Renegade Nell
A highwaywoman with a magical sprite in 18th-century England.
Renegade Nell is a British historical fantasy action-adventure television series created and written by Sally Wainwright. It premiered on Disney+ on 29 March 2024 and was canceled after one season in July 2024. The series follows Nell Jackson, a young woman who becomes a feared highwaywoman after being framed for murder, aided by a magical sprite named Billy Blind.
Quick Facts
- Genre
- Action-adventure / Historical fantasy
- Creator
- Sally Wainwright
- Writer
- Sally Wainwright / Emme Hoy / Georgia Christou
- Director
- Ben Taylor / Amanda Brotchie / MJ Delaney
- Starring
- Louisa Harland / Frank Dillane / Alice Kremelberg / Enyi Okoronkwo / Jake Dunn / Bo Bragason / Florence Keen / Pip Torrens / Nick Mohammed / Joely Richardson / Adrian Lester
- Composer
- Oli Julian / Nick Foster
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Language
- English
- Num Series
- 1
- Num Episodes
- 8
- Executive Producer
- Sally Wainwright / Faith Penhale / Will Johnston / Louise Mutter / Johanna Devereaux
- Producer
- Jon Jennings / Stella Herz
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Renegade Nell was originally developed as The Ballad of Renegade Nell. In April 2021, Disney+ acquired the series from Sally Wainwright. The show is set in a fantasy version of 18th-century England, where Nell Jackson, played by Louisa Harland, is framed for murder and becomes a highwaywoman. With the help of a fairy named Billy Blind, played by Nick Mohammed, Nell discovers a larger destiny. The cast includes Adrian Lester, Joely Richardson, and Frank Dillane, among others.
Reader's Guide
The series received generally favorable reviews, with an 86% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a Metacritic score of 70 out of 100. Critics praised Louisa Harland's performance and the show's fun, action-packed tone, though some found the fairy character annoying and the fantasy elements overly silly. Viewership data from Parrot Analytics showed a surge in demand around its premiere, and Luminate reported 177.5 million minutes watched in its first week. The series accounted for 3.6% of Disney+ original series viewing time in 2024. Despite a second season being written, Disney canceled the series in July 2024, citing several metrics.
Did You Know?
- The series was originally developed under the title The Ballad of Renegade Nell.
- Principal photography had a nine-month schedule for eight episodes.
- Filming locations included Hampton Court Palace, the Bodleian Library, and Broughton Castle.
- Renegade Nell received the ReFrame Stamp for gender-balanced hiring for 2023–2024.
More in Television shows about fairies 1-23
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