The Undoing Explained
The Undoing is an American mystery psychological thriller television miniseries based on the 2014 novel You Should Have Known by Jean Hanff Korelitz. It was written and produced by David E. Kelley and directed by Susanne Bier. The miniseries stars Nicole Kidman and Hugh Grant and premiered on HBO on October 25, 2020.
The Undoing was the first HBO show to gain viewership every week over the course of the season, and was the biggest American series to launch on Sky in the United Kingdom, beating the record previously held by Game of Thrones. It was the most-watched show on HBO in 2020. The series received generally positive reviews, with critics praising the performances (particularly Kidman and Grant), cinematography and production design, but some criticizing the writing, pace and characterization.
Cast and characters
Production
Development
On March 12, 2018, it was announced that HBO had given the production a series order. The miniseries was written by David E. Kelley who also serves as executive producer alongside Nicole Kidman, Per Saari, and Bruna Papandrea. Production companies involved in the series include Blossom Films, Made Up Stories, and David E. Kelley Productions.[3] [4] [5] On November 7, 2018, it was reported that Susanne Bier would direct every episode of the series and serve as an executive producer.[6] On March 8, 2020, it was announced that the series was set to premiere on May 10, 2020.[7] However, it was later delayed to October 25, 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[8] [9]
Casting
Alongside the initial series announcement, it was confirmed that, in addition to executive producing the series, Nicole Kidman had been cast in the series' lead female role.[3] [4] [5] In November 2018, it was announced that Hugh Grant and Donald Sutherland had been cast in starring roles.[10] [11] On January 28, 2019, it was reported that Noah Jupe had joined the main cast.[12] In March, Fala Chen, Édgar Ramírez, Lily Rabe, Ismael Cruz Córdova and Matilda De Angelis were added to the cast.[13] [14] [15] In April 2019, it was announced that Noma Dumezweni had joined the cast.[16] Also in April 2019, it was announced that Michael Devine had joined the cast.[17]
Filming
The show filmed in New York City and Kingston, New York.[18] [19] Planned filming on Shelter Island, New York, was canceled due to objections from residents, and therefore the beach and beach house scenes were instead filmed on the North Fork of Long Island.[20]
Reception
Critical response
On Rotten Tomatoes, the miniseries holds an approval rating of 75% based on 90 reviews, with an average rating of 7.20/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "The Undoing is a beautifully shot mystery that benefits greatly from Nicole Kidman and Hugh Grant's performances—if only its story was as strong as its star power."[21] On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 64 out of 100 based on 32 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[22]
Kristen Baldwin of Entertainment Weekly gave the series a 'B' grade and wrote, "Through all of the misdirects, the characters' dumb decisions, the dreamy detours, The Undoing kept me guessing—and, of course, gloating over everyone's misfortune."[23] Reviewing the miniseries for Rolling Stone, Alan Sepinwall gave it 2 out of 5 stars and said, "It's all extremely rote, like an expanded version of the mid-budget Nineties movie that would have starred Kidman and Grant at their respective heights of celebrity."[24]
Assessing the series as a whole following the finale, Roxana Hadadi of Vulture unfavorably compared The Undoing to David E. Kelley's previous series, Big Little Lies (also starring Kidman), stating, "Kelley re-created the elitism of Big Little Lies when adapting You Should Have Known into The Undoing, but neither its introspective spirit nor its curiosity about the inner lives of women." Hadadi particularly criticized the series for its inconsistent and shallow characterization of its protagonist, Grace Fraser, compared to Kidman's Big Little Lies character, Celeste Wright: "In prioritizing unbelievable twists rather than steady character development, Kelley re-creates Grace as a shell of Celeste, making her the hollow center of The Undoing. Grace wears the same kind of clothes as Celeste, and has access to the same powerful allies as Celeste, and lives in the same sort of mansions as Celeste. But Kidman’s performance here is mostly one of wide, shocked eyes and blank, inexpressive despair; her Grace rarely, if ever, talks about herself, her emotions, or her decisions."[25] Eve Gerber of The Atlantic criticized the series for glamorizing domestic violence, noting that critical discussion about the series largely avoided the subject and instead focused more on the series' production values, makeup and costuming.[26]
