The original post: /r/television by /u/QuiffLing on 2025-10-14 23:42:19+00:00.
A deaf man was just released after spending years in prison for murder. Being banished from the deaf community, he needed to reconcile with his estranged daughter, while troubled by his past. At the same time, the victim’s family were still looking for answers about the murder.
With the majority of the cast and many members of the crew being deaf, such as leading actor Matthew Gurney, supporting actress Rose Ayling-Ellis and writer William Mager, the show mainly uses British Sign Language for communication, while hearing actors like Anne-Marie Duff and Lara Peake learned how to sign. Eddie Marsan was also in the main cast.
Reunion showed the hardship deaf people faced in prison, with nobody around them knowing how to sign, losing all communications not only to the outside world, but also being all alone and trapped in one’s mind while in prison. It also showed how tight-knit the deaf community is, with everyone knowing each other, helping each other, and sometimes share the same trauma growing up. Therefore being shut out of the community is like being exiled.
The main mystery was very intriguing, with multiple layers for the audience to explore, not to mention the rich deaf culture that was seldom shown on TV. Also the cast was amazing, especially leading actor Matthew Gurney, who acted out all the lines and emotions with his whole body, bursting it all out, that oral language can’t even compare.
The show first broadcasted in April on BBC with great feedback, then on Showtime/Paramount+ in September. The interesting thing is, Reunion originally ran for 4 episodes on BBC, but Showtime seems to recut it into 5 shorter episodes.
Trailer: www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4iEBgiFSdI