Olive Kitteridge (miniseries) explained

Genre:	Drama
Teleplay:	Jane Anderson
Director:	Lisa Cholodenko
Music:	Carter Burwell
Country:	United States
Language:	English
Num Episodes:	4
Producer:	David Coatsworth
Editor:	Jeffrey M. Werner
Cinematography:	Frederick Elmes
Runtime:	233 minutes
Network:	HBO

Olive Kitteridge is an American television miniseries based on Elizabeth Strout's 2008 novel Olive Kitteridge. Set in Maine,^[1] the HBO miniseries features Frances McDormand as the title character, Richard Jenkins as Olive's loving husband Henry Kitteridge, Zoe Kazan as Denise Thibodeau, and Bill Murray as Jack Kennison.^[2] The show is divided into four parts, each depicting a certain point of time in the novel.

The miniseries debuted in the United States on November 2, 2014, on the American premium TV network HBO, which aired the show's first two episodes back-to-back that evening; the third and fourth episodes aired back-to-back the following evening. It was shown in a similar format in the United Kingdom on Sky Atlantic, on December 14 and December 15, 2014.^[3] It premiered in Australia on Showcase from 13 January 2015.^[4] At the 67th Primetime Emmy Awards, the miniseries won eight awards including Outstanding Limited Series, Outstanding Lead Actress for McDormand and Outstanding Lead Actor for Jenkins.

Premise

Olive Kitteridge is a misanthropic and strict, but well-meaning, retired schoolteacher who lives in the fictional seaside town of Crosby, Maine. She is married to Henry Kitteridge, a kind, considerate man who runs a pharmacy downtown, and has a troubled son named Christopher, who grows up to be a podiatrist. For 25 years, Olive has experienced problems of depression, bereavement, jealousy, and friction with family members and friends.

Cast

• Frances McDormand as Olive Kitteridge
• Richard Jenkins as Henry Kitteridge
• Zoe Kazan as Denise Thibodeau
• Rosemarie DeWitt as Rachel Coulson
• Martha Wainwright as Angela O'Meara
• Ann Dowd as Bonnie Newton
• Jesse Plemons as Jerry McCarthy
• Bill Murray as Jack Kennison
• John Gallagher Jr. as Christopher Kitteridge (adult)
• Devin Druid as Christopher Kitteridge (age 13)
• John Mullen as Kevin Coulson (age 13)
• Cory Michael Smith as Kevin Coulson (adult)
• Peter Mullan as Jim O'Casey
• Rachel Brosnahan as Patty Howe
• Brady Corbet as Henry Thibodeau
• Maryann Urbano as Linda Kennison
• Libby Winters as Suzanne
• Patricia Kalember as Joyce
• Audrey Marie Anderson as Ann
• Donna Mitchell as Louise Larkin
• Frank L. Ridley as Mr. Thibodeau

Reception

Critical response

Olive Kitteridge received widespread critical acclaim for its writing, directing, cinematography, and Frances McDormand's central performance as well as those of Jenkins, Murray and Gallagher. On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the show has an approval rating of 95% based on 63 reviews, with an average rating of 8.68/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "Olive Kitteridges narrative slow burn enhances fascinating performances – and a story worthy of its source material."^[5] On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 89 out of 100, based on 34 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".^[6]

