‘COBRA’ navigates political crisis and personal fallout

“COBRA,” a new drama which follows the British Prime Minister and his emergency committee as they navigate a major crisis and its political and personal fallout,  premieres Sundays at 9 p.m., beginning Oct. 4. The six-part series joins PBS’s robust Sunday night drama lineup and will also stream nationally on pbs.org and the PBS Video app.

Written by acclaimed screenwriter Ben Richards (“The Tunnel”), “COBRA” features a talented cast led by Robert Carlyle (“Once Upon a Time”), Victoria Hamilton (“The Crown”), Richard Dormer (“Game of Thrones”), David Haig (“Killing Eve”) and Lucy Cohu (“Ripper Street”).

COBRA is a clever and action-packed political drama — and a deeply human story of a nation and its leaders in crisis. It’s a tale that is increasingly relevant to the world we live in today.

WATCH: Episodes 5 and 6 are free to watch online and via the PBS app. Binge the whole series now with Passport access!

On the brink of a geomagnetic solar storm, a team comprised of Britain’s leading experts, crisis contingency planners and the most senior politicians assemble under the name COBRA (taken from its meeting place: Whitehall’s Cabinet Office Briefing Room A) to guide the country through turbulent times. The high-stakes series follows the members of this team as they take on the disaster: their missteps, political conflicts, personal drama, friendships and wit play out against the backdrop of an unfolding national crisis.

Prime Minister Robert Sutherland (Carlyle) must navigate the crisis while attempting to maintain control of his cabinet in slippery political circumstances. Accompanied by Anna Marshall (“Hamilton”) – his brilliant and quick-thinking chief of staff and longtime friend – Sutherland braces for the fallout of a major national disaster, as well as complications in his personal life that threaten his political standing.

Also on the COBRA team is Fraser Walker (Dormer), one of the country’s leading crisis contingency planners, who is not as adept at overcoming problems in his personal life as he is in his political life. The most argumentative and calculating member of the team, Home Secretary Archie Glover-Morgan (Haig), looks to seize any opportunity for more power that presents itself.