Motherland: Fort Salem Explained

Alt Name:Fort Salem
Creator:Eliot Laurence
Music:Brandon Roberts
Country:United States
Language:English
Num Seasons:3
Num Episodes:30
Location:Vancouver, British Columbia
Runtime:41–51 minutes[1]
Network:Freeform

Motherland: Fort Salem is an American supernatural drama television series created by Eliot Laurence that premiered on Freeform on March 18, 2020. The series stars Taylor Hickson as Raelle Collar, Jessica Sutton as Tally Craven, and Ashley Nicole Williams as Abigail Bellweather, three witches conscripted into the U.S. Army. In August 2021, the series was renewed for a third and final season which premiered on June 21, 2022, and concluded on August 23, 2022.

Premise

Motherland: Fort Salem follows Raelle Collar, Abigail Bellweather, and Tally Craven, three witches who accept conscription into the U.S. Army. They train in combat magic and use their vocal cords to enact "seeds" or "seed sounds", layering vocal sounds to create powerful spells. The series takes place in a women-dominated world in which the U.S. ended the persecution of witches 300 years ago during the Salem witch trials after an agreement known as the Salem Accord. The world finds itself at odds with a terrorist organization known as the Spree, a witch resistance group fighting against the conscription of witches.

Cast and characters

Main

Recurring

Guest

Episodes

Season 3 (2022)

Production

Development

Development on the series began in August 2016 under the working title Motherland,[6] and on June 5, 2018, a pilot had been ordered.[7] On March 5, 2019, it was announced that Freeform had given the production a straight-to-series order for a first season consisting of ten episodes. The series was created by Eliot Laurence, who was also expected to executive produce alongside Will Ferrell, Adam McKay, Kevin Messick, Maria Maggenti, and Steven Adelson. The pilot was also directed by Adelson.[8] Production companies involved with the series were slated to include Freeform Studios and Gary Sanchez Productions. On May 14, 2019, an official trailer for the series was released.[9] The series premiered on March 18, 2020.[10]

David J. Peterson along with Jessie Sams created the language known as Méníshè, which is spoken on the show by the Tarim, and is described as an "ancient witch language". Laurence and his team knew of Peterson from his previous work on Game of Thrones and hired him to create the language for the show.[11] [12]

On May 19, 2020, Freeform renewed the series for a second season, which premiered on June 22, 2021.[13] [14] On August 23, 2021, Freeform renewed the series for a third and final season, which premiered on June 21, 2022.[15] [16]

Casting

Alongside the initial series announcement, it was reported that Taylor Hickson, Jessica Sutton, Amalia Holm, and Demetria McKinney had been cast in series regular roles.[17] Kelcey Mawema, one of the leads in the original pilot, was recast.[18] On March 28, 2019, it was announced that Ashley Nicole Williams had replaced Kelcey Mawema.[19] On August 9, 2019, it was announced that Bernadette Beck would be guest starring in the series.[20] On September 24, 2019, it was announced that Kai Bradbury would be joining the cast in a recurring role.[21] On January 28, 2020, Sarah Yarkin was cast in a recurring capacity.[22] On May 19, 2020, Lyne Renée was promoted as a series regular for the second season.[23] On May 27, 2021, Victor Webster, Mellany Barros, Praneet Akilla, Ess Hödlmoser and Arlen Aguayo were cast in recurring roles for the second season.[24]

Filming

Filming for the pilot took place in July 2018.[25] Principal photography for the first season began on April 22, 2019, and ended on August 23, 2019, in Vancouver, British Columbia.[26] [27] Filming took place in the Cloverdale area of Surrey, British Columbia, from May 9 to 10, 2019.[28] Filming for the second season began on October 9, 2020, and concluded on April 1, 2021.[29] Filming for the third season began on November 2, 2021, and concluded on April 14, 2022.[30]

International releases

Internationally, the show airs on Fox8 in Australia, streams on Showmax in South Africa,[31] and is exclusive to BBC Three and BBC iPlayer in the United Kingdom under the title Fort Salem,[32] to avoid confusion with the BBC sitcom Motherland.

it has been released by Amazon Prime in France, Germany, Italy, and Spain.[33]

In Canada,[34] Sweden,[35] and Norway,[36] Disney+ has the streaming distribution rights to the show.

