Britten family

Last updated

The Brittens
Awake family
Awake S01E11.jpg
From left to right: Hannah, Rex, Michael
First appearance
  • "Pilot"
  • March 1, 2012 (2012-03-01)
Last appearance
Created by Kyle Killen
Information
Home Los Angeles, California, United States

The Brittens are a family of fictional characters featured in the American television police procedural fantasy drama Awake . The Brittens are a nuclear family consisting of the married couple Michael and Hannah and their child son Rex. The family was involved in a car crash, which caused Michael, to live in two separate realities, one in which his wife Hannah was killed in the crash, and in the other his son Rex was killed.

Contents

The main characters reside in Los Angeles, California, in the United States, and were created by series executive producer and writer Kyle Killen, who conceived the idea after creating and developing Lone Star for the Fox network. The portrayal of the Britten family was praised by television critics. Alongside the three main family members, several other characters were mentioned.

Main family

The Brittens are a family who live in Los Angeles, California, in the United States, at an unknown address. [1] Michael, the father, works at the Los Angeles Police Department as a police detective, alongside his partner Isaiah Freeman, who he calls Bird. [1] After a car crash, Michael, the father, has to live in two separate realities, one in which his wife Hannah was killed in the crash, and in the other his son Rex was the one killed. [1] Also, in one reality, his now works with a new rookie partner Efrem Vega, where Isaiah goes to work in the Western Division with Ed Hawkins. [2] In the other reality, he is still partnered with Bird. [1] He sees two separate therapists: Dr. John Lee in one reality, and Dr. Judith Evans in the other. [1] Michael is married to Hannah, an American housewife and mother. [1] They have one son child: Rex, a school teenager who is very emotional, rude, and gets low grades after Hannah's death in that reality. [3] His best friend is Cole, whom he works on a motorbike with. The family owns a Chevrolet as a vehicle.

Creation

Kyle Killen created the Brittens after developing Lone Star for the Fox network. Kyle Killen by Gage Skidmore1.jpg
Kyle Killen created the Brittens after developing Lone Star for the Fox network.

Killen conceived of the idea for the Brittens after creating and developing Lone Star for the Fox network. NBC had encouraged Killen to conceive a concept for a future television series after Lone Star's cancellation. Within a few weeks, Killen sent a rough draft of the script to his agent Marc Korman. "It was 1 or 2 o'clock in the morning, and I remember I was so freaked out by the script that I went upstairs to our guest bedroom where my wife was sick with the flu and I got into bed with her," recalled Korman. [4] "I called Jen and said: 'I'm telling you, this script is remarkable. I've never read a pilot like this, and for a guy who has never written a procedural show in his life, he's actually making two cases work". [4] Initially, Salke and Korman looked to sell acquisition rights to Fox.

The Britten family debuted on March 1, 2012, in "Pilot", on the American police procedural drama television series Awake , which is a one-hour series broadcast on NBC. They last appeared on television on the same network, on May 24, 2012, in "Turtles All the Way Down".

Casting

Isaacs was the first actor to be cast in the series. JasonIsaacsMarch09.jpg
Isaacs was the first actor to be cast in the series.

In February 2011, Jason Isaacs obtained the role of Michael Britten, the central character of the series. [5] Gordon summated the premise of the character: "He's a guy who goes to sleep, wakes up, he’s with his wife, goes to sleep, wakes up, and he's with his son. And so — and he's a cop who sees clues and details that crossover from one world to the next, and he uses that insight to solve crimes." [6] Killen thought that the premise behind the series would be relatable to audiences, making it easier to broader his fanbase. [6] "I think there were aspects of Lone Star that were more difficult to get a wider, broader audience interested in," he articulated. "[The main character] was somebody that you couldn’t decide if you liked or hated, and I think that Britten's dilemma is something that we’re not only sympathetic for, but somehow we want him to win." [6] The succeeding month, Laura Allen was approached by producers to play Hannah Britten. Michaela McManus initially received the role, but was later given the role of Tara, whom Allen originally auditioned to play. [7]

In March 2011, Dylan Minnette was cast as Rex Britten. Minnette commended the episode's script, and noted the auditioning sequence was fast. He stated, "The process of getting the job actually went by really fast because the first audition Kyle Killen [...] was in the room, Jason [Isaacs] was in the room, the cast director was in the room and the director was in the room. David Slade. And they were all there, for the first audition and I was like 'Wow! Okay.'" [8] Minnette received the role two weeks after his audition. [8]

