Through the years, Cape Fear has taken many forms. Originally, the story of a convict named Max Cady returning from years of incarceration and seeking revenge on the lawyer he blames for his time there was a novel by John D. MacDonald called The Executioners (which has been retitled as Cape Fear in recent printings). Its first foray into live-action came in 1962, with Robert Mitchum playing Max and Gregory Peck playing Sam Bowden, his former defense attorney. Audiences today might be more familiar with the 1991 Cape Fear film, which was directed by Martin Scorsese and cast his longtime muse Robert De Niro as a Max Cady who chews the scenery throughout the film’s duration. Some might even know the story from “Cape Feare,” an episode of The Simpsons that cast Sideshow Bob as Max and was a staple of the show’s ’90s run.
Which is all to say… there’s juice in the idea of Cape Fear—and Apple TV clearly recognized that. So now we get Cape Fear in a form we’ve not seen it before: a television series. This show, which comes from creator Nick Antosca (Channel Zero and the very underrated Brand New Cherry Flavor), casts Javier Bardem as Max Cady, allowing the actor to enter the villain mode that’s won him an Oscar (for No Country for Old Men) in the past. The Sam Bowden character is now split in two, as Amy Adams plays Anna Bowden (Max’s old defense attorney) and Patrick Wilson plays Tom Bowden (the prosecutor for Max’s case whom she married).
In addition to setting the story in modern times, the splitting of Sam’s character gives Apple’s Cape Fear an opportunity to do things a little differently. This time, Max isn’t only upset that he felt his lawyer didn’t properly protect him from incarceration, but also faces the optics of his old lawyer being romantically involved with the prosecutor both then and now.
As Max emerges from prison and becomes a public figure due to his exoneration, he immediately reinserts himself into Anna and Tom’s lives—and it gives Bardem, Adams, and Wilson all the chance to do some really fun work. Composer Jeff Russo’s overpowering score makes it clear from the jump that this Cape Fear isn’t any kind of serious legal thriller, but rather a fun, soapy story of revenge that’s sure to be filled with moments that will make you gasp and twists that’ll make you rethink everything you’ve already seen.
And in case anyone’s concerned about a new series impeding on the sanctity of a pair of movies that have previously been pretty beloved, it’s worth noting that Steven Spielberg and Martin Scorsese themselves are both executive producers on the project.
With a story that’s got an easy hook and a cast full of totally game stars, Cape Fear seems poised to be the show everyone’s talking about this summer—and, so far so good. Below is all the information you need to make sure you don’t miss a single episode.
When is the next episode of Cape Fear coming out?
The next episode of Cape Fear will officially come out on Friday, June 19. But as with all Apple TV shows, it’ll release a bit early the night prior. So if you’re eager, keep an eye out for the next episode on the evening of Thursday, June 25.
How many episodes of Cape Fear are left?
Apple TV’s Cape Fear will be 10 episodes in total, meaning there are still six more weeks—and six episodes of frightening revenge drama—left to go before the season wraps up.