Music

The music for the series is scored by Brandon Roberts. The album for the first season was released on March 20, 2020.

Reception

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes, the first season has an approval rating of 71% based on reviews from 17 critics, with an average rating of 6.4/10. The website's critical consensus states, "Despite a fine cast and impressive set up, Motherland: Fort Salem ambitious ideas are overwhelmed by the sheer too-muchness of it all."[37] On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 49 out of 100, based on reviews from 7 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[38]

Ratings

Season 3

Accolades

YearAwardCategoryNominee(s)Result
2021American Society of CinematographersOutstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Episode of a One-Hour Television SeriesCommercialdata-sort-value="Joffin, Jon" Jon Joffin[39]
Best Cinematography in TV Drama – Commercialdata-sort-value="Joffin, Jon" Jon Joffin[40]
Leo AwardsBest Direction in a Dramatic Seriesdata-sort-value="Adelson, Steven A." Steven A. Adelson [41]
ReFrame StampIMDbPro Top 200 Scripted TV RecipientsMotherland: Fort Salem[42]
2022CAFTCAD AwardsBest Costume Design in TV Contemporary – WestTracey Boulton, Eilidh McAllister, Monique McRae, Fiona Roberts, Petra Bergholz, Chantal Richard, Kathleen Mulder, Victoria McPhedran, Karilynn Ming Ho, Slavica Grkavac, Jacqueline Uthoff, Brooke Reid, Charron Hume, Alita Gorgichuk, Tassie Vicars, Ciara Brady, Sherry Randall, Christine Stansbery, Marie-Adeline Sekula, Ardyth Cleveland, Cadence Warner [43]
Leo AwardsBest Cinematography in a Dramatic Seriesdata-sort-value="Powell, Craig" Craig Powell [44]
Best Lead Performance by a Female in a Dramatic Seriesdata-sort-value="Hickson, Taylor" Taylor Hickson
Best Sound Editing in a Dramatic Seriesdata-sort-value="Sy, Jordan, John Douglas Smith, Paula Fairfield" Jordan Sy, John Douglas Smith, Paula Fairfield
2023CAFTCAD AwardsBest Costume Design in TV Contemporary – WestTracey Boulton, Eilidh McAllister, Monique McRae, Kurtis Reeves, Sherry Randall, Petra Bergholz, Summer Eves-Sainaney, Charron Hume, Mhelanni Gorre, Emily Laing, Derek Perrett, Chelsea Alice, Tassie Vicars, Ciara Brady, Frances Sweeney, Jacqueline Uthoff, Shirley Chan, Susan Pajos, Cora Burnette, Lovisa Drever, Kyla Nesbitt, Lisa Price, Kathleen Mulder, Laura Zacher, Brooke Reid, Angela Bright [45]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Motherland: Fort Salem. Freeform. April 16, 2020. April 11, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200411144812/https://freeform.go.com/shows/motherland-fort-salem. live.
  2. Web site: Meet the "Motherland: Fort Salem" Cast — Here's Who Plays Raelle, Abigail, Tally, Scylla, and More. Teen Vogue. P. Claire. Dodson. March 19, 2020. March 19, 2020. April 26, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200426212327/https://www.teenvogue.com/story/meet-the-motherland-fort-salem-cast. live.
  3. Web site: Motherland: Fort Salem Bios. Walt Disney Television Press Site. May 8, 2020. May 10, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200510021224/https://www.wdtvpress.com/freeform/shows/motherland-fort-salem/bios/. live.
  4. Motherland. Motherland: Fort Salem. 1244778593323855872. March 30, 2020. Taylor Hickson & Amalia Holm play Raelle Collar & Scylla Ramshorn. #Motherland. April 30, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200331144735/https:/twitter.com/Motherland/status/1244778593323855872. March 31, 2020. live.
  5. Web site: Damian . Holbrook . 'Motherland: Fort Salem' Creator Tees Up Final Season & Teases What Could Be Next . TV Insider . June 21, 2022 . July 7, 2022 . July 7, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220707165457/https://www.tvinsider.com/1049253/motherland-fort-salem-season-3-premiere-series-finale-ending/ . live .