Accolades

Year	Award	Category	Nominee(s)	Result	Ref.
	Venice Film Festival	Silver Mouse	Lisa Cholodenko		^[7]
	American Cinema Editors Awards	Best Edited Miniseries or Motion Picture for Television			^[8]
	Costume Designers Guild Awards	Outstanding Made for Television Movie or Miniseries	Jenny Eagan		^[9]
	Critics' Choice Television Awards	Best Limited Series			^[10]
		Best Actor in a Movie or Limited Series	Richard Jenkins
		Best Actress in a Movie or Limited Series	Frances McDormand
		Best Supporting Actor in a Movie or Limited Series	Bill Murray
			Cory Michael Smith
	Directors Guild of America Awards	Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Movies for Television and Miniseries	Lisa Cholodenko		^[11]
	Dorian Awards	TV Performance of the Year – Actress	Frances McDormand		^[12]
		TV Director of the Year	Lisa Cholodenko
	Golden Globe Awards	Best Miniseries or Television Film			^[13]
		Best Actress in a Miniseries or a Motion Picture Made for Television	Frances McDormand
		Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television	Bill Murray
	Gracie Awards	Outstanding Producer – Entertainment	Jane Anderson		^[14]
	Hollywood Post Alliance Awards	Outstanding Color Grading – Television	Pankaj Bajpai		^[15]
	Make-Up Artists and Hair Stylists Guild Awards	Best Period and/or Character Hair Styling – Television Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television	Cydney Cornell		^[16]
		Best Period and/or Character Makeup – Television Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television	Christien Tinsley, Gerald Quist, and Liz Bernstrom
		Best Special Makeup Effects – Television Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television	Christien Tinsley, Gerald Quist, and Hiro Yada
	Online Film & Television Association Awards	Best Miniseries			^[17]
		Best Actor in a Motion Picture or Miniseries	Richard Jenkins
		Best Actress in a Motion Picture or Miniseries	Frances McDormand
		Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture or Miniseries	John Gallagher Jr.
			Bill Murray
		Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture or Miniseries	Rosemarie DeWitt
		Best Direction of a Motion Picture or Miniseries	Lisa Cholodenko
		Best Writing of a Motion Picture or Miniseries	Jane Anderson
		Best Ensemble in a Motion Picture or Miniseries
		Best Cinematography in a Non-Series
		Best Costume Design in a Non-Series
		Best Editing in a Non-Series
		Best Makeup/Hairstyling in a Non-Series
		Best Music in a Non-Series
		Best New Theme Song in a Series
		Best Production Design in a Non-Series
	Primetime Emmy Awards	Outstanding Limited Series	Gary Goetzman, Tom Hanks, Jane Anderson, Frances McDormand, Steven Shareshian, and David Coatsworth		^[18]
		Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or a Movie	Richard Jenkins
		Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or a Movie	Frances McDormand
		Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or a Movie	Bill Murray
		Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or a Movie	Zoe Kazan
		Outstanding Directing for a Limited Series, Movie or a Dramatic Special	Lisa Cholodenko
		Outstanding Writing for a Limited Series, Movie or a Dramatic Special	Jane Anderson
	Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards	Outstanding Casting for a Limited Series, Movie or a Special	Laura Rosenthal and Carolyn Pickman
		Outstanding Hairstyling for a Limited Series or a Movie	Cydney Cornell
		Outstanding Main Title Design	Garson Yu, Synderela Peng, Michael Lane Parks, Alex Pollini, and John Robson
		Outstanding Costumes for a Contemporary Series, Limited Series or Movie	Jenny Eagan and Debbie Holbrook
		Outstanding Makeup for a Limited Series or a Movie (Non-Prosthetic)	Christien Tinsley, Gerald Quist, and Liz Bernstrom
		Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Limited Series or a Movie	Jeffrey M. Werner
	Satellite Awards	Best Miniseries Made for Television			^[19]
		Best Actor in a Miniseries or a Motion Picture Made for Television	Richard Jenkins
		Best Actress in a Miniseries or a Motion Picture Made for Television	Frances McDormand
		Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television	Zoe Kazan
	Screen Actors Guild Awards	Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries	Richard Jenkins		^[20]
		Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries	Frances McDormand
	Television Critics Association Awards				^[21]
	Writers Guild of America Awards	Long Form – Adapted	Jane Anderson; Based on the novel by Elizabeth Strout		^[22]
	Artios Awards	Outstanding Achievement in Casting – Television Movie or Mini Series	Laura Rosenthal, Carolyn Pickman, Maribeth Fox, and Jodi Angstreich		^[23]

Home media

Olive Kitteridge was released by HBO on DVD and Blu-ray on February 10, 2015.^[24]

Notes and References

1. Web site: Rebecca . Doyle . Olive Kitteridge Review HBO: What the Critics Are Saying - The Hollywood Reporter . 28 December 2014 . The Hollywood Reporter. November 2, 2014 .
2. Web site: The Official Website for the HBO Series Olive Kitteridge . 28 December 2014 . Hbo.com.
3. Web site: Olive Kitteridge . 28 December 2014 . Find and Watch.
4. Web site: Knox . David . 26 December 2014 . Airdate: Olive Kitteridge . 29 December 2014 . TV Tonight.
5. Web site: Olive Kittridge . November 20, 2014 . Rotten Tomatoes.
6. Web site: Olive Kittridge . November 2, 2014 . Metacritic.
7. Web site: Collateral Awards of the 71st Venice Film Festival . labiennale.org . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20141007075607/http://www.labiennale.org/en/cinema/news/06-09c.html?back=true . 7 October 2014 .
8. News: Adam Chitwood. NIGHTCRAWLER, GONE GIRL, and BOYHOOD Land ACE Editing Awards Nominations. January 13, 2015. Collider. January 2, 2015.
9. Web site: 17th Costume Designers Guild Awards . . May 21, 2016.
10. The Critics' Choice TV Awards 2015: And the nominees are... . . May 6, 2015 . Shirley . Li . May 6, 2015.
11. Web site: 67th DGA Awards . . July 5, 2021.
12. Web site: Dorian Awards Past Winners . . October 5, 2019.
13. Web site: Olive Kitteridge – Golden Globes . . July 5, 2021 . .
14. Web site: 2015 Gracies Gala Winners . . March 17, 2016 . September 11, 2022.
15. Web site: 2015 HPA Awards . . September 8, 2022.
16. Web site: 'Grand Budapest Hotel,' 'Guardians of the Galaxy' Top Make-up & Hair Stylists Feature Awards . February 14, 2015 . Carolyn Giardina . . Lynne Segall . November 16, 2019 .
17. Web site: 19th Annual TV Awards (2014-15) . Online Film & Television Association . May 15, 2021.
18. Web site: Olive Kitteridge . Emmys.com . . July 13, 2017.
19. Web site: 2014 Satellite Awards . . . July 10, 2021.
20. Web site: The 21st Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards . . May 21, 2016.
21. Web site: 'Empire,' John Oliver, Amy Schumer, Jon Hamm, 'Better Call Saul' Honored By TCA . Lisa . de Moraes . . August 8, 2015 . August 9, 2015.
22. Web site: WGA Awards: 'Budapest', 'Imitation Game' Win Top Film Honors, 'True Detective', 'Louie' Score On TV Side — Full List . Deadline.com . February 14, 2015 . February 14, 2015 .
23. Web site: 2016 Artios Awards . January 21, 2016 . www.castingsociety.com . en.
24. Web site: Olive Kitteridge DVD Release Date . DVDs Release Dates.