What is Netflix's upcoming series Dead Letters about? Here's what we know

Twin sisters! A death that raises suspicions! Cryptic letters that suggest something much more profound than loss! That is the setup for Netflix's latest psychological thriller, Dead Letters—a limited series adaptation of Caite Dolan-Leach's 2017 novel by the same name. Against the sinister stillness of a family vineyard, the series sees Ava, played by Lucy Hale, come back to her family home after the sudden and suspicious death of her estranged twin sister Zelda. But appearances are deceptive, because Zelda might have left behind more than just recollections.

The show is a slow-burning unfolding of twin relationships, secrets, and an unraveling pieced together via letters that call everything Ava believed into question. It is not a detective thriller or whodunit. It's a psychological mystery that is character-driven, where secrets are mixed with grief, and the truth is behind riddles that only a sister can solve.

What is the plot of Dead Letters?

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Taking inspiration from Dolan-Leach's first book, Dead Letters is a thriller set in the psyche of Ava as she has to go back home to her vineyard in upstate New York after the suspected death of her free-spirited and vivacious twin sister, Zelda. Their relationship was already tense, but what Ava returns to isn't closure—it's a series of cryptic letters left by Zelda, indicating that she might still be alive… or that she had discovered something she didn't want people to know before she died.

With every clue deciphered by Ava, she's taken further into a psychological scavenger hunt of layers of family pathology, family secrets, and emotional landmines. The vineyard is less of a homecoming and more of a labyrinth where past and present intersect.

Is Dead Letters based on a true story?

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No, Dead Letters is not a true story. The show is a literal adaptation of Caite Dolan-Leach's fictional novel. Although the emotional tone of the show might tap into issues of grief, trauma, and identity issues, often personal to creators and viewers alike, the show itself is fiction.

Executive producer Alexandra Cooper, who is perhaps most familiar for hosting the podcast Call Her Daddy, is also on board through her production firm Unwell, although the narrative is not biographically linked to her own life. She serves in the capacity of a creative collaborator, bringing Dolan-Leach's book to the screen, rather than as a creator of the story itself.

Who are the cast and crew of Dead Letters?

Lucy Hale headlines the cast in a two-part role as Zelda and Ava. Her acting is likely to ground the emotional and psychological depth of the series, particularly considering how complicated it is to play estranged identical twins, one alive, one potentially not.

Behind the cameras, the show is created by Rachel Caris Love and directed by Liz Friedlander. Executive producer credits belong to Alexandra Cooper, Aaron Kaplan, Brian Morewitz, Elissa Leeds, Matt Kaplan, Rachel Caris Love, and Friedlander herself. Kapital Entertainment is producing the show in association with Cooper's Unwell Productions and Matt Kaplan's ACE Entertainment.

What is the genre and tone of Dead Letters?

Dead Letters fits into both the psychological thriller and mystery genres, with an intense emphasis on family drama. In place of using action or swift suspense, it delves into memory, bereavement, and the disjointed identity possible when twinship is disrupted through trauma. It develops through obscure letters, flashback emotion, and unfinished sibling strife, with an atmosphere that is moody, reflective, and quite disturbing.

It's a limited series style, that is, the whole tale will be revealed across a defined number of episodes with no intentions to continue or get a second season, at least not according to the latest announcements.

What's the current status of the show?

As of April 2025, Dead Letters remains in production at Netflix. Casting began with Lucy Hale as the lead and the creative team in place, but filming has not yet been reported as having started. No official release date has been given, and Netflix hasn't dropped a trailer or teaser content.

With the production crew having its path set and the production phase still in motion, the series will see its release either late 2025 or early 2026, although such a timeline isn't official.

What makes Dead Letters stand out?

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What Dead Letters does differently is focus on emotional mystery rather than classic crime-solving. It's an ambient-guess story—what do you do when someone you believed you knew vanishes and the clues they leave behind alter the story you've constructed about yourself, your entire life? The twin dynamic brings a level of psychological tension that's not often done with such ferocity.

By keeping the tone and form of Dolan-Leach's book close at hand, Netflix's Dead Letters is a character-driven, thriller-like experience in which every plot clue reveals more than it should—it reveals personal accountability.