  6. Web site: Andreeva . Nellie . August 17, 2016 . Freeform Developing Military Fantasy Drama From Gary Sanchez Productions . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20200302130344/https://deadline.com/2016/08/freeform-developing-military-fantasy-drama-eliot-laurence-gary-sanchez-1201802758/ . March 2, 2020 . May 18, 2020 . . en.
  7. Web site: Hipes . Patrick . Hayes . Dade . June 5, 2018 . Freeform Greenlights Pilot From 'Claws' Creator, Sets Joss Whedon-EP'd Comedy For Development . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20200531010146/https://deadline.com/2018/06/freeform-motherland-pilot-joss-whedon-comedy-pippa-smith-development-1202403789/ . May 31, 2020 . May 18, 2020 . Deadline Hollywood.
  8. Web site: Don't Mess With the Army of Witches in Freeform's 'Motherland: Fort Salem' Trailer (Video). TheWrap. Margeaux. Sippell. January 17, 2020. January 19, 2020. January 18, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200118133205/https://www.thewrap.com/motherland-fort-salem-trailer-freeform-premiere-date-video/. live.
  9. Web site: Hipes . Patrick . May 14, 2019 . Freeform New Series Trailers: 'Party Of Five', 'Motherland: Fort Salem', 'Everything's Gonna Be Okay' . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20190514152934/https://deadline.com/video/freeform-party-of-five-trailers-new-series-motherland-fort-salem-everythings-gonna-be-okay/ . May 14, 2019 . May 14, 2019 . Deadline Hollywood.
  10. Web site: Petski . Denise . January 17, 2020 . 'Motherland: Fort Salem' Gets Freeform Premiere Date & New Trailer – TCA . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20200129011141/https://deadline.com/video/motherland-fort-salem-gets-freeform-premiere-date-new-trailer-tca/ . January 29, 2020 . January 17, 2020 . Deadline Hollywood.
  11. Web site: David J. Peterson. Ulrich. Alexis. Of Languages and Numbers. en. May 22, 2020. July 5, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210705135819/https://www.languagesandnumbers.com/articles/en/David-J-Peterson/. live.
  12. Web site: Motherland: Fort Salem Interview Eliot Laurence and Kevin Messick Assignment X. Bernstein. Abbie. March 18, 2020. www.assignmentx.com. May 22, 2020. March 25, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200325212335/https://www.assignmentx.com/2020/motherland-fort-salem-creator-eliot-laurence-and-ep-kevin-messick-on-new-witchcraft-series-exclusive-interview/. live.
  13. Web site: Freeform Renews 'Everything's Gonna Be Okay' & 'Motherland: Fort Salem' As 'Grown-ish', 'Good Trouble' & 'Cruel Summer' Move To 2021. Deadline Hollywood. Peter. White. May 19, 2020. May 19, 2020. May 19, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200519192842/https://deadline.com/2020/05/everythings-gonna-be-okay-motherland-fort-salem-renewed-season-2-freeform-grown-ish-good-trouble-cruel-summer-pushed-2021-covid-19-1202937895/. live.
  14. Freeform sets premiere dates for Good Trouble, Grown-ish, and Motherland: Fort Salem. Sydney. Bucksbaum. Entertainment Weekly. May 10, 2021. May 10, 2021. May 10, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210510182923/https://ew.com/tv/good-trouble-grown-ish-motherland-fort-salem-freeform-premiere-dates-photos/. live.
  15. Web site: Del Rosario . Alexandra . August 23, 2021 . 'Motherland: Fort Salem' Renewed For Third & Final Season By Freeform . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20210824220126/https://deadline.com/2021/08/motherland-fort-salem-renewed-third-final-season-freeform-1234819990/ . August 24, 2021 . August 23, 2021 . Deadline Hollywood.
  16. Freeform's Summer Slate Sizzles with Lineup of New and Returning Original Series. Freeform. The Futon Critic. May 4, 2022. May 4, 2022.
