Elisabeth Moss leads Apple TV Plus' gritty Shining Girls trailer

Elisabeth Moss continues her trend of playing characters who simply don’t get to be happy on-screen. The Handmaid’s Tale and The Invisible Man star leads the upcoming Apple TV+’s metaphysical thriller, Shining Girls. Based on Lauren Beukes’ bestselling novel of the same name, the show will premiere on the streaming platform in April.

Moss plays Kirby Mazrachi, a Chicago-based newspaper archivist who puts her journalistic ambitions on hold after she is brutally assaulted. Six years later, she teams up with seasoned crime reporter Dan Velazquez (Wagner Moura) when a string of recent murders mirrors her own case. As seen in the trailer, Kirby describes the suspect by eerily saying, “He’s everybody, he’s nobody, he’s all the time,” as if he has the ability to time jump.

Since her attack, Kirby has noticed how her world keeps quietly changing. One minute she has a pet cat, the next it’s a dog. She feels like her attacker has followed her for her entire life—cut to a scene where the unknown man is interacting with Kirby as a little girl. In fact, even her appearances keep changing throughout the trailer.

Dan and Kirby soon realize that multiple cold cases over decades are inextricably linked, and connect to their own individual traumas as well. Can this killer actually hop through the years? Maybe that explains Kirby’s blurred, constantly shifting reality. The term “metaphysical thriller” suddenly makes more sense, huh? They begin a race against time (possibly literally) to try and hunt down the maniacal killer.

Created by Silka Luisa, the adaptation also stars Phillipa Soo, Amy Brenneman, and Jamie Bell. Moss will also direct some episodes of and co-produce the show. Shining Girls premieres on April 29 with three episodes, with the remaining five airing every week.