Them (TV series)
Them is an American horror anthology series, created by Little Marvin and executive produced by Lena Waithe. The series stars Deborah Ayorinde, Ashley Thomas, Alison Pill, and Ryan Kwanten and premiered on Amazon Prime Video on April 9, 2021, to mixed reviews. A second season, titled Them: The Scare, is in development, with Ayorinde returning from the first season.
| Them | |
|---|---|
Official poster | |
| Genre | |
| Created by | Little Marvin |
| Starring | |
| Composer | Mark Korven |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 10 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
|
| Producers |
|
| Cinematography |
|
| Editors |
|
| Camera setup | Single-camera |
| Running time | 33–55 minutes |
| Production companies |
|
| Distributor | Amazon Studios |
| Release | |
| Original network | Amazon Prime Video |
| Picture format | HDR (UHDTV) |
| Original release | April 9, 2021 |
Premise
Set in 1953, Them follows a black family who, during the Second Great Migration, moves from North Carolina to an all-white neighborhood in Los Angeles. The family's idyllic home slowly transforms into an epicenter of evil forces, next-door and otherworldly, that threaten to haunt, ravage and destroy them.[1]
Cast and characters
Main
- Deborah Ayorinde as Livia "Lucky" Emory
- Ashley Thomas as Henry Emory
- Alison Pill as Elizabeth "Betty" Wendell
- Shahadi Wright Joseph as Ruby Lee Emory
- Melody Hurd as Gracie Emory
- Ryan Kwanten as George Bell
Guest
- Dale Dickey as The Woman
- Liam McIntyre as Clarke Wendell
- Lindsey Kraft as Midge Pruitt
- Pat Healy as Marty Dixon
- Brooke Smith as Helen Koistra
- Malcolm Mays as Calvin
- John Patrick Jordan as Earl[a]
- Dirk Rogers as Miss Vera
- Abbie Cobb as Nat Dixon
- Max Barsness as Dale Pruitt
- Kim Shaw as Carol Lynn Denton
- Bailey Noble as Marlene
- Derek Phillips as Sergeant Bull Wheatley
- P.J. Byrne as Stuart Berks
- Sophie Guest as Doris
- Tim Russ as The Custodian
- Ryan Kennedy as Gary
- Christopher Heyerdahl as The Black Hat Man
- Jeremiah Birkett as Da Tap Dance Man
- Paula Jai Parker as Hazel Emory
- Sheria Irving as Cynthia
- J. Mallory McCree as Junius Emory
- Anika Noni Rose as Ella Mae
- Roland Johnson as Moe Irvin
- Lisa Banes as Esther Haber (Banes' final television role before her death on June 14, 2021)
- Michael Harney as Otto Haber
- Peter Mackenzie as Mr. Stoal
- Shaw Jones as City Planner
- Van Epperson as Banker
- Barry Livingston as Real Estate Commissioner
- David Bowe as Mitch
- Christopher Murray as Murray
- Daniel Robbins as Man In Car
- Scott Alan Smith as Fuller
- Latarsha Rose as Arnette Beaumont
- Samantha Sherman as Marjorie Wallinger
- Kate McNeil as Dr. Frances Moynihan
- Dominic Burgess as Roger
- Nona Parker Johnson
- Cranston Johnson
- Melinda Page Hamilton as Elder Sara
- Gene Silvers as Elder Luther
- J. Paul Boehmer as Elder James
- Summera Howell as Elder Cora
- Kai Richard as Miles
Episodes
Season 1: Covenant (2021)
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "DAY 1" | Nelson Cragg | Little Marvin | April 9, 2021 |
| 2 | "DAY 3" | Nelson Cragg | David Matthews & Little Marvin | April 9, 2021 |
| 3 | "DAY 4" | Daniel Stamm | Francine Volpe | April 9, 2021 |
| 4 | "DAY 6" | Nelson Cragg | Seth Zvi Rosenfeld | April 9, 2021 |
| 5 | "COVENANT I." | Janicza Bravo | Little Marvin & Dominic Orlando | April 9, 2021 |
| 6 | "DAY 7: MORNING" | Craig William Macneill | Christina Ham | April 9, 2021 |
| 7 | "DAY 7: NIGHT" | Ti West | David Matthews | April 9, 2021 |
| 8 | "DAY 9" | Nelson Cragg | Story by : Francine Volpe Teleplay by : Francine Volpe and Dominic Orlando | April 9, 2021 |
| 9 | "COVENANT II." | Craig William Macneill | Dominic Orlando | April 9, 2021 |
| 10 | "DAY 10" | Ti West | Little Marvin | April 9, 2021 |
Production
Development
On July 28, 2018, Amazon gave the project a two-season order.[2] The series was created by Little Marvin, who also wrote the script for the first season and was set to executive produce the show alongside Lena Waithe under their overall deals with Amazon Studios.[3][4] Roy Lee, Miri Yoon, and Michael Connolly of Vertigo Entertainment were also announced as executive producers, with Vertigo co-producing the series under the company's deal with Sony Pictures Television. The first season is subtitled Them: Covenant, and the series will follow a similar limited semi-anthological structure to American Horror Story, with each season following a different story with different characters. Alongside the series order announcement, Waithe said:
Little Marvin's script stayed with me for weeks after I read it. He's written something that's provocative and terrifying. The first season will speak to how frightening it was to be black in 1953. It will also remind us that being black in 2018 is just as horrifying. This anthology series will examine the cultural divides among all of us and explore us vs them in a way we've never seen before.