  17. Web site: Freeform Orders Drama Series About Witches in the Military — Watch Teaser . . Andy . Swift . March 5, 2019 . March 5, 2019 . May 12, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190512190146/https://tvline.com/2019/03/05/freeform-military-witch-drama-series-motherland-fort-salem-video/ . live .
  18. Web site: 'Motherland: Fort Salem' Witches-Themed Drama Gets Freeform Series Order . . Nellie . Andreeva . Denise . Petski . March 5, 2019 . March 5, 2019 . March 6, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190306001743/https://deadline.com/2019/03/freeform-orders-motherland-fort-salem-drama-series-1202569752/ . live .
  19. Web site: Petski . Denise . Andreeva . Nellie . March 28, 2019 . 'Motherland: Fort Salem': Ashley Nicole Williams To Star In Freeform's Witches-Themed Drama Series In Recasting . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20190331084422/https://deadline.com/2019/03/motherland-fort-salem-ashley-nicole-williams-to-star-in-freeforms-witches-themed-drama-series-in-recasting-1202584793/ . March 31, 2019 . April 2, 2019 . Deadline Hollywood.
  20. Web site: Karra . Sushma . August 9, 2019 . 'Riverdale' star Bernadette Beck says Peaches in upcoming Season 4 is 'powerful and sassy' . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20200204083636/https://meaww.com/riverdale-season-4-peaches-n-cream-bernadette-beck-exclusive-interview-pretty-poisons-cbs . February 4, 2020 . February 4, 2020 . Media Entertainment Arts WorldWide.
  21. Web site: 'Motherland: Fort Salem' Casts Kai Bradbury; Ebboney Wilson Joins 'Legacies' . Deadline Hollywood . Denise . Petski . September 24, 2019 . January 19, 2020 . December 19, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20191219183355/https://deadline.com/2019/09/motherland-fort-salem-casts-kai-bradbury-ebboney-wilson-legacies-1202743662/ . live .
  22. Web site: 'Deputy' Casts Jenny Gago; Sarah Yarkin Joins 'Motherland: Fort Salem' . Deadline Hollywood . Denise . Petski . January 28, 2020 . February 3, 2020 . January 29, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200129151329/https://deadline.com/2020/01/deputy-casts-jenny-gago-sarah-yarkin-motherland-fort-salem-1202843935/ . live .
  23. Web site: Petski . Denise . May 19, 2020 . 'Motherland: Fort Salem': Lyne Renee Upped To Series Regular For Season 2 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20200526003818/https://deadline.com/2020/05/motherland-fort-salem-lyne-renee-promoted-series-regular-season-2-1202937795/ . May 26, 2020 . May 19, 2020 . Deadline Hollywood.
  24. Web site: 'Motherland: Fort Salem': Freeform Thriller Drama Adds Five To Cast Ahead Of Season 2. Deadline Hollywood. Denise. Petski. May 27, 2021. May 27, 2021. May 27, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210527192147/https://deadline.com/2021/05/motherland-fort-salem-freeform-thriller-drama-cast-season-2-1234765500/. live.
  25. Web site: Petski . Denise . July 10, 2018 . 'Motherland': Freeform Sets Cast For Drama Pilot From 'Claws' Creator, Begins Production . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20200807131302/https://deadline.com/2018/07/motherland-freeform-series-regular-cast-1202424179/ . August 7, 2020 . May 18, 2020 . . en.
  26. News: DGC BC Production List . . August 9, 2019 . August 11, 2019 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20190811205737/https://www.dgc.ca/assets/Uploads/BritishColumbia/AvailsProductionLists/Documents/Production-List.pdf. August 11, 2019.
  27. Web site: Current Productions Creative BC . Creative BC . August 11, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190811210201/https://www.creativebc.com/crbc-services/provincial-film-commission-services/in-production. August 11, 2019 . live.
