Aquarius (U.S. TV series)

Last updated

Aquarius
Aquarius on NBC.jpg
Genre
Created by John McNamara
Starring
Composer(s) W. G. Snuffy Walden
Country of originUnited States
Original language(s)English
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes26 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)
Producer(s)
  • Desiree Cadena
  • Timothy A. Good
  • Nan Bernstein Freed
Production location(s) Los Angeles, California
Cinematography
  • Lukas Ettlin
  • Attila Szalay
  • Michael Stecher
  • David J. Frederick
Editor(s)
  • Timothy A. Good
  • Jennifer VanGoethem
  • Rich Fox
  • Brandon Lott
Running time42 minutes
Production company(s)
  • Tomorrow Studios
  • McNamara Moving Company
  • King Baby Productions
  • Fabrication (season 2)
Distributor ITV Studios Global Entertainment
Release
Original network NBC
Original releaseMay 28, 2015 (2015-05-28) –
September 10, 2016 (2016-09-10)
External links
Website

Aquarius is an American period crime drama television series created by John McNamara for NBC. The show aired from May 28, 2015 to September 10, 2016. [1] In 2015, the series was among seven others to receive the Critics' Choice Television Award for Most Exciting New Series. [2] On October 1, 2016, NBC cancelled the series after two seasons. [3] [4]

Historical period drama work set in a past time period

The term historical period drama refers to a work set in a past time period, usually used in the context of film and television. It is an informal crossover term that can apply to several genres and is often heard in the context of historical fiction and romances, adventure films, and swashbucklers. A period piece may be set in a vague or general era such as the Middle Ages or a specific period such as the Roaring Twenties. A religious work can qualify as period drama but not as historical drama.

John McNamara is an American writer, producer, showrunner and television creator. He attended East Grand Rapids High School located in Michigan and attended the University of Michigan and New York University. He is co-creator of a short-lived television series called Profit which ran on the Fox network in April 1996, as well as Vengeance Unlimited for ABC in 1998 and Fastlane for Fox in 2002.

NBC American television and radio network

The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial terrestrial television network that is a flagship property of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. The network is headquartered at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in New York City, with additional major offices near Los Angeles, Chicago and Philadelphia. The network is one of the Big Three television networks. NBC is sometimes referred to as the "Peacock Network", in reference to its stylized peacock logo, introduced in 1956 to promote the company's innovations in early color broadcasting. It became the network's official emblem in 1979.

Contents

Overview

SeasonEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
1 13May 28, 2015 (2015-05-28)August 22, 2015 (2015-08-22)
2 13June 16, 2016 (2016-06-16)September 10, 2016 (2016-09-10)

The series begins in 1967 Los Angeles. The story is inspired by actual people and events, but is also made up of fictional characters and stories. The show stars David Duchovny as Sam Hodiak, a fictional LAPD detective investigating the case of a missing teenage girl. Along with his younger colleague, undercover narcotics officer Brian Shafe (Grey Damon), Hodiak finds himself coming up against Charles Manson (portrayed by Gethin Anthony) and his infamous "Family", a mostly ragtag group of hippies who follow Manson into a life of sex, drugs, and rock-and-roll. Hodiak discovers that the missing girl, Emma Karn (Emma Dumont), is with Manson and the Family. The first season revolves around the rise of the Family, while the second season focuses on the Tate murders and Helter Skelter.

Los Angeles City in California

Los Angeles, officially the City of Los Angeles and often known by its initials L.A., is the most populous city in California, the second most populous city in the United States, after New York City, and the third most populous city in North America. With an estimated population of four million, Los Angeles is the cultural, financial, and commercial center of Southern California. The city is known for its Mediterranean climate, ethnic diversity, Hollywood and the entertainment industry, and its sprawling metropolis. Los Angeles is the largest city on the West Coast of North America.

David Duchovny American actor, writer, producer, director, novelist, and singer-songwriter

David William Duchovny is an American actor, writer, producer, director, novelist, and singer-songwriter. He is known for playing FBI agent Fox Mulder on the television series The X-Files and writer Hank Moody on the television series Californication, both of which have earned him Golden Globe awards.

Los Angeles Police Department municipal police department in California

The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), officially the City of Los Angeles Police Department, is the police department of Los Angeles, California. With 9,988 officers and 2,869 civilian staff, it is the third-largest municipal police department in the United States, after the Chicago Police Department and the New York City Police Department. The department operates in an area of 498 square miles (1,290 km2) and a population of 4,030,904 people.

Cast

Main cast

Grey Damon American actor

Grey Damon is an American actor, known for his roles in Friday Night Lights and The Nine Lives of Chloe King. He resides in Los Angeles. Beginning with its premiere on May 28, 2015, Damon co-starred with David Duchovny on the NBC series Aquarius.

Gethin Anthony English actor

Gethin David L. Anthony is an English television and film actor best known for his role as Renly Baratheon in Game of Thrones from 2011 to 2012.

