State of the Union (British TV series) explained

Genre:Comedy
Director:Stephen Frears
Composer:Roger Eno
Country:United Kingdom
Language:English
Num Seasons:2
Num Episodes:20
Producer:Amy Jackson
Runtime:10 minutes
Company:See-Saw Films
Network:Sundance TV

State of the Union is a British comedy television series that aired on BBC and Sundance TV. It is written by Nick Hornby and directed by Stephen Frears.[1] [2]

The second season premiered in February 2022.

Premise

Season 1 of State of the Union follows "Louise and Tom, played by Pike and O’Dowd, who meet in a pub immediately before their weekly marital therapy session. Each episode pieces together how their lives were, what drew them together, and what has started to pull them apart."[3]

Cast and characters

Season 1

Season 2

Episodes

Season 2 (2022)

Production

Development

On 13 July 2018, it was announced that Sundance TV had given the production a series order consisting of ten episodes running around ten minutes each. The series was expected to be written by Nick Hornby and directed by Stephen Frears, both of whom were set to be executive producers. Production companies involved with the series included See-Saw Films.[3] [4] [5]

Series 1

Casting

Alongside the series order announcement, it was confirmed that Rosamund Pike and Chris O'Dowd had been cast in the series' lead roles for season 1.[3] [4] [5]

Filming

Principal photography for the series was scheduled to begin in the summer of 2018 in London, England.[3] [4] [5] The pub used for the series was the Thatched House in Hammersmith, London W6.

Soundtrack

Roger Eno scored the soundtrack,[6] which was performed by jazz musicians Jack Pinter, Sebastian Rochford (drums) and Steve Watts on saxophone and recorded at AIR Studios in London, according to the trailer.

Series 2

On 25 January 2021 the series was renewed for a second season,[7] starring Brendan Gleeson, Patricia Clarkson and Esco Jouléy.[8]

Release

On 10 October 2018, a "first-look" image from the series was released.[9] On 28 January 2019, the series received its world premiere during the 2019 Sundance Film Festival.[10]

In the UK, the first series aired on BBC Two in September 2019,[11] and the second series followed in May 2022.[12]

Reception

In a positive review, Varietys Daniel D'Addario praised the series saying, "State of the Union pulls off a neat trick; given both its short running time and its fleetness of dialogue, we never get tired of hearing this couple's arguments, which could in other contexts be tiresome and circular."[13] In another encouraging criticism, The Hollywood Reporters Daniel Fienberg described the series as a "clever and beautifully acted piece" and declared that "Stephen Frears and Nick Hornby's perceptive two-hander is still well worth seeing."[10]

Awards and nominations

YearAwardCategoryNominee(s)ResultRef.
2019Primetime Emmy AwardsOutstanding Short Form Comedy or Drama SeriesNick Hornby, Stephen Frears, Jamie Laurenson,
Hakan Kousetta, Iain Canning, and Emile Sherman
[14]
Outstanding Actor in a Short Form Comedy or Drama SeriesChris O'Dowd
Outstanding Actress in a Short Form Comedy or Drama SeriesRosamund Pike
2022Hollywood Critics Association TV AwardsBest Short Form Live-Action SeriesState of the Union[15]
Primetime Emmy AwardsOutstanding Actor in a Short Form Comedy or Drama SeriesBrendan Gleeson[16]
Outstanding Actress in a Short Form Comedy or Drama SeriesPatricia Clarkson
Artios AwardsOutstanding Achievement in Casting – Short Form SeriesKathleen Chopin, John Ort[17]

Notes and References

  1. SundanceTV Marries Short Form Innovation with Premium Scripted Drama in "State of the Union," Starring Award-Winners Rosamund Pike and Chris O'Dowd. The Futon Critic. 27 March 2019.
  2. Web site: Clooney's Catch-22, Fleabag Returns, Five-0 Finale and More. TVLine. 17 May 2019.
  3. Web site: White. Peter. Rosamund Pike & Chris O'Dowd To Star In Stephen Frears-Directed, Nick Hornby-Penned Comedy Series For SundanceTV. Deadline Hollywood. 13 July 2018. 17 July 2018.
  4. Web site: Clarke. Stewart. Rosamund Pike, Chris O'Dowd Have a Marital Crisis in Nick Hornby's SundanceTV Comedy. Variety. 13 July 2018. 17 July 2018.
  5. Web site: O'Connell. Michael. Rosamund Pike, Chris O'Dowd to Star in 10-Minute Sitcom From Nick Hornby. The Hollywood Reporter. 13 July 2018. 17 July 2018. en.
  6. Web site: 2019-01-03 . Roger Eno Scoring SundanceTV's 'State of the Union' . 2021-02-09 . Film Music Reporter . en-US.
  7. Back for a Little More, The Emmy Award-Winning Short Form Series "State of the Union" Renewed for a Second Season on SundanceTV. Sundance TV. The Futon Critic. 25 January 2021.
  8. Web site: White. Peter. 2021-01-27. 'State Of The Union': Short-Form Series Renewed At SundanceTV For Season 2 Starring Brendan Gleeson, Patricia Clarkson & Esco Jouléy. 2021-09-06. Deadline. en-US.
  9. Web site: Petski. Denise. 'State Of The Union': First-Look Photo Of Rosamund Pike & Chris O'Dowd In SundanceTV Comedy Series. Deadline Hollywood. 10 October 2018. 10 October 2018.
  10. Web site: Fienberg. Daniel. 'State of the Union': TV Review Sundance 2019. The Hollywood Reporter. 28 January 2019. 11 February 2019.
  11. Web site: Mangan . Lucy . State of the Union review: a brutal, tender and perfectly curated portrayal of marriage . The Guardian . 11 June 2023 . 8 September 2019.
  12. Web site: Nicholson . Rebecca . State of the Union review – Brendan Gleeson and Patricia Clarkson lift a sticky, slovenly script . The Guardian . 11 June 2023 . 24 May 2022.
  13. Web site: D'Addario. Daniel. Sundance TV Review: 'State of the Union'. Variety. 29 January 2019. 10 February 2019.
  14. Web site: State of the Union . emmys.com . July 8, 2022.
  15. Web site: Verhoeven . Beatrice . 2022-07-07 . 'This Is Us,' 'Succession,' 'Severance' Lead 2022 HCA TV Nominations . 2022-07-08 . The Hollywood Reporter.
  16. Web site: State of the Union . emmys.com . July 12, 2022.
  17. Web site: Netflix and HBO/HBO Max Lead TV Nominations for Casting Society's 2023 Artios Awards. IndieWire. Marcus. Jones. October 17, 2022. November 1, 2022.