Based on the 1981 novel The Minds of Billy Milligan by Daniel Keyes, The Crowded Room is fast shaping up to be the TV event of the summer.

Starring Amanda Seyfried and Tom Holland (yes, Spider-Man himself), the limited series points the metaphorical magnifying glass squarely at Danny Sullivan, a young man facing trial for a shooting in New York City in 1979.

Danny’s story, however, is far from simple. And, over the course of 10 tense episodes, we slowly uncover more pieces from his mysterious past – with the story building to a shocking conclusion.

Watch the trailer for The Crowded Room below: 

Intrigued? Of course you are.

Here’s what you need to know about The Crowded Room.

What is The Crowded Room about?

As mentioned already, The Crowded Room follows Danny Sullivan (Holland), an antisocial teenager from upstate New York who is arrested after a shooting at the Rockefeller Center. 

Through a series of interviews with interrogator Rya Goodwin (Seyfried), Danny slowly begins to gain a better understanding of his own mental health, the people in his life and the tragic events that led to the incident. 

Who stars in The Crowded Room?

Seyfried and Holland take the lead in this must-watch drama, with Emmy Rossum co-starring as Danny’s mum Candy.

Elsewhere, Sasha Lane (Conversations With Friends) plays Danny’s friend and roommate Ariana, while Will Chase (Dopesick) takes on the role of his stepfather Marlin. Sam Vartholomeos and Levon Hawke star as his pals Mike and Johnny, respectively.

Jason Isaacs (Harry Potter), Christopher Abbott (Girls), Zachary Golinger (Barry), Lior Raz and Thomas Sadoski round out the all-star cast.

Is The Crowded Room based on a true story?

While this isn’t strictly a true crime series, it is true crime-adjacent, borrowing heavily from the real case of William Stanley ‘Billy’ Milligan.

Milligan was arrested for rape, aggravated robbery, and kidnapping in 1979. If you want a spoiler-free viewing of The Crowded Room, we offer a word of warning: you will likely want to skip past the next section…

What happened to the real Billy Milligan?

If you aren’t fussed about spoilers, it’s worth knowing that Milligan was the first person in the US to be acquitted of a major violent crime after putting in a plea of dissociative identity disorder (DID).

He was put on trial after he raped multiple women on Ohio State University’s campus, but his lawyers claimed insanity and said his alternate personalities – of which Milligan is said to have had as many as 24 – committed the crimes without his knowledge. 

What are people saying about The Crowded Room?

Holland has described The Crowded Room as “an insight into the power of the human mind” and “the ways in which we can deal with trauma”.

“It’s a show that will take you on twists and turns – you’ll never know where you are or what’s going on – and then it will all come to a miraculous conclusion toward the end,” he tells EW. 

“It’s a story about heartbreak. It’s a story about love. It’s a story about betrayal. And, most of all, it’s a story about a young kid’s determination to survive.”

Holland adds that he hopes the series will have a resounding impact on viewers, noting: “I hope that people will feel educated about the powers of mental health, the struggles [and] our incredible abilities to survive.”

When can we watch The Crowded Room?

The first three episodes of the series land on Apple TV+ on 9 June, with the following seven airing weekly afterwards. 

Images: Apple TV+