Michaela Coel Is About to Get Real Serious in the BBC War Crimes Drama Black Earth Rising

Coel plays Kate Ashby, who works in the law offices of Michael Ennis (Goodman). A case about an African militia leader comes in and threatens the order of everyone’s lives as they know it. Ashby—which according to Deadline’s synopsis, was rescued from the Rwandan genocide when she was younger—gets into a fight with her adoptive (white) mother, Eve Ashby (played by Harriet Walter). People keep saying things are more “complex” than they appear. Kate gets a phone call telling her that she should be afraid of everyone. It all leaves you wondering: WHY??

It’s definitely a hard turn away from the comedy we know and love Coel for, and I have to admit, for a split second watching this trailer, I was waiting for Coel to crack a joke, before I realized it was a drama of the highest order. Watch the trailer above. It’ll be interesting to see her in this role and whether she can top playing Tracey Gordon in the eyes of her fans.