Charles Manson American criminal, cult leader, musician

Charles Milles Manson was an American criminal and cult leader. In mid-1967, he formed what became known as the Manson Family, a quasi-commune based in California. Manson's followers committed a series of nine murders at four locations in July and August 1969. According to the Los Angeles County district attorney, Manson plotted to start a race war, though Manson and others involved long disputed this motive. In 1971, he was convicted of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder for the deaths of seven people. Although the prosecution conceded that Manson never literally ordered the murders, they contended that his ideology constituted an overt act of conspiracy. Manson was also convicted of first-degree murder for the deaths of Gary Hinman, and Donald Shae.

Recurring cast

Jason Ralph American film and stage actor

Jason Ralph is an American actor best known for his roles as Peter Pan in Peter and the Starcatcher on Broadway and the lead character Quentin Coldwater in the Syfy television series The Magicians. He was born in McKinney, Texas and studied acting at SUNY Purchase.

Beau Mirchoff Canadian–American actor

William Beau Mirchoff (;) is a Canadian-American actor best known for his role in the MTV series Awkward.

Tara Lynne Barr American actress

Tara Lynne Barr is an American actress. She is perhaps best known for her role in the 2011 film God Bless America, which earned her a Young Artist Award nomination as Best Leading Young Actress in a Feature Film, and for her work in the Hulu original series Casual.

Production

Series creator McNamara calls his show "historical fiction" [16] as it is inspired by Manson but not historically accurate. This is also expressed in the episodes' opening slate. It also contains completely fictional storylines in a period setting and involves historical events, politics, music, and social issues of the era. [16] [17] NBC has published a blog of events from 1967 to provide context. [18]

The soundtrack consists of songs from the 1960s. [19] The episode titles are names of famous songs, or Manson Family songs. These songs are included in the episode itself. [17] The title of the series is a song from 1967 (from the cult musical Hair ), which gave its name to the era in which the series is set. Season 2 episode titles are names of Beatles songs.

Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In single

"Medley: Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In " is a medley of two songs written for the 1967 musical Hair by James Rado and Gerome Ragni (lyrics), and Galt MacDermot (music), released as a single by American R&B group The 5th Dimension. The song peaked at number one for six weeks on the US Billboard Hot 100 pop singles chart in the spring of 1969. The single topped the American pop charts and was eventually certified platinum in the US by the RIAA. Instrumental backing was written by Bill Holman and provided by session musicians commonly known as the Wrecking Crew. The actual recording is something of a "rarity"; the song was recorded in two cities, Los Angeles and Las Vegas, then mixed together in the studio.

<i>Hair</i> (musical) Musical about the Vietnam war

Hair: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical is a rock musical with a book and lyrics by Gerome Ragni and James Rado and music by Galt MacDermot. A product of the hippie counterculture and sexual revolution of the late 1960s, several of its songs became anthems of the anti-Vietnam War peace movement. The musical's profanity, its depiction of the use of illegal drugs, its treatment of sexuality, its irreverence for the American flag, and its nude scene caused much comment and controversy. The musical broke new ground in musical theatre by defining the genre of "rock musical", using a racially integrated cast, and inviting the audience onstage for a "Be-In" finale.

The series broadcast by NBC is TV-14. [8] It was planned to release an unrated version through other markets. [16] The DVD released in September 2015 contains nudity and language that was left out of the broadcast version to maintain its TV-14 rating. [20]

The original vision was for the show to span six seasons. [16] NBC announced the renewal of Aquarius for a second season on June 25, 2015. [21] [22] [23]

Broadcast

Aquarius premiered on May 28, 2015. [24] [25] [26] Following the premiere's broadcast, NBC released all 13 episodes of the first season on its website, the NBC mobile app, and Hulu for a four-week period. The episodes are also televised in their normal weekly timeslot. [27]

In Australia, the series premiered on May 29, 2015 on streaming service Presto, with all 13 episodes being released for 28 days. [28] Its later television debut on the Seven Network (which co-owns Presto) aired on August 26, 2015. [29] Season 2 aired on the same day as the U.S., on Presto in Australia.

