friendships are tested and secrets exposed as a murderer claims victims, one by one, transforming the wedding week of fun and celebration into a terrifying struggle for survival.
Where the series peaks
Best Episodes
The hours that define the show, ranked by audience response and editorial signal.
S01E11
Splash
After being rocked by more deaths and the disappearance of another friend, the group fights back and is more determined than ever to track down the island's killer.
- Directed by Rick Bota
S01E12
Gasp
Eight out of the original 25 suspects strive to be one of the few survivors as all answers are revealed.
- Directed by Seith Mann
S01E10
Snap
While attempting to get to a boat that will take everyone off the island, a massive explosion destroys the marina. The group retreats to a hideaway where a secret is revealed that leaves the group reeling.
- Directed by Steve Boyum
- Written by Christine Roum
S01E05
Thwack
A father/daughter bike ride in the woods leads to a startling revelation. Abby uncovers the Sheriff's secret obsession as Trish and Henry's wedding rehearsal takes an unexpected turn.
- Directed by James Whitmore Jr., Steve Gomer
- Written by Robert Levine
S01E08
Gurgle
A guest disappears as the wedding party prepares to board the ship for home. A mysterious phone call informs Abby that if anyone leaves the island, the missing person will be killed.
- Directed by Rick Bota
S01E09
Seep
The remaining members of the wedding party begin to turn on one another. Then, after finding maps of the island's underground tunnel system, they all join together to search for a Madison.
Behind the series
Created by
Showrunners, creators, executive producers and the writers who set the voice of the series.
The craft
Key Crew
Directing, writing, production, camera, music and editing.
Executive production
- Lindsay SturmanProducer
- Jon TurteltaubProducer
- Ari SchlossbergProducer
Writing
- Jeffrey BellWriter
- Christine RoumWriter
- Robert LevineWriter
Direction
- James Whitmore Jr.Director
- Rick BotaDirector
- Jon TurteltaubDirector
- Guy Norman BeeDirector
- Seith MannDirector
- Sanford BookstaverDirector
Where to watch
Streaming
Availability verified against regional listings.
- Amazon VideoBuy
- Apple TV StoreBuy
- Fandango At HomeBuy
If you liked this
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Where to go from here
Watch Next
Our editors' suggestion for the show you should start tonight — and why.
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Another morally complex epic for anyone who wanted more grey.
Lost
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Take the questions with you: this one rewards the same attention.
Grimm
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If the world-building is what held you, this is the next map to walk.
CSI: Miami
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Another morally complex epic for anyone who wanted more grey.
Breaking Bad
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Watch this next if you like protagonists you can't quite defend.
The Wire
2002
A crime story told with the patience of a novel.
Never stop watching
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