If you're looking for a uniquely brilliant detective drama you can binge this week, we've got just the thing for you. Sight Unseen is the new Paramount+ series that revolves around a homicide detective, Tess Avery (Dolly Lewis), who's losing her sight and pairs up with an agoraphobic visual guide, Sunny Patel (Agam Darshi) via an app. Intrigued? So were we when we heard about it!
The series initially aired in Canada in 2024 and captivated fans with the premise, with critics describing it as being "in a league of its own". And we have a feeling it will have UK viewers hooked, too. Ahead of its arrival on our screens this week, here's everything you need to know about it, including the cast, plot and release date.
What is Sight Unseen about?
While in the middle of a crime case in Vancouver, Canada, homicide detective Tess Avery starts losing her vision, with terrifying consequences for her partner. A few days later, after various tests, she's diagnosed as clinically blind, due to the fast-onset genetic condition Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy (LOHN).
Haunted by the cases she left behind and reluctant to accept help, Tess uses an assistance app called Eyes Up to connect with a professional seeing-eye guide 3,000 miles away in New York. Sunny Patel becomes the unorthodox partner in Tess’ ear, guiding her via a micro-camera and cell connection. This allows Tess to pass as sighted, which she finds, becomes a double-edged sword.
But Sunny has her own secret: she is agoraphobic, and only leaves her apartment through the eyes of her clients – but she is also hiding a violent crime in her past she hopes to someday solve. Sunny steers Tess through life’s obstacles and crimes – as the two challenge preconceptions about ability, trust, and where to draw the line. Inspired by one of the co-creators’ experiences with sight loss, Tess and Sunny bring a fresh perspective and unexpected thrills to the crime solving genre.
Interestingly, in real life, Dolly suffers from night blindness, and her retinas are detaching. She said that the producers of the show had been aware of this, and told the Vancouver Sun about the producers of the show: “I think they were looking to specifically cast somebody that has real life experience with vision issues.”
Who's in the cast of Sight Unseen?
With Dolly Lewis (Dead of Winter) as Tess Avery, and Agam Darshi (The Flash) as Sunny Patel, Daniel Gillies (Saving Hope) makes up the final cast member in the lead trio of characters, playing Jake Campbell.
The following cast members will also star:
- Jarod Joseph (Saving Hope) as Matt Alleyne, Tess' childhood friend who is a tech-savvy professor
- Alice Christina-Corrigan as Mia Moss, a blind woman who helps Tess adjust to her low-vision situation
- Tony Giroux (Fort Salem) as Leo Li, a detective
- Roger Cross (MacGyver) as Bennett, a police superintendent
- Alec Santos as Lucas Avery, Tess' brother
- Ennis Esmer (Schitt’s Creek) as Kye, Sunny's doorman and love interest
- Tegan Moss (Degrassi: The Next Generation) as Rae
Is there a trailer for Sight Unseen?
Yes – and the unconventional detective pairing looks like it will have viewers on the edge of their seats. You can watch the trailer below.
How can I watch Sight Unseen?
Sight Unseen will be available to watch on Paramount+ from Thursday 3rd July, with the first three episodes released on this date, and the following seven episodes will be released weekly. The second series of Sight Unseen aired in Canada in January 2025, so we expect there won’t be long to wait for UK viewers to catch up with the new series either.
