Betty (TV series)

Last updated

Betty
Betty logo.jpeg
Genre Teen comedy [1]
Created by Crystal Moselle
Based on
Skate Kitchen
by
  • Crystal Moselle
  • That One Day
  • by Crystal Moselle
Directed byCrystal Moselle
Starring
Music byAska Matsumiya
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes12
Production
Executive producers
  • Crystal Moselle
  • Lesley Arfin (season 1)
  • Igor Srubshchik
  • Jason Weinberg
  • Alliah Mourad
  • Annie Schmidt
Producers
  • Britta Lundin (season 1)
  • Lizzie Nastro (season 1)
  • Izabella Tzenkova (season 1)
  • Naima Ramos-Chapman
  • Ben Snyder
CinematographyJackson Hunt
Editors
  • Nico Leunen
  • Thomas Pooters
Camera setup Single-camera
Running time29–31 minutes
Production companies
  • A Dreamy Crystal Moselle Sequence...
  • Arfin Material (season 1)
  • Untitled Entertainment
Original release
Network HBO
ReleaseMay 1, 2020 (2020-05-01) 
July 16, 2021 (2021-07-16)

Betty is an American teen comedy television series created by Crystal Moselle. The series is based on Moselle's 2018 feature film Skate Kitchen , which was in turn based on her 2016 short film That One Day. It includes most of the cast of the original feature film, and focuses on the Gen Z all-girl group's efforts to stand out in New York's predominantly male world of skateboarding. The series premiered on HBO on May 1, 2020. [2] In June 2020, the series was renewed for a second season which premiered on June 11, 2021. [3] [4] In August 2021, the series was canceled after two seasons. [5]

Contents

Betty received positive critical reception, and was nominated for a Gotham Award for Shortform Breakthrough Series. [6] [2] [7]

Plot

Betty follows "a tight-knit group of girl skaters and follows their everyday lives as they navigate the male-dominated world of skateboarding. The title comes from the derogatory nickname sometimes thrown at them by men." [8]

Cast

Main

Recurring

Guest

Episodes

Series overview

SeasonEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
1 6May 1, 2020 (2020-05-01)June 5, 2020 (2020-06-05)
2 6June 11, 2021 (2021-06-11)July 16, 2021 (2021-07-16)

Season 1 (2020)

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateU.S. viewers
(millions)
11"Key Party" Crystal Moselle Crystal Moselle & Lesley ArfinMay 1, 2020 (2020-05-01)0.158 [11]
22"Zen and the Art of Skateboarding"Crystal Moselle Patricia Breen May 8, 2020 (2020-05-08)0.172 [12]
33"Happy Birthday, Tyler"Crystal Moselle Moshe Kasher May 15, 2020 (2020-05-15)0.048 [13]
44"The Tombs"Crystal MoselleBritta LundinMay 22, 2020 (2020-05-22)0.192 [14]
55"Perstephanie"Crystal Moselle Naima Ramos-Chapman & Veronica RodriguezMay 29, 2020 (2020-05-29)0.148 [15]
66"Ladies on Fire"Crystal Moselle Lesley Arfin June 5, 2020 (2020-06-05)0.172 [16]

Season 2 (2021)

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateU.S. viewers
(millions)
71"Octopussy" Crystal Moselle Moshe Kasher June 11, 2021 (2021-06-11) [lower-alpha 1] N/A
82"Blue Is the Warmest Threesome"Crystal MoselleBen SnyderJune 18, 2021 (2021-06-18)N/A
93"Sugar We're Going Down, Swinging"Crystal MoselleWally Baram & Aida Osman June 25, 2021 (2021-06-25)N/A
104"Sweet Tooth"Crystal MoselleCrystal Moselle & Rachelle Vinberg July 2, 2021 (2021-07-02)N/A
115"Good Luck with That"Crystal Moselle Naima Ramos-Chapman July 9, 2021 (2021-07-09)N/A
126"The Let Down"Crystal Moselle Sabaah Folayan July 16, 2021 (2021-07-16)N/A

Production

Development

On August 14, 2019, it was reported that HBO had given Betty a series order consisting of six episodes.The series is created, directed, executive produced by Crystal Moselle who also co-wrote and directed Skate Kitchen . The series is a spinoff of the film and features many of the same actors, with some tweaks to various storylines. [8] Lesley Arfin, Igor Srubshchik Jason Weinberg were executive producers alongside Moselle. Production companies involved with the series are Untitled Entertainment, A Dreamy Crystal Moselle Sequence, and Arfin Material. [18]

The series premiered on May 1, 2020. [2] On June 18, 2020, HBO renewed the series for a second season which premiered on June 11, 2021. [3] [4] On August 24, 2021, HBO canceled the series after two seasons. [5]

Casting

Alongside the initial series announcement, it was reported that Rachelle Vinberg, Nina Moran, Moonbear, Dede Lovelace, and Ajani Russell would reprise their roles from Skate Kitchen as series regulars. [18] As with the film, the actors play fictionalized versions of themselves. [8]

Filming

The series was filmed on-location in New York City. [2] The show has no sets. [19]

Reception

Critical reception

On Rotten Tomatoes, the first season holds an approval rating of 97% based on 30 reviews, with an average rating of 7.15/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Earnest, audacious, and effortlessly cool, Betty captures the spirit of skating and friendship with style." [20] On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 77 out of 100 based on 14 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews". [21] Betty was noted by Vogue for depicting the friendships of women, several of them queer or of color, "in a naturalistic way." [22] Ashlie D. Stevens wrote of the series in Salon , ""Betty" isn't fast-paced or bursting with dramatic turns, but therein lies its appeal. This is a show that is about watching a new generation of women empower themselves and the women around them, seemingly in real time." [10] Robert Lloyd of the Los Angeles Times noted while "there is no nudity, that old HBO staple", that a strength of the show is "its main themes are friendship, self-knowledge, identity, equality and freedom...It feels innocent, which is not to say naive. And it is appropriately, almost casually exhilarating." [19]

The New York Times and Time named the first season to end-of-year "best new series" lists. [23] [24]

The second season has a 100% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 5 reviews, with an average rating of 8/10. [25] On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 74 out of 100 based on 7 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews". [26]

Ratings

Season 1

Viewership and ratings per episode of Betty
No.TitleAir date Rating
(18–49)
Viewers
(millions)
1"Key Party"May 1, 20200.030.158 [11]
2"Zen and the Art of Skateboarding"May 8, 20200.030.172 [12]
3"Happy Birthday, Tyler"May 15, 20200.010.048 [13]
4"The Tombs"May 22, 20200.030.192 [14]
5"Perstephanie"May 28, 20200.020.148 [15]
6"Ladies on Fire"June 5, 20200.040.172 [16]


Awards and nominations

AwardYearCategoryNominee(s)ResultRef.
Gotham Independent Film Awards 2020 Breakthrough Series – Short Form Crystal Moselle, Lesley Arfin, Igor Srubshchik and Jason WeinbergNominated [27]

Notes

  1. This episode was released early on YouTube on June 4, 2021 for free to watch, prior to its premiere on June 11, 2021, on HBO. [17]

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