Hemlock Grove (TV series) explained

Creator:Brian McGreevy
Country:United States
Language:English
Num Seasons:3
Num Episodes:33
List Episodes:List of Hemlock Grove episodes
Location:Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Runtime:45–58 minutes
Channel:Netflix

Hemlock Grove is an American horror television series produced by Eli Roth and developed by Brian McGreevy and Lee Shipman. It is a production of Gaumont International Television. The series is based on McGreevy's 2012 novel of the same name.[1] The series premiered on Netflix on April 19, 2013, with all 13 episodes made immediately available for online viewing.[2]

The show examines the strange happenings in Hemlock Grove, a fictional town in Pennsylvania. Roman Godfrey, heir to the town's wealthy Godfrey family, befriends the town's newcomer, Peter Rumancek. Recent brutal murders in the town have stirred up rumors, and the two work together to shed light on the case while also hiding their own dark secrets.

On June 19, 2013, Netflix renewed Hemlock Grove for a second season of 10 episodes, to air in 2014.[3] On July 18, 2013, Netflix earned the first Primetime Emmy Award nominations for original online-only streaming television at the 65th Primetime Emmy Awards in 2013. Three of its online original series—Arrested Development, Hemlock Grove, and House of Cards—earned nominations.[4]

The second season premiered on July 11, 2014.[5] On September 2, 2014, Netflix renewed it for a third and final 10-episode season,[6] which premiered on October 23, 2015.[7] [8]

Netflix announced on September 21, 2022 that all three seasons of Hemlock Grove will be removed from the service on October 22, 2022.[9]

In November 2022, it was announced that FilmRise had acquired the streaming rights to the series.[10]

Plot

The series is set in the town of Hemlock Grove, Pennsylvania. The town is a mixture of extreme wealth and poverty, as the closing of the town's steel mill many years earlier caused many to lose their jobs. The town's main sources of employment are now the Godfrey Institute for Biomedical Technologies and Hemlock Acres Hospital. Heading the Institute—which is rumored to conduct sinister experiments on a daily basis—is the imposing Olivia Godfrey (Famke Janssen), while Hemlock Acres' lead psychiatrist is Olivia's brother-in-law, Dr. Norman Godfrey (Dougray Scott).

As season one opens, the town's rumor mill turns even more twisted, as two teenage girls are brutally killed and their bodies left for unsuspecting people to find the next day. 17-year-old Peter Rumancek (Landon Liboiron) a 17-year-old Romani, is suspected of the crimes by some of the townsfolk; he is rumored to be a werewolf. Secretly, he is, in fact, a werewolf. Where he sets out to solve the mystery of the murders with help from the troubled Roman Godfrey (Bill Skarsgård), heir to the Godfrey estate.

Rounding out the main cast of characters of the first season are Norman's daughter (Roman's cousin), the beautiful Letha Godfrey (Penelope Mitchell) who claims the father of her unborn child is an angel from Heaven, and Christina Wendall (Freya Tingley), a lonely girl who becomes interested in Peter.

For season two, two former supporting characters were promoted to the main cast of characters: Peter's con-artist older cousin Destiny (Tiio Horn), who makes her living as a psychic medium, and Dr. Johann Pryce (Joel de la Fuente), the lead scientist of the Godfrey Institute, a brilliant but ruthless man of science, gifted with super-strength. A cult has arisen that is bent on destroying the supernatural creatures in Hemlock Grove by any means necessary. To make matters worse, both Peter and Roman struggle with their nature, as Peter risks becoming the same killer from the first season and Roman, after his full immersion with his true nature in the first season, has developed an insatiable hunger to kill. As they fight their enemies and deal with their situations, they must also deal with the monsters they are becoming, or have already become.

Cast

Main

Recurring

Guest

Development and production

In December 2011, Deadline Hollywood reported that Netflix and Gaumont International Television were finalizing a deal for a 13-episode series order for Hemlock Grove.[16] The project was officially announced in March 2012.[17] Eli Roth serves as an executive producer and will direct the pilot, Jellyfish In the Sky.[16] [18] Deran Sarafian, who signed on in mid-March as an executive producer/series director, directed six episodes.[19] [20]

After McGreevy pushed for the series to be filmed in the Pittsburgh area, production was expected to start in early June 2012 and last until November.[21] [22] In mid May, Gaumont International Television pulled out of Pennsylvania in favor of production at the Cinespace Film Studios in Toronto.[23] The move came about after Gaumont management had a misunderstanding on how the Pennsylvania Film Tax Credit program works.[24] Filming began on July 13, 2012 in Port Perry, Ontario; a small town about 40 miles (63 km) northeast of Toronto that has been transformed to look like Hemlock Grove, the fictional Western Pennsylvania town the series is set in.[25]

The budget for the first season of Hemlock Grove is reportedly about $45 million.[24]

Filming took place in Toronto at St Clair and Yonge at the Deer Park United Church and in Hamilton, Ontario at Hamilton Cemetery. Hemlock Grove High School was filmed at Ursula Franklin Academy/ Western Technical Commercial School in Toronto. It was also filmed in Oshawa at the Parkwood Estate; the opening scene of Season 1, Episode 1 is on Queen Street in Port Perry, Ontario.