Audience viewership
The series gained traction as the season continued and broke records. For HBO, the show made history as the network's first original series to gain viewership every week over the course of the season and the finale was the most-watched night on the network since the Season 2 finale of Big Little Lies.[27] It became HBO's most-watched show of 2020, surpassing the audience of Big Little Lies.[28] It also became the biggest U.S. show to launch on Sky in the U.K, beating the record previously held by Game of Thrones.[29]
Awards and nominations
Year | Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | |
---|
2020 | Critics' Choice Television Awards | Best Limited Series | The Undoing | | [30] |
Best Actor in a Limited Series or TV Movie | Hugh Grant | |
Best Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or TV Movie | Donald Sutherland | |
Directors Guild of America Awards | Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Movies for Television and Limited Series | Susanne Bier | | [31] |
Golden Globe Awards | Best Limited Series or Television Film | The Undoing | | [32] |
Best Actor – Limited Series or Television Film | Hugh Grant | |
Best Actress – Limited Series or Television Film | Nicole Kidman | |
Best Supporting Actor – Television | Donald Sutherland | |
Hollywood Critics Association TV Awards | Best Broadcast Network or Cable Limited Series, Anthology Series or Live-Action Television Movie | The Undoing | | [33] |
Best Actor in a Limited Series, Anthology Series or Television Movie | Hugh Grant | |
Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie | | [34] |
Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards | Outstanding Production Design for a Narrative Contemporary Program (One Hour or More) | Lester Cohen, Doug Huszti and Keri Lederman | |
Producers Guild of America Awards | David L. Wolper Award for Outstanding Producer of Limited Series Television | Susanne Bier, David E. Kelley, Per Saari, Nicole Kidman, Bruna Papandrea, Stephen Garrett, Celia D. Costas and Deb Dyer | | [35] |
Satellite Awards | Best Miniseries & Limited Series | The Undoing | | [36] |
Best Actor in a Miniseries or TV Film | Hugh Grant | |
Best Actress in a Miniseries or TV Film | Nicole Kidman | |
Best Supporting Actor in a Series, Miniseries or Television Film | Donald Sutherland | |
Best Supporting Actress in a Series, Miniseries or Television Film | Noma Dumezweni | |
Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Limited Series | Hugh Grant | | [37] |
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Limited Series | Nicole Kidman | | |
Notes and References
- Web site: How a Sherman Oaks teen debated her way into 'What the Constitution Means to Me' cast. The Los Angeles Times. Ashley. Lee. January 16, 2020. August 6, 2020. November 15, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201115011957/https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2020-01-16/what-constitution-means-to-me-los-angeles-cast-maria-dizzia. live.
- Web site: Sofie Gråbøl Unravels HBO Mystery Of The Undoing. NordicDrama.com. January 25, 2020. March 8, 2020. February 28, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200228044331/http://nordicdrama.com/sofie-grabol-unravels-mystery-of-the-undoing/. live.
- Web site: Andreeva. Nellie. HBO Orders 'The Undoing' Limited Series With 'BLL's Nicole Kidman Starring & David E. Kelley Writing. Deadline Hollywood. March 12, 2018. March 12, 2018. July 14, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180714105207/https://deadline.com/2018/03/hbo-the-undoing-nicole-kidman-david-e-kelley-1202336501/. live.
- Web site: Goldberg. Lesley. Nicole Kidman to Star in HBO Limited Series 'The Undoing' From David E. Kelley. The Hollywood Reporter. March 12, 2018. March 12, 2018. en. March 13, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180313051911/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/nicole-kidman-star-hbo-limited-series-undoing-david-e-kelley-1094070. live.