Reception

Metacritic gives season 1 of Aquarius a score of 58/100 based on reviews from 36 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". [30]

Glenn Garvin of Reason praised the series for being more than just another retelling of the Manson story, noting "The epic battles over race, gender, drugs, and the Vietnam war are all on display here." He also praises the "killer 1960s soundtrack". [31]

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References

  1. ↑ Pederson, Erik (April 19, 2016). "'Aquarius' Season 2 Gets Two-Hour Ad-Free Launch on NBC". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 19, 2016.
  2. ↑ Petski, Denise (May 26, 2015). "Critics' Choice TV Awards' Top New Series Revealed". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved February 11, 2017.
  3. ↑ Kelley, Seth (October 1, 2016). "NBC Cancels 'Aquarius' After Two Seasons". Variety . Retrieved October 1, 2016.
  4. ↑ Ausiello, Michael (October 1, 2016). "Aquarius Cancelled After Two Seasons". TVLine.com . Retrieved October 1, 2016.
  5. 1 2 3 Ausiello, Michael (June 20, 2014). "Game of Thrones Vet Cast as Charles Manson in NBC's Aquarius; FNL, Bunheads Alums Also Join Drama". TVLine . Retrieved July 7, 2014.
  6. ↑ Swift, Andy (July 29, 2014). "The Originals' Claire Holt Joins NBC Drama Aquarius as Series Regular". TVLine . Retrieved July 29, 2014.
  7. 1 2 3 Goldberg, Lesley (July 14, 2014). "NBC's Charles Manson Drama Adds Michaela McManus, Two More (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved August 10, 2014.
  8. 1 2 3 4 "Shows Episode Schedule Page". NBCUniversal Media Village. Retrieved June 14, 2015.
  9. ↑ The Deadline Team (July 28, 2014). "Tara Lynne Barr Joins NBC's 'Aquarius'; Kahyun Kim In 'Mysteries Of Laura'". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved August 3, 2014.
  10. ↑ Ausiello, Michael (July 14, 2014). "Grey's Anatomy's Gaius Charles Joins NBC's Charles Manson Drama Aquarius". TVLine . Retrieved August 10, 2014.
  11. ↑ Fowler, Matt (May 29, 2015). "Aquarius: "A Change is Gonna Come" Review". IGN . Retrieved June 14, 2015.
  12. ↑ "Brian Gattas Cast In 3 Projects; Brian Dare Joins 'Jane The Virgin'". Deadline Hollywood . September 5, 2014. Retrieved June 17, 2015.
  13. ↑ Fowler, Matt (May 29, 2015). "Aquarius: "Never Say Never to Always" Review". IGN . Retrieved June 14, 2015.
  14. ↑ Fowler, Matt (May 31, 2015). "Aquarius: "Cease to Resist" Review". IGN . Retrieved June 3, 2015.
  15. ↑ "James Martinez Joins 'Aquarius'; Melinda Page Hamilton In 'Dig'". Deadline Hollywood . November 12, 2014. Retrieved June 15, 2015.
  16. 1 2 3 4 McNamara, John (May 27, 2015). "Aquarius Boss Says NBC's Charles Manson Drama Is "Historical Fiction"". The Hollywood Reporter (Interview). Interviewed by Danielle Turchiano. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
  17. 1 2 Stanley, Alessandra (May 27, 2015). "Review: Mulder Meets Manson in NBC's Compelling Aquarius". NY Times . Retrieved June 18, 2015.
  18. ↑ "1967 Blog". NBC . Archived from the original on June 19, 2015. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
  19. ↑ "The Music of Aquarius". NBC . Retrieved June 18, 2015.
  20. ↑ "Aquarius Censorship". Movie Censorship. Retrieved April 26, 2018.
  21. ↑ Bibel, Sara (June 25, 2015). "Aquarius Renewed for Season 2 by NBC". TV by the Numbers . Retrieved June 25, 2015.
  22. ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (June 25, 2015). "David Duchovny Drama Aquarius Renewed For Second Season By NBC". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved June 29, 2015.
  23. ↑ Abrams, Natalie (June 25, 2015). "Aquarius lands second season at NBC". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved June 29, 2015.
  24. ↑ Bibel, Sara (March 6, 2015). "NBC Announces Summer Premiere Dates for 'Hannibal', 'Aquarius', 'America's Got Talent' & More". TV by the Numbers . Retrieved June 14, 2015.
  25. ↑ "Fresh Comedies, Captivating Dramas and Highly Popular Returning Series Highlight NBC's Well-Balanced and Dynamic 2014-15 Primetime Schedule". The Futon Critic. May 11, 2014. Retrieved July 7, 2014.
  26. ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (March 31, 2014). "NBC Orders Charles Manson Drama Series Starring David Duchovny From Marty Adelstein & ITV Studios Who Eye Alliance". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved July 7, 2014.
  27. ↑ Bibel, Sara (April 29, 2015). "NBC Will Release All 13 Episodes of 'Aquarius' Online The Day of the Show's TV Premiere". TV by the Numbers . Retrieved June 14, 2015.
  28. ↑ Knox, David (May 10, 2015). "Airdate: Aquarius". TV Tonight . Retrieved August 19, 2015.
  29. ↑ "Airdate: Aquarius". August 18, 2015. Retrieved August 19, 2015.
  30. ↑ Aquarius at Metacritic
  31. ↑ Garvin, Glenn (May 28, 2015). "NBC's Aquarius Has David Duchovny As a Sixties Cop Tracking Down Charles Manson". Reason . Retrieved November 17, 2016.
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