  28. Web site: 'Motherland: Fort Salem' to film in Cloverdale this week . Surrey Now-Leader . Samantha . Anderson . May 8, 2019 . May 14, 2019 . May 14, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190514151130/https://www.surreynowleader.com/entertainment/motherland-fort-salem-to-film-in-cloverdale-this-week/ . live .
  29. News: DGC BC Production List . Directors Guild of Canada. March 31, 2021. April 1, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210331204206/https://www.dgc.ca/assets/Uploads/BritishColumbia/AvailsProductionLists/Documents/Production-List.pdf. March 31, 2021. live.
  30. Web site: DGC BC Production List. Directors Guild of Canada. April 14, 2022. April 15, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220415211829/https://www.dgc.ca/assets/Uploads/BritishColumbia/AvailsProductionLists/Production/Production-List.pdf. April 15, 2022. live.
  31. Web site: Lindeque. Brent. June 3, 2020. South African actress Jessica Sutton stars in new Hollywood series. July 2, 2020. www.goodthingsguy.com. May 12, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210512110743/https://www.goodthingsguy.com/lifestyle/south-african-actress-jessica-sutton-stars-in-new-hollywood-series/#:~:text=Motherland%3A%20Fort%20Salem%20is%20coming,to%20binge%20first%20on%20Showmax.. live.
  32. Web site: July 2, 2020 . Fort Salem and Good Trouble acquired from Disney Media Distribution by BBC Three . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20211205003921/https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/latestnews/2020/fort-salem-good-trouble-disney . December 5, 2021 . July 2, 2020 . BBC Online.
  33. Web site: Hubert . Stéphane . November 20, 2020 . Motherland Fort Salem sur Prime Video : c'est quoi cette série avec des sorcières ? . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20210612081128/https://www.cineserie.com/news/series/motherland-fort-salem-sur-prime-video-cest-quoi-cette-serie-avec-des-sorcieres-bad-ass-3859868/ . June 12, 2021 . June 12, 2021 . Cine Series . fr.
  34. Web site: Beck . Michelle . July 26, 2022 . 'Motherland: Fort Salem' Season 3 Disney+ Release Date Announced (Canada) . Disney Plus Informer.
  35. Web site: April 21, 2021 . Gör succé i världen – men är okänd i Sverige . Aftonbladet.
  36. Web site: June 21, 2022 . Hvordan se Motherland: Fort Salem sesong 3 online fra hvor som helst . Daily Geek.
  37. Web site: Motherland: Fort Salem: Season 1 (2020). Rotten Tomatoes. June 22, 2022.
  38. Web site: Motherland: Fort Salem: Season 1 . . March 20, 2020 .
  39. Web site: Kay . Jeremy . April 18, 2021 . 'Mank' wins ASC top cinematography prize . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20210926061616/https://www.screendaily.com/news/mank-wins-asc-top-cinematography-prize/5158918.article . September 26, 2021 . July 27, 2022 . . en.
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  41. Web site: 2021 LEO AWARDS, Nominees & Winners by Name . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20220826214356/https://www.leoawards.com/2022/nominees_and_winners/nominees_and_winners_by_name_2021.php#Dramatic_Series . August 26, 2022 . July 27, 2022 . Leo Awards.
  42. Web site: Behzadi . Sofia . July 19, 2022 . 'Euphoria', 'Abbott Elementary' & Apple Among ReFrame Stamp Recipients For Gender-Balanced Hiring; Numbers Down From 2020–2021 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20220722025712/https://deadline.com/2022/07/euphoria-abbott-elementary-apple-reframe-stamp-gender-balanced-hiring-2021-22-1235072102/ . July 22, 2022 . July 27, 2022 . . en-US.
  43. Web site: 2022 Nominees . February 10, 2023 . The CAFTCAD Awards . en-US.
  44. Web site: 2021 LEO AWARDS, Nominees by Program 2022 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20220727222833/https://www.leoawards.com/2022/nominees_and_winners/nominees_and_winners_by_program_2022.php#Dramatic_Series . July 27, 2022 . July 27, 2022 . Leo Awards.
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