Julianne Nicholson Will Star in the Sundance Original Series The Descendants

Julianne Nicholson has landed a starring role in the new Sundance Channel drama The Descendants. Nicholson will play Jean, a domineering recovering alcoholic who also suffers from dementia.

Written by Aaron Guzikowski, The Descendants is Sundance’s second original scripted series and has been green lit for a six-episode season. The plot revolves around a sheriff charged with keeping order in two clashing communities—his small hometown and the neighboring Ramapo Mountains, home to the Ramapo Mountain Indians. After a horrific accident and shifty cover-up involving the sheriff’s wife Jean (Nicholson), the sheriff must align himself with a dangerous tribe member.

Nicholson plays Ivy Weston in the big-screen adaptation of August: Osage County. Her theater credits include the off-Broadway productions of Stranger, Parlor Song, This, Parents Evening and The Hallway Trilogy. She’s famously appeared on screen in Boardwalk Empire, Ally McBeal, Conviction, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Kinsey, Little Black Book, Keep the Lights On and The Love Letter.