# Saint X

Saint X is an American psychological drama television series developed by Leila Gerstein, based on the novel of the same name by Alexis Schaitkin. It stars Alycia Debnam-Carey, Josh Bonzie, West Duchovny, Jayden Elijah, Bre Francis, Kenlee Anaya Townsend, Betsy Brandt, and Michael Park. The series premiered on Hulu on April 26, 2023.

## Premise

Based on the bestselling novel, this psychological drama follows the story of Emily Thomas on her dangerous mission to find out the truth about what happened to her older sister, Alison, who was brutally murdered and raped on an idyllic trip to the Caribbean 20 years earlier.

## Cast and characters

* Alycia Debnam-Carey as Claire Emily Thomas, an environmental documentary editor
* Josh Bonzie as Clive "Gogo" Richardson
* West Duchovny as Alison Thomas
* Jayden Elijah as Edwin
* Michael Park as Bill Thomas
* Betsy Brandt as Mia Thomas
* Bre Francis as Sara
* Kenlee Anaya Townsend as Claire Thomas (7 years old)
* Clarisse Albrecht as Deputy
* Sule Thelwell as Desmond

## Episodes

| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
| 1 | "A Lovely Nowhere" | Dee Rees | Leila Gerstein | April 26, 2023 (2023-4-26) |
| 2 | "Woman Is Fickle" | Darren Grant | Leila Gerstein | April 26, 2023 (2023-4-26) |
| More information about what went down during Alison's disappearance is revealed. Alison begins to explore her feelings for Edwin and Tyler. In present day, Emily begins to search deeper into her past for answers on Alison's death. Meanwhile, Edwin's tour of the Island Kay leads to a grizzly discovery. |||||
| 3 | "Men of Interest" | Darren Grant | Nina Braddock & Cynthia Adarkwa | April 26, 2023 (2023-4-26) |
| 4 | "A Disquieting Emptiness" | Patricia Riggen | Jeff Augustin & Matthew Cruz | May 3, 2023 (2023-5-3) |
| 5 | "Colonial Interference" | Patricia Riggen | Leila Gerstein & Natasha M. Hall | May 10, 2023 (2023-5-10) |
| Tyler begins to push things further with Alison. In present day, Clive gets a surprising call from his past. Emily and Josh's relationship is put to the test as she continues to search for answers. Emily and Sunita begin clashing over her unhealthy obsession. |||||
| 6 | "Loose Threads of the Past" | Matt Sobel | Nina Braddock & Cynthia Adarkwa | May 17, 2023 (2023-5-17) |
| 7 | "The Goat Witch and the Sinner" | Matt Sobel | Jeff Augustin & Matthew Cruz | May 24, 2023 (2023-5-24) |
| 8 | "Faraway" | Ekwa Msangi | Leila Gerstein | May 31, 2023 (2023-5-31) |

## Production
### Development

On January 24, 2022, Hulu gave production an eight-episode series order. It is based on the novel of the same name by Alexis Schaitkin. The series is developed by Leila Gerstein, who executive produced alongside Schaitkin, Dee Rees, Stephen Williams, David Levine, Zack Hayden, Aubrey Drake Graham, Adel "Future" Nur, Jason Shrier, and Steve Pearlman. Anonymous Content, DreamCrew Entertainment, and ABC Signature are the production companies involved with producing the series. Saint X was released on April 26, 2023, with the first three episodes available immediately and the rest debuting on a weekly basis.

### Casting

On March 29, 2022, Victoria Pedretti was cast to star. In April 2022, Josh Bonzie, West Duchovny, and Jayden Elijah joined the main cast. On May 3, 2022, Alycia Debnam-Carey joined the cast in a recasting, replacing Pedretti. On October 27, 2022, Michael Park and Betsy Brandt were cast in starring roles. On January 12, 2023, upon the series premiere date announcement, it was reported that Bre Francis and Kenlee Anaya Townsend are also part of the main cast.

## Release

Saint X premiered on Hulu on April 26, 2023. It consists of eight episodes, which were released weekly until the finale on May 31. Internationally, the series was made available for streaming on Disney+.

## Reception
### Viewership

TVision, which uses its TVision Power Score to evaluate CTV programming performance by factoring in viewership and engagement across over 1,000 apps and incorporating four key metrics—viewer attention time, total program time available for the season, program reach, and app reach—calculated that Saint X was the sixteenth most-streamed show from May 1–7. It later moved to nineteenth place from May 8–14.

### Critical response

The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 19% approval rating with an average rating of 4.9/10, based on 16 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "A tedious crawl to an unsatisfying destination, Saint X only marks time instead of hitting the spot." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 51 out of 100 based on 10 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews."

### Accolades

Tony Mirza won Best Cinematography in a Dramatic Series at the 2024 Leo Awards.