The Curious Creations of Christine McConnell | |
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Genre | Sitcom |
Created by | Christine McConnell |
Developed by | Netflix |
Written by | Kirk R. Thatcher |
Directed by | Kirk R. Thatcher |
Presented by | Christine McConnell |
Starring |
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Voices of |
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Narrated by | Michael Oosterom |
Composer | Mick Giacchino |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
No. of seasons | 1 |
No. of episodes | 6 |
Production | |
Executive producers |
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Producers |
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Cinematography | Dominique Martinez |
Running time | 24–28 minutes |
Production companies |
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Original release | |
Network | Netflix |
Release | October 12, 2018 |
The Curious Creations of Christine McConnell is an American television sitcom created by and starring Christine McConnell. It premiered on Netflix on October 12, 2018. The series consists of six episodes and was produced by Wilshire Studios and Henson Alternative, an arm of The Jim Henson Company. [1] In April 2019, the series was canceled after one season. [2]
The show centers around Christine McConnell, an artist and baker who lives in a mansion full of monsters and ghosts. Accompanied by Rose, Rankle, and Edgar, McConnell loves to create morbid-looking desserts like gingerbread haunted houses, caramel spiders and bones made of pretzel sticks, peanut butter and white chocolate.
A combination of a DIY show and scripted reality, the show deals with annoying neighbors, relatives, and what to wear on a first date with someone you just met at the cemetery.
Netflix had expressed interest in a goth-inspired series for a long time.[ citation needed ] McConnell, who already had a large following on Reddit and Instagram, pitched the show to Netflix and Brian Henson. [4] Following the success of Julie's Greenroom , which had been released in early 2017, Netflix expressly wanted the Jim Henson company to produce the show. The company claimed that it was coordinating many other projects, however, Henson Alternative picked up the show.
Filming began in early 2017, and the series was released on October 12, 2018. [5] McConnell was principally responsible for editing and post-production. She shot and edited many of the promotional posters herself, [6] and recorded her own voiceovers for the baking segments of each episode.
No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | Prod. code |
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1 | "Snacks for Strays" | Kirk R. Thatcher | Kirk R. Thatcher | October 12, 2018 | 101 |
Christine discovers Edgar the werewolf on her front doorstep, and makes peanut butter and chocolate bones, constructs a decorated cake mansion, and a creature out of cereal treats to welcome him into the household. | |||||
2 | "Gifts for Noisy Neighbors" | Kirk R. Thatcher | Kirk R. Thatcher | October 12, 2018 | 102 |
Next door neighbor Mr. Ketcham visits to complain about the noise, so Christine makes him some spooky cookies, peppermint bark horns and hand-carved candles as a good will gesture. While she is busy baking, the creatures band together to kidnap and torture him. He accepts the gifts, but refuses her apologies. | |||||
3 | "The Dinner Date" | Kirk R. Thatcher | Kirk R. Thatcher | October 12, 2018 | 103 |
Christine gets clothing advice from Vivienne, and makes wolf claw donuts for her dead grandmother, who she visits that afternoon. At the cemetery she meets Norman, and invites him to dinner. She sews a dress and makes a ‘classic’ chicken pot pie. Norman appears suspiciously familiar with knives, but they both find each other attractive. | |||||
4 | "A Spirited Tea Party" | Kirk R. Thatcher | Kirk R. Thatcher | October 12, 2018 | 104 |
When Christine’s cousin Evie comes to visit, Christine plans a tea party, making cups and plates out of chocolate. But after finding a will that leaves everything to Christine, her cousin decides to kill her. Two Mental Hospital Orderlies arrive and the axe wielding Evie is taken away. | |||||
5 | "A Cake for Rose" | Kirk R. Thatcher | Kirk R. Thatcher | October 12, 2018 | 105 |
It’s Rose’s birthday today. Christine and the creatures want to plan a surprise party for her. Christine makes a cake in the shape of Rose. But Rose is suspicious and thinks that Christine is making her ‘replacement’. In anger, she decides to set the house on fire. But after Christine stops Rose's plan, Christine and her creatures surprise Rose with some gifts and treats. | |||||
6 | "Halloween Tricks & Treats" | Kirk R. Thatcher | Kirk R. Thatcher | October 12, 2018 | 106 |
It’s Halloween, and Christine has made special cookies for the day. Norman comes over to help with the trick or treaters. Christine makes caramel treats that look like real spiders for the children. Evie returns, and kills Rose. Norman disposes of Christine’s cousin, and Christine brings Rose back to life. |
The show received critical praise for the mixture of retro styling and Gothic aesthetic, use of puppetry, and quirky charm of the series, [7] while pointing out that lack of directions, unfamiliarity with some of the specialist materials used, and the elaborate construction of the creations would mean making them was beyond most home cooks. [5] [7] [8]
The New Yorker commented that "As cooking lessons, McConnell's demos are almost entirely useless", but the show, "like her Instagram, is beautiful, morbid, bizarre, and raunchy [and] becomes a wonderfully fantastical take on the classic dump-and-stir cooking show". [5]
Emma Stefansky of Thrillist also posted a positive review, calling it "a perfectly creepy cooking show". [9] The Washington Post labelled her creations "elaborate dishes that are simultaneously delicious and disturbing". [8] The Daily Dot described the series as "silly, sly, and utterly charming". [7] USA Today listed it as one of their "top five best baking TV shows to binge-watch this weekend". [10]
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