• by Adam Buckman , Featured Columnist, February 7, 2022

Angela Black is a woman on the edge.

She is beleaguered by the demands of her two young sons, she is being followed by a mystery man and, worst of all, she is a battered wife who is regularly beaten by her husband.

That should be enough, but wait, there’s more. Hubby has secrets -- big ones -- and as Angela gradually peels back the layers of his deceit and learns more, she will either lose her grip or do something about it.

This is the crux of the new drama “Angela Black,” premiering Monday on the Spectrum Cable streaming service that’s free for Spectrum cable homes.

Joanne Froggatt (pictured above) plays the title role, which is far different from the one for which she is most famous (and forever will be) -- the lady’s maid Anna Bates on “Downton Abbey.”

Anna had her own tribulations. Her husband John Bates was convicted of murder (and eventually freed) and then Anna herself was accused of another murder. All got resolved, however, and they lived happily ever after.

Whether Angela Black (same initials as Anna Bates) will eventually achieve the same serenity as the Bateses is not at all clear at the outset of this six-part limited series.

Spectrum bills the show as a “psychological thriller,” which is a designation that usually puts me on high alert for an uncomfortable experience.

For the most part, this kind of discomfort is my usual reaction to anything labeled a psychological thriller in which someone such as a devious husband is gaslighting a spouse who would never suspect him of any such thing.

This is the case with “Angela Black.” At the outset of the show, she is the stereotypical battered wife who undergoes horrendous violence from her husband but after a lot of confused soul-searching, she decides to stay with him.

While watching Episode One of “Angela Black” and part of the second, I experienced the usual discomfort from watching this psychological thriller. But without spoiling anything here, I began to sense early on that Angela might not take his abuse lying down.

As for Joanne Froggatt, it should surprise no one that she is terrific in the role. In her portrayal of Angela Black, she has left Anna back at Downton where she belongs.

“Angela Black” starts streaming on Monday (February 7) on Spectrum.