On April 1, 2019, David Matthews joined the series as showrunner under his newly announced overall deal at Sony Pictures Television.[5] On November 19, 2019, it was announced that Larysa Kondracki was attached to executive produce the series as well as direct multiple episodes including the pilot under her overall deal at Amazon Studios.[6]
Casting
On July 27, 2019, Deborah Ayorinde and Ashley Thomas were cast in the lead roles.[7] Shahadi Wright Joseph, Alison Pill, Ryan Kwanten, Melody Hurd, Javier Botet, and Percy Hynes White were added to the main cast on October 3, 2019, alongside Derek Phillips who was cast in a recurring capacity.[8] On December 2, 2019, Brooke Smith, Anika Noni Rose P.J. Byrne, Malcolm Mays, Jeremiah Birkett, and Sophie Guest joined the recurring cast.[9]
Filming
The series began production on July 8, 2019, with filming taking place between Atlanta and Los Angeles.[10]
The set for the neighborhood was built on a lot in Pomona, California.[11]
Release
The series had its world premiere on March 18, 2021, at the SXSW Film Festival as part of the Episodic Premieres section.[12] The series premiered on Amazon Prime Video on April 9, 2021.[1]
Reception
On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the series has a 59% fresh rating from 49 critic reviews with an average score of 6.5/10. The site's critical consensus reads "Deborah Ayorinde and Ashley Thomas' gripping performances help Them sustain a sufficient sense of terror, but its blunt and bloody approach undermines any social commentary in favor of more superficial horrors."[13] On Metacritic, the series received a mixed rating of 57/100 based on 20 critic reviews.[14]
The Guardian's Lucy Mangan gave the show 4/5 stars, writing that "What marks out this portrayal of 50s prejudice (not unworked ground) is that, thanks to magnificent performances from Thomas and Ayorinde, you get a great sense of the cost to victims: the sheer amount of mental energy it takes to navigate a relentlessly hostile world, the consequent exhaustion, the constant abrading of the soul."[15]
In a mostly negative review, Lovia Gyarkye of The Hollywood Reporter said that "Them suffers from an overcrowded narrative and too many themes, making for an uneven, dizzying, at times overly dense viewing experience. From the violent neighbors and the history of Black homeownership to the traumas that plague each member of the Emory family, the show takes on more than it can responsibly unpack."[16]
Variety's chief TV critic Daniel D'Addario wrote that "In visual style and in the performances of the actors playing the Emorys, it captures a recognizable 1950s of the mind. A striking early sequence sees the family in integrated settings, being assisted by white employees at an appliance store and a soda fountain. The point is made, elegantly, that the Emorys have left behind the explicit bigotry of the American South for a place where the horrors are more insidious", but described the series as "surprisingly unimaginative".[17]
Some critics took issue with scenes of graphic racial violence, particularly a scene in which a Black couple is blinded with hot pokers and burned alive, calling Them "black trauma porn".[18]
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | SXSW Film Festival Audience Awards | Episodic Premieres | Them | Won | [19] |
| The ReFrame Stamp Awards | Top 200 Most Popular TV Titles | Them | Won | ||
| Camerimage | Golden Frog - TV Series Competition | Them | Nominated | ||
| Satellite Awards | Best Genre Series | Them | Nominated | ||
| Independent Spirit Awards | Best Male Performance in a New Scripted Series | Ashley Thomas | Nominated | ||
| Best Female Performance in a New Scripted Series | Deborah Ayorinde | Nominated | |||
| Writers Guild of America Awards | Television: Long Form – Original | Them | Nominated |
Notes
- ^ Credited as Earl Denton in episode 8
See also
- Get Out - Oscar-winning Jordan Peele film similar in content
