‘American Rust’ Trailer: Jeff Daniels Stars in Small Town Pennsylvania Murder Mystery Series at Showtime

Yet another hard boiled cop is tasked with solving a murder in the first trailer for the upcoming Showtime series American Rust. A dark exploration into what the modern day American dream looks like, Jeff Daniels (The Looming Tower) stars as a down on his luck Chief of Police Del Harris, via Deadline

Everything looks bleak but beautiful in the Rust belt town in southern Pennsylvania where American Rust takes place. With seemingly never ending green fields, rivers and roads, the first trailer for the Showtime series hints that something dark and sinister is growing underneath. The series is based upon the novel under the same name written by acclaimed author Phillip Meyer (The Son). 

In the trailer for American Rust, Daniels portrays chief of police Harris, and he’s got some problems. Brooding at bars and looking grim, he’s caught up in a murder, and it’s not just any murder. The woman he’s in love with, portrayed by co-star Maura Tierney (The Affair), is caught in a dangerous web as her son is accused of murder, and Harris must decide where he stands. Bill Camp (The Leftovers), David Alvarez (Billy Elliot the Musical), Alex Neustaedter (Colony), and Rob Yang (Succession). 

A well established actor in both film and television, Daniels is returning to Showtime after starring in their 2020 original limited series The Comey Report, portraying the titular role, James Comey. Additional, Daniels starred in the critically acclaimed 2018 Hulu original miniseries The Looming Tower. He also won the Outstanding Actor in a Supporting Role at the 2017 Emmy Awards for his portrayal as the villainous Frank Griffin in the Netflix original series, Godless. 

American Rust will premiere on Showtime September 12 at 10 p.m. ET/PT. It’s executive produced by Daniels, Dan Futterman (Gracepoint) Michale De Luca (Captain Phillips), Adam Rapp (Red Light Winter), Paul Martino (Inside Game), Elisa Ellis (Hannibal), and Katie O’Connell (Narcos). The first season will consist of nine episodes. Notably, this is the second major series of the past year to take place in small town Pennsylvania involving a murder, taking after the smash hit Mare of Easttown starring Kate Winslet (Ammonite) on HBO, which finished airing in early June. 

Watch the first trailer for American Rust below:

Rebecca Schriesheim: TV News Writer at Mxdwn. 2019 Graduate of DePaul University where I studied Cinema and Media Studies.
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