Hulu's new drama series 'Saint X' uses murder mystery to explore race and class issues

NEW YORK -- "Saint X" takes you to a beautiful island that's full of secrets surrounding a young woman's mysterious death.

The drama series unfolds on multiple timelines. The "Gone Girl" aspect of this story lays the foundation for some other serious topics to be explored.

"Underneath that umbrella, we can talk about real things along the way. And we're dealing with real complicated conversations about class, and race, and gender, and grief, and the media's obsession with dead white girls," said Leila Gerstein, writer and executive producer.

Alison, her sister Claire, and their parents go on a weeklong vacation to Saint X. She's pushing the limits and feels she knows more than her parents when it comes to social issues.

Her mother pushes her to wear makeup, take notice of a handsome college student and does her best to give her teen room to grow up, but Alison is still very much learning about the world around her.

"There's this desire to break free but at the same time she's so sheltered and so nave," said West Duchovny, "Alison."

She befriends a pair of friends, Gogo and Edwin, who work at the resort. When Alison goes missing, they are the first to have the finger pointed at them.

"People have their lightness and their darkness and Edwin may be more in touch with his darkness," said Jayden Elijah, "Edwin."

"I kind of had a lot of discussions with my dialect coach, with the producers, and showrunner about what this would look like and where the trauma comes in," said Josh Bonzie, "Gogo/Clive."

However, she was also seen with the college student her mom wanted her to spend time with, and there's the brooding husband of a pregnant guest who seems to be full of angst.

As her parents deal with their grief once Alison's body is found, her younger sister, who was just 7 on the vacation, is forced to grow up quickly.

Now an adult, she has a chance encounter with "Gogo" who now goes by his given name of "Clive." It's a game of cat and mouse to get the answers her family has desperately sought for years.

"It's such an intimate look at someone's psychological downward spiral," said Alycia Debnam-Carey, "Emily."

Who is to blame? Was Alison's death a tragic accident, or was one of the men we meet in the series premiere to blame?

The first three episodes of "Saint X" premiere on Hulu on Wednesday, April 26. Following the premiere, a new episode will be released weekly. The 8-episode series is adapted from Alexis Schaitkin's novel by the same name.

"Saint X" is a production of ABC Signature.