- Web site: Holloway. Daniel. Nicole Kidman, David E. Kelley Reunite for 'The Undoing' at HBO. Variety. March 12, 2018. March 12, 2018. March 13, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180313034813/http://variety.com/2018/tv/news/nicole-kidman-david-e-kelley-the-undoing-1202724871/. live.
- Web site: Porter. Rick. Nicole Kidman HBO Limited Series Names 'Night Manager' Emmy Winner as Director. The Hollywood Reporter. November 7, 2018. November 7, 2018. November 8, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20181108023258/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/nicole-kidmans-hbo-series-taps-night-manager-director-1159232. live.
- Web site: Ramos. Dino-Ray. 'The Undoing' Trailer: HBO Sets Premiere Date For Nicole Kidman And Hugh Grant's Chilling Limited Series. Deadline Hollywood. March 8, 2020. March 8, 2020. March 9, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200309010147/https://deadline.com/video/the-undoing-trailer-nicole-kidman-hugh-grant-david-e-kelley-susanne-bier-donald-sutherland-edgar-ramirez-hbo-limited-series-premiere-date/. live.
- Web site: The Undoing Delayed: HBO Pushes Nicole Kidman Limited Series to Fall Due to Coronavirus Pandemic. TVLine. Michael. Auisello. March 26, 2020. March 27, 2020. April 2, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200402071453/https://tvline.com/2020/03/26/the-undoing-delayed-premiere-date-nicole-kidman-hbo/. live.
- Nicole Kidman, Hugh Grant face 'ugly truths' in exclusive The Undoing trailer. Entertainment Weekly. Samantha. Highfill. August 6, 2020. August 6, 2020. August 6, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200806164239/https://ew.com/tv/the-undoing-trailer-nicole-kidman-hugh-grant-hbo/. live.
- Web site: O'Connell . Michael . Hugh Grant Joins Nicole Kidman in HBO's 'The Undoing' . The Hollywood Reporter . November 15, 2018 . en . November 15, 2018 . November 16, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20181116012441/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/hugh-grant-star-hbo-s-undoing-nicole-kidman-1161699 . live .
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- Web site: Andreeva . Nellie . 'The Undoing': Noah Jupe To Star In HBO Limited Series With Nicole Kidman . Deadline Hollywood . January 28, 2019 . January 28, 2019 . January 29, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190129041521/https://deadline.com/2019/01/the-undoing-noah-jupe-cast-hbo-limited-series-nicole-kidman-hugh-grant-1202544187/ . live .
- Web site: Fala Chen makes drama comeback with HBO miniseries. Mediacorp. March 15, 2019. August 6, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20190327091917/https://entertainment.toggle.sg/en/entertainment/asianbuzz/article/fala-chen-makes-drama-comeback-with-hbo-miniseries-11348644. March 27, 2019. dead.
- Web site: 'The Undoing': Edgar Ramirez & Lily Rabe Cast In HBO Limited Series. Deadline Hollywood. Denise. Petski. March 27, 2019. August 6, 2020. March 28, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190328200037/https://deadline.com/2019/03/the-undoing-edgar-ramirez-lily-rabe-cast-hbo-limited-series-1202583759/. live.
- Web site: 'The Undoing': Ismael Cruz Cordova & Matilda De Angelis Join HBO Limited Series. Deadline Hollywood. Denise. Petski. March 28, 2019. March 28, 2019. March 29, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190329141345/https://deadline.com/2019/03/the-undoing-ismael-cruz-cordova-matilda-de-angelis-cast-hbo-limited-series-1202584507/. live.
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- Rich people suffer beautifully in The Undoing, HBO's latest thriller: Review. Entertainment Weekly. Kristen. Baldwin. October 12, 2020. November 1, 2020. October 25, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201025063630/https://ew.com/tv/tv-reviews/the-undoing-hbo-review/. live.
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