The Natalie Portman TV Thriller You Missed Is Finally Coming to HBO Max

written by Craig Ellison

May 29, 2026 6:01 pm

The Natalie Portman TV Thriller You Missed Is Finally Coming to HBO Max — Image credit: Legion-Media

Nearly two years after bowing on Apple TV+, Natalie Portman’s psychological thriller Lady in the Lake finally resurfaces on HBO Max next month, primed to reach a much bigger crowd.

Right, this is one that’s gone a bit under the radar: 'Lady in the Lake', a limited series with Natalie Portman front and centre, is getting another shot at finding an audience. After pottering around quietly on Apple TV+ last summer, it’s now about to try its luck over on HBO Max, landing there on 1 June. Feels like an admission that the original Apple run didn’t exactly catch fire, doesn’t it?

What is it?

'Lady in the Lake' is a seven-parter set in 1960s Baltimore, adapted from Laura Lippman’s novel. Alma Har'el is behind the whole thing as creator. Yes, that’s the same Alma Har'el who directed 'Honey Boy', if you’re keeping score.

Natalie Portman plays Maddie Schwartz, a woman in the full throes of reinventing herself as an investigative journalist. She's hooked by a local girl’s disappearance—a proper true crime thread—which leads her deeper into the city’s murky secrets. But she isn’t alone in the spotlight: Moses Ingram (you’ll probably know her from 'The Queen’s Gambit' or 'Obi-Wan') is Cleo Johnson, a mother juggling family, politics, and the hurly-burly of 60s Baltimore life. Maddie’s obsession brings her right into Cleo's orbit, and before you know it, both lives are tangled up in a mysterious death that gets increasingly grim as the story unravels.

Who’s in it?

Natalie Portman as Maddie Schwartz
Moses Ingram as Cleo Johnson
Y'lan Noel as Ferdie Platt
Brett Gelman as Milton Schwartz
Byron Bowers as Slappy Johnson
Noah Jupe as Seth Schwartz
A fair whack of recognisable character actors turning up in smaller roles

How was it received?

The critics gave it a polite round of applause: 75% on Rotten Tomatoes from 65 reviews, so that's solid, if not exactly screaming “modern classic”. Audiences sat right alongside the critics, with a 74% viewer rating. One of the more pointed pull quotes comes from the Financial Times:

'While Lady in the Lake sometimes seems overloaded, it’s also far more intelligent, affecting and inventive than its pulpy title suggests.'

So yes, perhaps a bit overstuffed, but apparently smarter than it appears on the tin.

One of those odd journeys

The odd bit here is that the series only premiered last July—Apple TV+ gave it its world debut then—and yet it’s already jumping ship to HBO Max after less than a year. Not the usual pattern, is it? Warner Bros. Discovery are clearly hoping a broader streaming platform might give it proper legs this time. We'll see if that's overly optimistic or not.