Casting

In March, Netflix announced that Famke Janssen and Bill Skarsgård would star in the series, Janssen as Olivia Godfrey and Skarsgård as her son, Roman Godfrey.[17] In early April 2012, it was revealed that Peter Rumancek would be portrayed by Landon Liboiron.[26] On April 4, Penelope Mitchell was cast as Roman's cousin, Letha Godfrey.[27] Freya Tingley was cast as Christina Wendall on April 10.[28] On April 12, Dougray Scott was announced as Dr. Norman Godfrey, Olivia's brother-in-law and Letha's father.[29] On July 2, Lili Taylor was cast as Peter Rumancek's mother, and Kandyse McClure was cast as Dr. Chasseur.[30] [31] Aaron Douglas was cast as Sheriff Sworn on July 8.[32] In late July 2012, Kaniehtiio Horn joined the cast as Destiny Rumancek.[33]

Music

The music for seasons 1 and 2 was composed by Nathan Barr.[34] In October 2015, it was announced that Todd Haberman would join Barr to score season 3.[35]

Reception

Viewership

After its opening weekend, Netflix announced that "Hemlock Grove was viewed by more members globally in its first weekend than House of Cards."[36]

Critical reception

The first season of Hemlock Grove received "mixed or average" reviews, according to Metacritic, with a score of 45 out of 100.[37] On Rotten Tomatoes, the season has a rating of 26%, based on 34 reviews, and the average rating is 4.68/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Hemlock Grove is an ugly, unpleasant affair that throws crazy ideas together without much forethought."[38]

The second season received "generally unfavorable" reviews, according to Metacritic, with a score of 37 out of 100.[39] Rotten Tomatoes gives the season a rating of 55%, based on 11 reviews, and the average rating is 5.29/10. The site's consensus reads: "Hemlock Grove jettisons some of its most grating qualities while doubling down on its splashy gore, making for a more engaging second season – but the series frustratingly remains a shoddy amalgamation of gothic tropes."[40]

Mary McNamara of the Los Angeles Times called Hemlock Grove "terrible",[41] and Alison Willmore of IndieWire, "a mess".[42] Zack Handlen of The A.V. Club gave the series an F, calling it "a shockingly inane misstep, a ponderous mess."[43] Dante D'Orazio of The Verge said the show was "universally panned" on account of its "poor acting, slow plot development, and ... style that's off-key."[44] Patrick Smith of The Daily Telegraph said that Hemlock Grove was "corny and emphatically less profound than it thinks it is", giving it two out of five stars overall.[45] James Poniewozik of Time listed the series as one of the worst ten things on television in 2013.[46]

On the other hand, David Hiltbrand of the Philadelphia Inquirer said that the show "manages to be lush, gross, frightening, and ridiculous--all at the same time."[47] Tom Gliatto of People Weekly reviewed the series positively, with a score of 75 out of 100: "The acting is good, especially Bill Skarsgard and Landon Liboiron.... I like the show's languid, dreamlike beauty, but horror fans may be less patient." Jessica Shaw of Entertainment Weekly gave the series a B+.[48]

Accolades

Hemlock Grove received two nominations for Outstanding Main Title Theme Music and Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Special Visual Effects at the 65th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards, but lost to Da Vinci's Demons and Game of Thrones, respectively.[49]

