Photo: Gage Skidmore / CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons. Richard Madden at San Diego Comic-Con, July 2013.
Netflix will release Trinity, a seven-episode political and military thriller from Bodyguard creator Jed Mercurio, on December 1, 2026. All seven episodes arrive at once, according to Netflix’s Tudum. Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Richard Madden lead the cast, and Netflix released a trailer in early November.
The story
Mbatha-Raw plays Commander Katherine Decker, second-in-command of the nuclear submarine USS Kansas. She forms a bond with Secretary of Defense Webb Preston, played by Madden, and is drawn into a conspiracy around a top-secret program code-named Trinity. Per Netflix, she must weigh supporting his plan to prevent World War III against exposing what Netflix calls his hidden agenda.
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The setting is the U.S. Navy, nuclear submarines and the Pentagon. Mercurio has said the Pentagon-centered conspiracy was inspired by the film No Way Out. He describes the series as blending “high-octane action with a nail-biting conspiracy thriller.”
Release date and format
- Premiere: Tuesday, December 1, 2026, on Netflix.
- Episodes: seven, released together, per Tudum.
- Trailer: available on Tudum, and covered by UPI on November 4.
UPI does not give an episode count, so the seven comes from Netflix’s own page alone. Some other outlets have printed eight, so check Netflix’s listing closer to launch.
Cast
- Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Commander Katherine Decker
- Richard Madden as Secretary of Defense Webb Preston
- Marcia Gay Harden as Margaret Vandenburg
- JD Pardo as Lieutenant Commander Tom Flores
- Bruce Greenwood as Special Agent Eric Colby
- Robert Wisdom as Admiral Griff Tatum
- Kirk Acevedo as Captain Jock Campbell
- Ben Cotton as Special Agent Jake Ryan
- James Remar as President Paul Barnard
- Jason Ralph as Brooks Vandenburg
- Mark O’Brien as Dr. Brian York
UPI lists the same names and describes Madden’s character as the U.S. Secretary of Defense and Mbatha-Raw’s as a naval commander.
Who made it
Mercurio is showrunner and writer. He executive produces with Jimmy Mulville, Wendy Mericle and Hat Trick, according to Tudum. Michael Cuesta directed and executive produced the first two episodes. UPI notes that the series brings Mercurio back together with Madden, who starred in Bodyguard.
What is not known yet
- Episode running times and the director of episodes beyond the first two.
- Whether Netflix has a second season in mind. No renewal has been announced.
- The final episode count, which outlets report differently (see above).
Sources
- Netflix Tudum: Trinity release date, cast and news
- UPI: Richard Madden thriller Trinity gets trailer, Dec. 1 premiere date
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