A Gilded Age Mystery Is Afoot in a Sneak Peek of 'The Artist' [Exclusive]

If the premature demise of Death and Other Details left you missing a mysterious Mandy Patinkin, fear not: he’s back on the case in the new series The Artist. Patinkin plays a Gilded Age tycoon caught up in a star-studded murder mystery; the six-episode miniseries is exclusive to the free, ad-supported streamer The Network. Collider has an exclusive sneak peek of a scene from the series, which will have its three-episode premiere on November 27.

In our exclusive sneak peek, Patinkin plays Norman Henry, a man who made his fortune in junkyards but prefers to be known as a patron of the arts. He’s also attempting to make a deal with Thomas Edison, despite the (largely true) objections of his wife Marian (Janet McTeer, Ozark) that Edison is a liar and a cheat; Norman’s counterargument is that he is “Thomas F****ing Edison.” While he insists that she “know her place,” they’re interrupted by the squabbles of a theatrical impresario and his ballerina lover, whose dispute is far too explicit to summarize here. However, it should give you an excellent idea of the collision of highbrow historical fiction and bawdy modern comedy you’ll see in The Artist; just don’t binge those first three episodes too fast, because the series’ final three episodes won’t drop until December 25.

Who Else Stars in ‘The Artist’?

A number of real-life Gilded Age figures are depicted in The Artist. Thomas Edison, inventor and rapacious capitalist, will be played by Hank Azaria (The Simpsons); legendary French Impressionist artist Edgar Degas will be portrayed by Danny Huston (Wonder Woman); and outspoken singer and songwriter Nora Bayes will be played by Katharine McPhee (Smash). A real-life murder will be spotlighted in the series, as well: the series will feature Harry Kendall Thaw (Clark Gregg, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.), a millionaire scion who killed a prominent architect in front of hundreds of witnesses, believing he’d dishonored Thaw’s wife, chorus girl Evelyn Nesbit (Ever Anderson, Peter Pan and Wendy). The series will also star Patti LuPone (Agatha All Along), Zachary Quinto (Star Trek), and Jill Hennessy (Law & Order).

The Network is a relatively new player in the streaming game, debuting in 2024. It has released a number of international series, including the Steve Coogan comedy Chivalry and the Dutch series The Jewish Council, as well as its original series The Green Veil, with John Leguizamo, and the thriller Exposure.

The first three episodes of The Artist premiere on TheNetwork.Stream on November 27; the final three will drop on December 25. Stay tuned to Collider for future updates.