YearAwardCategoryNominee(s)Result
2013Primetime Creative Arts Emmy AwardsOutstanding Original Main Title Theme MusicNathan Barr[50]
Outstanding Special Visual EffectsEpisode:"Children of the Night"
2014Visual Effects Society AwardsOutstanding Visual Effects in a Visual Effects-Driven Photoreal/Live Action Broadcast ProgramMatt Whelan, Chris Brown
Todd Masters, Jonathan Banta
Eric McAvoy		[51]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Event Coverage: Eli Roth & Brian McGreevy Talk Hemlock Grove. ComingSoon.net. April 16, 2012. March 16, 2017.
  2. Web site: "Hemlock Grove" Eli Roth's Gothic Thriller Developed by Brian McGreevy & Lee Shipman Available Only on Netflix April 19. January 9, 2013. Tartaglione. Nancy. Deadline Hollywood. January 9, 2013.
  3. News: Seat42f. Hemlock Grove Renewed. 19 June 2013.
  4. Web site: Netflix Does Well in 2013 Primetime Emmy Nominations. 2013-07-18. 2013-07-18. The New York Times. Stelter, Brian.
  5. Web site: Netflix Sets Premiere Date for Eli Roth's 'Hemlock Grove' Season 2. April 14, 2014. Spangler. Todd. . April 14, 2014.
  6. Web site: Andreeva . Nellie. Netflix Renews 'Hemlock Grove' for Third and Final Season . Deadline Hollywood . 2 September 2014. 2 September 2014.
  7. Web site: 'Hemlock Grove' Final-Season Teaser & Premiere Date: Bloodlust Redefined. Erik. Pedersen. August 27, 2015. March 16, 2017.
  8. Web site: New Titles on Netflix US (Oct, 23). October 23, 2014. Pease. Jasmin. October 23, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20170202212029/http://www.whats-on-netflix.com/whats-new/new-titles-on-netflix-us-oct-23-2015/. February 2, 2017. dead.
  9. Web site: Moore . Kasey . 2022-09-22 . 'Hemlock Grove' Leaving Netflix in October 2022 . 2022-09-26 . What's on Netflix . en.
  10. Web site: White . Peter . 'Hemlock Grove' To Return To Streaming Via FilmRise After Netflix Removed Eli Roth Horror Drama . . November 21, 2022.
  11. Web site: Victoria Justice In 'Eye Candy', Madeleine Martin Boards 'Hemlock Grove', Troy Garity In HBO Pilot 'Ballers'. The Deadline. Team. October 11, 2013. March 16, 2017.
  12. Web site: Review: Hemlock Grove, Season One. Serenity. Womble. April 22, 2013. March 16, 2017.
  13. Web site: Camille de Pazzis Joins 'Hemlock Grove'; Zara Zoe In TNT Pilot 'Lumen' . The Deadline Team. December 11, 2014. . March 16, 2017.
  14. Web site: Michael Malarkey Joins 'The Vampire Diaries', Madeline Brewer In 'Hemlock Grove'. Nellie. Andreeva. October 9, 2013. March 16, 2017.
  15. Web site: Madeline Brewer's instagram. November 23, 2018.
  16. Web site: Netflix Nears Order For Eli Roth Horror Drama 'Hemlock Grove' From Eli Roth And Gaumont International Television. Andreeva. Nellie. Deadline Hollywood. December 12, 2011. July 5, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120508110413/http://www.deadline.com/2011/12/netflix-nears-13-episode-order-for-horror-drama-hemlock-grove-from-eli-roth-and-gaumont-international-television/. May 8, 2012.
  17. Web site: Only on Netflix: Premier Horror Suspense Director Eli Roth Reanimates the Gothic Novel With "Hemlock Grove". March 21, 2012. The Futon Critic. July 3, 2012.
  18. Web site: Horror Movies: Reviews, Trailers, News - Shock Till You Drop. March 16, 2017.
  19. Web site: WonderCon 2013: HEMLOCK GROVE Panel Recap Featuring Eli Roth and Famke Janssen. . March 29, 2013. March 16, 2017.
  20. Web site: Deran Sarafian Signs With WME, Joins 'Hemlock Grove' As Executive Producer. Andreeva. Nellie. March 16, 2012. Deadline Hollywood. July 5, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120317204545/http://www.deadline.com/2012/03/deran-sarafian-signs-with-wme-joins-hemlock-grove-as-executive-producer/. March 17, 2012.
  21. Web site: More on 'Hemlock Grove,' the TV series. Owen. Rob. March 28, 2012. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. July 3, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120501032627/http://communityvoices.sites.post-gazette.com/index.php/arts-entertainment-living/tuned-in-journal/32407-more-on-hemlock-grove-the-tv-series. May 1, 2012.
  22. Web site: Author Brian McGreevy pulled to have 'Hemlock Grove' series filmed near Pittsburgh. Owen. Rob. May 9, 2012. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. July 3, 2012.
  23. Web site: Hemlock Grove shoot books Toronto's Cinespace stage. Vlessing. Etan. June 4, 2012. Playback. February 19, 2013.
