General · EdgepediaOctober 3, 20265 min read

Residue

Residue is a 2015 British science fiction supernatural horror miniseries created and written by John Harrison, directed by Alex Garcia Lopez, and starring Natalia Tena, Iwan Rheon, and Jamie Draven. It was released as three episodes on Netflix on 31 March 2015 in the United Kingdom, United States, Australia, and New Zealand, after a limited theatrical release in the UK of a feature-film cut on 20 March 2015.¹^•²^•³

Key fact	Detail
Format	Three episodes of 44 minutes each, premiered in full on Netflix on 31 March 2015¹
Origin	Scripted, shot, and cut as a feature film, given a limited UK theatrical release on 20 March 2015, then re-edited into a three-parter for Netflix³
Creator	John Harrison, who also wrote additional scenes during the re-edit and executive produced⁴^•³
Leads	Natalia Tena, Iwan Rheon, and Jamie Draven²
Filming	Shot on location across Leeds and at Green Screen Studios, with investment from Screen Yorkshire's Yorkshire Content Fund⁴^•²
Audience scores	IMDb 5.9/10; JustWatch aggregates 38% from 77 ratings and 6.0 from about 2,000 user ratings⁵^•⁶
Story status	The three episodes were framed as an extended pilot for a planned 10-episode second season³^•²

Spoilers

Premise, format, and themes

The story follows eight characters caught up in the aftermath of a freak explosion of unknown origin, known simply as "the Catastrophe", at the heart of a sprawling futuristic city.⁴^•⁷ The explosion leaves behind a several-square-mile Quarantine Zone (the QZ) of evacuated buildings and abandoned streets, under a policy of "nobody in, nobody out"; AllMovie describes the government as hiding what is really happening inside it.⁴^•¹

The title's meaning. Renowned photojournalist Jennifer Preston, investigating the aftermath, begins to see strange ephemeral phantoms in her photographs and becomes obsessed with the idea that a paranormal phenomenon has been unleashed.⁷ IMDb's synopsis frames the same premise as a government cover-up of the causes behind the explosion, which spurs Preston to search for the truth and expose the phenomenon haunting the city.⁸

Netflix categorizes the series as dystopian, ominous sci-fi mystery with conspiracy and horror elements, and lists it as a limited series.⁹ IndieWire noted that Netflix users who had watched a lot of The X-Files or similar genre programming might see Residue recommended to them.³

Cast and characters

The series is headed by Natalia Tena (Game of Thrones, Harry Potter) and Iwan Rheon (Game of Thrones, Misfits), with Jamie Draven (Billy Elliot, Badland) in the third lead role.² Netflix lists the same three as the starring cast.⁹ Tena plays photojournalist Jennifer Preston.⁷

Production and development

From film to series. The project was conceived as a feature film. Producer Charlotte Walls brought the money for what Harrison called a "proof-of-concept pilot". Because UK money was involved, Harrison did not direct; the British director Alex Garcia Lopez was hired, and the shoot marked his feature debut after television work.³^•⁴ While the film was in post-production, distributor Content Media decided to go straight to television, and Harrison wrote additional scenes to pull bigger conspiracy themes into the three episodes that aired on Netflix.³

Companies and funding. The production was announced by Content Media Corporation and Matador Pictures, produced in association with Gloucester Place Films, Green Screen Productions, and Screen Yorkshire, with Matador's Charlotte Walls as lead producer and Matador's Nigel Thomas executive producing alongside Harrison.⁴ Screen Yorkshire's page credits the production to Charlotte Walls for LWH Entertainment, with investment from its Yorkshire Content Fund.² Funding came via International Pictures Four, Screen Yorkshire, and Green Screen Studios.³

Locations. Principal photography took place on location across Leeds and at Green Screen Studios.⁴ Although set in London, the series was filmed primarily in Leeds; locations included Leeds Town Hall, Leeds Central Library, Kirkgate Market, the Dark Arches, the Queens Hotel, Leeds Minster, The Hepworth Gallery in Wakefield, Little Germany in Bradford, and Harrogate International Centre.²

Release and availability

The feature cut received a limited theatrical release in the UK on 20 March 2015, and the re-edited three-part version premiered on Netflix on 31 March 2015 in the UK, US, Australia, and New Zealand.³^•²^•¹ IMDb lists the 2015 title with a 1 hour 42 minute runtime, corresponding to the feature-film version rather than the three episodes.⁸

Current availability. The series no longer streams on Netflix in the US. As of retrieval, Season 1 streams there on Amazon Prime Video, with and without ads, on the Magnolia Selects and Monsters and Nightmares Amazon Channels, and free with ads on Pluto TV, DistroTV, and Tubi TV.⁶ Prime Video lists it as a 2015, one-season, three-episode series rated TV-14.⁵

Reception and unfinished story

Audience scores are modest. Prime Video lists an IMDb rating of 5.9/10,⁵ while JustWatch aggregates a 38% rating from 77 ratings and a 6.0 score from about 2,000 user ratings.⁶

An open-ended run. Producer Charlotte Walls described Season 1 as "really an extended pilot", saying the first three chapters went live before the existence of a full season, with a plan to work toward a 10-episode second season for which Netflix held an exclusive option.³ Screen Yorkshire likewise records the ambition of a 10-episode second season after the initial three-part run.²

References

Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › Scripted television and comedy series › Drama and prestige series (individual series) › Science fiction, horror, and supernatural

Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026

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