- Suburbicon - George Clooney film also similar in content
- United States in the 1950s
References
- ^ a b "Terror Anthology Series "Them" from Executive Producers Little Marvin and Lena Waithe to Premiere April 9 on Amazon Prime Video". Amazon Studios (Press release). March 9, 2021. from the original on March 9, 2021. Retrieved March 9, 2021 – via The Futon Critic.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie; Petski, Denise (July 28, 2018). "Amazon Gives 2-Season Order To Horror Event Series 'Them' From Lena Waithe, Little Marvin, Vertigo & Sony TV – TCA". Deadline Hollywood. from the original on July 28, 2018. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
- ^ Petski, Denise (October 8, 2019). "'Them: Covenant' Creator Little Marvin Inks Overall Deal With Amazon Studios". Deadline Hollywood. from the original on October 8, 2019. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (July 27, 2019). "Lena Waithe Inks Overall Deal With Amazon Studios – TCA". Deadline Hollywood. from the original on February 25, 2021. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (April 1, 2019). "David Matthews Inks Sony Pictures TV Overall Deal, Joins 'Them: Covenant' As Showrunner". Deadline Hollywood. from the original on January 17, 2021. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
- ^ Kanter, Jake (November 19, 2019). "'Picnic At Hanging Rock' Director Larysa Kondracki To Executive Produce Amazon's 'Them: Covenant'". Deadline Hollywood. from the original on December 23, 2019. Retrieved March 11, 2021.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (July 27, 2019). "'Them': Deborah Ayorinde & Ashley Thomas To Star In Amazon Anthology Series From Lena Waithe". Deadline Hollywood. from the original on February 25, 2021. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
- ^ Otterson, Joe (October 3, 2019). "Shahadi Wright Joseph, Ryan Kwanten, Alison Pill Among Seven Cast in 'Them: Covenant' at Amazon (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. from the original on May 26, 2020. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
- ^ Petski, Denise (December 2, 2019). "'Them': Brooke Smith, Anika Noni Rose, P.J. Byrne, Malcolm Mays, Jeremiah Birkett & Sophie Guest To Recur on Amazon Anthology Series". Deadline Hollywood. from the original on February 24, 2021. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
- ^ "Them: Covenant". Production List. June 16, 2019. from the original on March 9, 2021. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
- ^ Considine, Austin (April 9, 2021). "Get out again: a suburban Black family is haunted by monsters in 'Them'". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved June 2, 2022.
- ^ "Them". SXSW Online. from the original on March 11, 2021. Retrieved March 11, 2021.
- ^ "Them: Limited Series". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved June 15, 2021.
- ^ "Them (2021)". Metacritic. Retrieved April 10, 2021.
- ^ Mangan, Lucy (April 9, 2021). "Them review – racist horrors lurk behind white picket fences". The Guardian. from the original on April 9, 2021. Retrieved April 9, 2021.
- ^ Gyarkye, Lovia (April 8, 2021). "'Them': TV Review". The Hollywood Reporter. from the original on April 9, 2021. Retrieved April 9, 2021.
- ^ D'Addario, Daniel (April 8, 2021). "'Them' Is an Unconvincing Examination of American Horror: TV Review". Variety. from the original on April 8, 2021. Retrieved April 9, 2021.
- ^ Braxton, Greg (April 19, 2021). "Media images of Black death come at a cost, experts say. And many viewers are fed up". Los Angeles Times. from the original on April 19, 2021. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
- ^ Roberts, Jordan (March 23, 2021). "Audience Awards Winners for the 2021 SXSW Film Festival Announced". SXSW. from the original on April 15, 2021. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
External links
- Official website
- Them at IMDb