  24. Web site: TV series pulls plug on filming here. May 12, 2012. Owen. Rob. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. July 3, 2012.
  25. Web site: Film crews to return to Port Perry. Hall. Chris. March 16, 2012. durhamregion.com. July 14, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20160401134440/http://www.durhamregion.com/news/article/1392348--film-crews-to-return-to-port-perry. April 1, 2016.
  26. Web site: Terra Nova's' Landon Liboiron Joins Netflix's 'Hemlock Grove' (Exclusive). April 3, 2012. Goldberg. Lesley. The Hollywood Reporter. July 5, 2012.
  27. Web site: Series 'Hemlock Grove', Pilots 'Malibu Country' & Louis CK/Feresten Add To Casts. Andreeva. Nellie. April 2, 2012. Deadline Hollywood. July 5, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120622174605/http://www.deadline.com/2012/04/series-hemlock-grove-pilots-malibu-country-louis-ckferesten-add-to-casts/. June 22, 2012.
  28. Web site: Latarsha Rose, Omari Hardwick Join 'Mary Jane'; Freya Tingley To 'Hemlock Grove'. Andreeva. Nellie. April 10, 2012. Deadline Hollywood. July 5, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120622174352/http://www.deadline.com/2012/04/latarsha-rose-cast-in-bets-mary-jane-freya-tingley-in-netflixs-hemlock-grove/. June 22, 2012.
  29. Web site: Dougray Scott To Star In Netflix's 'Hemlock Grove'. Andreeva. Nellie. April 12, 2012. Deadline Hollywood. July 5, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120623090441/http://www.deadline.com/2012/04/dougray-scott-to-star-in-netflixs-hemlock-grove/. June 23, 2012.
  30. Web site: Exclusive: Six Feet Under Vet Lili Taylor Joins Netflix Thriller Series Hemlock Grove. Roots. Kimberly. July 2, 2012. TVLine. July 5, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120704215157/http://tvline.com/2012/07/02/lili-taylor-hemlock-grove/. July 4, 2012.
  31. Web site: Kandyse McClure Joins Cast Of 'Hemlock Grove'. July 2, 2012. Deadline Hollywood. July 5, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120705230949/http://www.deadline.com/2012/07/kandyse-mcclure-joins-cast-of-hemlock-grove/. July 5, 2012.
  32. Web site: Netflix Castings: 'House Of Cards', 'Hemlock Grove'. The Deadline. Team. July 8, 2012. March 16, 2017.
  33. Web site: '18 to Life' Alum to Play Gypsy Witch-Prostitute on Netflix's 'Hemlock Grove' (Exclusive). Goldberg. Lesley. March 16, 2012. The Hollywood Reporter. July 14, 2012.
  34. Web site: Nathan Barr to Score Eli Roth's 'Hemlock Grove'. July 8, 2012. filmmusicreporter.com. July 8, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120603175518/http://filmmusicreporter.com/2012/05/29/nathan-barr-to-score-eli-roths-hemlock-grove/. June 3, 2012.
  35. Web site: Todd Haberman Co-Scoring 'Hemlock Grove' Season 3 Film Music Reporter. 2015-10-20.
  36. Web site: Netflix says more members watched 'Hemlock Grove' on first weekend than 'House of Cards'. April 22, 2013 . March 16, 2017.
  37. Web site: Critic Reviews for Hemlock Grove Season 1 . Metacritic . 2013-07-02.
  38. Web site: Hemlock Grove: Season 1 - Rotten Tomatoes. . November 23, 2018.
  39. Web site: Hemlock Grove. . November 23, 2018.
  40. Web site: Hemlock Grove: Season 2 - Rotten Tomatoes. . November 23, 2018.
  41. Web site: TV review: 'Hemlock Grove' wallows in its own fake guts. . McNamara . Mary . April 22, 2013 . April 19, 2013 .
  42. Web site: April 19, 2013 . April 22, 2013 . Willmore . Alison . Netflix's New Series 'Hemlock Grove' is a Ramshackle, Sometimes Interesting Mess of Supernatural Themes and Teen Angst . IndieWire.
  43. Web site: Handlen. Zack. 'Hemlock Grove' Other Shows TV Club. The A.V. Club. The Onion. April 21, 2013. April 20, 2013.
  44. Web site: D'Orazio . Dante . . Netflix's 'Hemlock Grove' arrives amidst storm of negative reviews . April 19, 2013 . April 22, 2013.
  45. News: Smith. Patrick. Hemlock Grove, Netflix, review. The Daily Telegraph .
  46. Web site: Here Are 10 of the Worst Things TV Did This Year . Poniewozik . James . Time . 2013-12-17 . 2014-01-01 .
  47. Web site: Archives - Philly.com. March 16, 2017.
  48. 'Hemlock Grove' review: Gory Netflix series has beating heart. . April 19, 2013. March 16, 2017.
  49. Web site: Hemlock Grove. March 16, 2017.
  50. Web site: Creative Arts Emmy Awards Winners. emmys.com. 2013-09-15.
  51. News: Erik. Pedersen. VES Awards 2015: Complete Winners List. February 4, 2015. Deadline Hollywood. February 4, 2014.

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