Those who were hoping that Tom Hardy’s upcoming FX limited series Taboo was secretly a stealth remake of Boy George’s failed 2003 Broadway musical will be disappointed by the show’s four new promos. They confirm that the show is, in fact, actually about a stranded British aristocrat in the early 19th Century, and not the London club scene in the 1980s. And while that’s probably been clear since the first trailer dropped back in February, it’s really hard to give up the image of Tom Hardy singing “Karma Chameleon.”
The four atmospheric promos focus more on mood than plot, but they all center on Tom Hardy’s James Keziah Delaney, who makes a shocking return to London after being presumed dead in Africa. That provides a spot of bother for the Londoners played by Jonathan Pryce, Oona Chaplin, and Michael Kelly. Delaney’s not particularly interested in playing nice among stuffy British aristocrats anymore since surviving his harsh time in Africa. In other words, he’s a man without conviction, a man who doesn’t know how to sell a contradiction. He comes and goes. Comes and goes.
While three of the trailers focus on Hardy’s Delaney and his desperate attempts to inherit his father’s shipping empire, the one titled “Dear James” let’s Chaplin’s character share the spotlight, offering a female viewpoint on the show’s Victorian world. It turns out it’s just as grim as Delaney’s, although a little more finely attired. For her, every day is like survival, and it’s pretty clear she wants Delaney as her lover not her rival.
The eight-episode series—which is co-created by Hardy and his delightfully named father Chips—debuts on FX on January 10. Loving it will be easy if its colors were like our dream.