| Creator: | Catherine Tate |
| Director: |
|
| Music: | Adem Ilhan |
| Country: | United Kingdom |
| Language: | English |
| Num Episodes: | 6 |
| Producer: | Jennie Fava |
| Cinematography: | Greg Duffield |
| Runtime: | 24–27 minutes |
| Network: | Netflix |
Hard Cell is a British mockumentary sitcom television series created, co-written and co-directed by Catherine Tate, who also plays six of the main characters. The series premiered on 12 April 2022 on Netflix, and consists of six episodes.[1] In June 2023, Tate confirmed that Netflix had officially cancelled the series after one season, which Tate found out about through someone else's agent.[2]
The series follows UK prison governor Laura Willis (Catherine Tate) who firmly believes that creativity leads to rehabilitation and plans to put on a musical, starring inmates and directed by ex-EastEnders star Cheryl Fergison.[3] During the six-week rehearsals, the inmates find their voices, build self-confidence and strengthen their friendships.
On 30 June 2021, it was announced that Catherine Tate would write, direct and star in a six-part Netflix comedy set in a fictional women's prison.[4] [5] Executive producer Kristian Smith described the series as "funny and touching all at once, revealing what life might be like in a British women's correctional facility".[6] Donna Preston announced her involvement in the series the next day. On 30 July, Deadline shared the news that Tate's co-stars will include Christian Brassington as Dean, Niky Wardley as Anastasia, Lorna Brown as Cal, Caroline Harding as Sal, Jola Olajide as Charlee and Duncan Wisbey as Martin.[7] Wardley and Alex Carter (who previously starred in The Catherine Tate Show Australian and New Zealand live tour) were also confirmed to be parts of the creative team behind the series.
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 20% of 10 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 4.9/10.[8] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 38 out of 100, based on four critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".[9]
Gabriel Tate of The Telegraph criticised the series for being dated. Rachel Aroesti of The Guardian criticised the series for a lack of plot and "an abundance of one-dimensional characters". James Hibbs of Radio Times criticised the series for immature jokes, but noted it gets better over time. Nicole Vassell of The Independent noted that the series has fared better with general audiences,[10] as the audience Rotten Tomatoes score is 88% positive. But at present the rotten ratings are at only 18%, drastically reduced. Many have especially praised the dramatic and shocking ending of the series.[11] Speaking about the open ending and the possibility of a second series, Catherine Tate said: "I'm quite a big fan of things ending with loose ends. I think that's sort of life, isn't it? Life doesn't tie itself up in a neat bow. And so I'd be delighted if it got another series, and I'm happy for it to stand alone".[12]