There’s nothing quite like a forbidden love story.

And Trespasses is the epitome of that, diving into the tumultuous period in Ireland’s history known as the Troubles, wherein Protestant and Catholic neighbors weren’t just at odds with each other, but actively killing one another due to political and religious division.

PBS is taking on this turbulent period in a four-part drama that adapts Louise Kennedy’s novel of the same name, and the trailer delivers a 70s Irish aesthetic and fashion, and smoldering chemistry between its two leads.

(Courtesy of PBS)

Every country has its conflicts, and Ireland was no exception.

This is particularly the case in Northern Ireland when it comes to the 30-year conflict between its citizens with vastly different ideologies about how their country proceeds and the treatment of all of its people.

The Troubles began in the late ’60s and didn’t resolve itself until a peace treaty in 1998.

  • Fightland Season 1 Episode 3 Review: No Innocents Turns Duke’s Revenge Into a Powder Kegby Tarcia Bush
  • Silo Season 3 Episode 7 Leaves Fates Hanging in the Balanceby Alexandria Ingham
  • Stuart Fails to Save the Universe Season 1 Episode 4 Goes Inside the Matrixby Alexandria Ingham

But Trespasses drops us right into the thick of it, with a timeline set in 1975, when tensions were likely incredibly high.

It’s the perfect backdrop for a love story that disrupts everything: two individuals with vastly different lives on different sides of all this tension, brought together by an attraction neither of them can ignore.

(Wildgaze-Films-and All3Media International/PBS)

And that’s exactly what we get with Cushla Lavery and Michael Agnew.

If you have been following Hulu’s dark and cerebral Furious, then you’ve seen Lola Petticrew put forth an impressive, vulnerable, and visceral performance.

Cushla grants her the opportunity to portray something a bit softer and different.

She’s a young Catholic schoolteacher navigating the world around her amid all of the chaos and violence that’s overtaking everything.

It’s only when she meets Michael, played by House of the Dragon‘s Tom Cullen, that her life gets brighter and considerably more complicated.

(Wildgaze-Films-and-All3Media-International/PBS)

Meeting and falling in love with someone is one thing, but when that person is older, married, and a Protestant?

Well, speaking of “troubles…”

  • In Defense of Joseph McRae: Project Runway’s Obsession With Humbling Him Is Getting Weirdby Jasmine Blu
  • Rewatching Sex And The City In My 30s—And It’s Time To Admit I Got It All Wrongby Justin Carreiro
  • Heated Rivalry’s Latest Casting Has Me Hyped, but Why Is TV Allergic to Intersectional Diversity?by Jasmine Blu

One of our first glimpses of these two together is Cushla telling Michael how she comes from a long line of Catholics, so being with who she wants is a luxury that she doesn’t have.

Star-crossed lovers, anyone?!

But the love that’s brewing between these two isn’t just a tension-fueled affair that has simple complications like an age gap or the predictability of infidelity.

(PBS/Screenshot)

There’s a danger that lurks beyond all of their stolen moments.

Folks are radicalized on both sides, militarized in some capacity or the other, and the country is rife with pipe bombs, beatings, and more.

The Troubles reportedly resulted in the deaths of roughly 3,600 people, just to put into perspective how dangerous the climate was at that time.

And that’s something that lingers over Cushla and Michael and their every steamy interaction and stolen moment.

Oh, and based on the trailer, things are certainly steamy between them. Petticrew and Cullen’s chemistry may be the biggest selling point for bringing this story to life.

(Courtesy of PBS)

In the brief moments we get of the pairing in the trailer, it’s worth investing fully in a romance that’s most assuredly doomed.

The cast is also a selling point. These two leads are fabulous just based on their previous work, and for good measure, we also have Gillian Anderson.

Opinion Piece Sugar Season 3 Prediction: Here’s What John’s Blinking Alien Radio Could Really Mean Siddhika Prajapati – August 13, 2026 Horror Opinion Piece Between Widow’s Bay and Eternally Yours, Horror-Comedy is Making A Comeback in TV — And I’m Here For It Sam Huang – August 13, 2026 Classic TV Opinion Piece 9 Years Later, I’m Still Not Over Sheldon’s Horrible Hindi Accent on The Big Bang Theory Sayantan Choudhary – August 12, 2026 – 2 Replies Opinion Piece I Finally Watched Community Season 6, and I Can’t Believe I Was Missing Out Sam Huang – August 12, 2026 Opinion Piece Stuart Fails to Save the Universe Is Fun, But It Doesn’t Need a Second Season Alexandria Ingham – August 11, 2026

Trespasses will find Cushla torn between things like duty, love, faith, and family, too.

We see that her mother is constantly worried about the state of Northern Ireland and everything going on around them.

And we also see where, presumably, Cushla’s brother warns her about how she risks more than getting her heart broken with her controversial affair with a married Protestant lawyer, or barrister.

(Courtesy of PBS)

An aptly titled Trespasses (as in, forgive us our trespasses) teases an intoxicating tale of love in a time of violence, destruction, and discord.

Cushla and Michael’s story feels destined for an unhappy ending, but the ride? It may be worth every second.

Trespasses will make its debut here in the States on September 20.

You can stream all four episodes on PBS Passport or PBS Masterpiece via Prime Video.

As for those who want to tune in via broadcast, the series will air weekly starting September 20 at 10/9c on PBS.

Are you intrigued? Sound off below and let us know!

  • How Chemistry Changed the Script: 7 Iconic Couples That Were Never Supposed to Happen

    From Gilmore Girls to Gossip Girl, these iconic couples were never part of the plan. Here’s how chemistry rewrote the script and gave us TV’s greatest romances.

  • Brilliant Minds Reconciling Oliver & Josh During Pride Month Couldn’t Be More Perfect

    I’m so excited that Oliver and Josh are finally reconnecting on Brilliant Minds, and I’m even happier that it was during Pride Month.

  • Marshals Quietly Thrives in Cal & Belle’s Emotional Ambiguity

    Marshals is finding its footing, but Cal and Belle’s boundary-blurring dynamic has quietly become the show’s most intriguing element.

  • 11 Younger TV Couples Who Warmed Our Hearts Over the Past 20 Years

    For TV Fanatic’s 20th Anniversary and Valentine’s Day, we’re celebrating with the best younger couples from the past 20 years.

  • Beauty in Brevity: How The Pitt Delivered the Angstiest Love Story in Under an Hour

    The Pitt delivered a tragically angsty love story in under an hour, and we still can’t stop thinking about it. Here’s why!

The post Trespasses Teases Complicated Troubles With an Alluring Forbidden Romance appeared first on TV Fanatic.