Michael Britten

Michael Britten, portrayed by Jason Isaacs, is the father of the Britten family. [1] He is married to Hannah, and has to live in two separate realities, after a car crash, one in which his wife Hannah was killed in the crash, and in the other his son Rex was the one killed. [1] Also, in one reality, his now works with a new rookie partner Efrem Vega, where Isaiah goes to work in the Western Division with Ed Hawkins. [2] In the other reality, he is still partnered with Bird. [1] He sees two separate therapists: Dr. John Lee in one reality, and Dr. Judith Evans in the other. He wears a green wrist band in one reality, where Rex is alive, and a red wrist band in the other reality, where Hannah. [1] He is seen very emotional in "Say Hello to My Little Friend", because he doesn't see his son. Because of his two realities, Michael now has routine to help him maintain the illusions of control. [9]

Hannah Britten

Hannah Britten, portrayed by Laura Allen, is the well-meaning and emotional wife of Michael, and the mother of her son Rex. She is alive in Michael's "red reality". She began to renovate their home after the car crash. [1] Though she hardly showed it, she felt great pain and grievance over the death of Rex and was saddened by the thought of his empty room upstairs. [1]

Rex Britten

Rex Britten, portrayed by Dylan Minnette, is Michael's son who is featured in Michael's "green reality". Green is Rex's favorite color. He is a teenage school student. [1] Outside of school, Rex claims he is going to the beach, although he is really going to his best friend Cole's house to work on a motorbike with him. Like Hannah, Rex is also very emotional, and often gets angry, due to Hannah's death in the crash. He kept a tennis racket to remain, and make him deal with Hannah's death. [10] However, Cole accidentally broke it, Rex fights with him because of this. [10] He later apologizes to him. [10] He hates "cereal and soda night" because Michael doesn not cook "actual food" for dinner. [11] Rex has an aunt named Carol, who is mentioned in "Two Birds", in Michael's "green reality". [12] She wants to spend more time with Rex since the crash. [12]

Reception

The portrayal of the Britten family was praised by television critics. Ken Tucker of Entertainment Weekly was keen to Isaacs' acting in the series. "It helps enormously to have Isaacs playing the lead. This actor knows how to convey a gravity that contrasts well with the series' airy concept, but he avoids becoming heavy and morose." [13] West summated that the cast "really couldn't be better on this series"; "Isaacs [delivered] a stellar performance as the intelligent detective, and loving father and husband who’s just trying to make sense of what’s going on and probably not entirely regretful to be experiencing a split reality. Cinema Blend's Kelly West claimed that "Laura Allen and Dylan Minnette also deliver strong performances as Michael's wife and son respectively". [14] Critics IGN , TV Fanatic, and the Paste magazine all argued that Jason Isaacs performance deserves an Emmy. [15] [16] [17]

Related Research Articles

Jason Isaacs British actor

Jason Michael Isaacs is an English actor. He is known for his roles as Michael D. Steele in Black Hawk Down (2001), Lucius Malfoy in the Harry Potter film series (2002–2011), Col. Tavington in The Patriot (2000), Capt. Hook in Peter Pan (2003), Criminal Michael Caffee in the Showtime crime drama series Brotherhood (2006–2008), Capt. Gabriel Lorca in Star Trek: Discovery (2018-2019), Marshal Georgy Zhukov in The Death of Stalin (2017), and Vasili in Hotel Mumbai (2018). His other film roles include Divorcing Jack (1998), The End of the Affair (1999), Sweet November (2001), The Tuxedo (2002), Nine Lives (2005), Friends with Money (2006), Good (2008), Green Zone (2010), Abduction (2011), A Cure for Wellness (2016), and Mass (2021).

Dylan Minnette American actor, singer, and musician

Dylan Christopher Minnette is an American actor, singer, and musician. He is best known for his role as Clay Jensen in the Netflix drama series 13 Reasons Why. He has made guest appearances in several TV series, such as Lost, Awake, Scandal,Grey's Anatomy, Supernatural, Prison Break and Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.. He is also a vocalist and rhythm guitarist for the American alternative rock band Wallows.

<i>Awake</i> (TV series) American TV series

Awake is an American police procedural fantasy drama television series that originally aired on NBC for one season from March 1 to May 24, 2012. The pilot episode had an early release on Hulu on February 16, 2012, two weeks before the series' premiere on television. Kyle Killen, the series' creator, was primarily responsible for the program's concept. Killen and David Slade served as executive producers of the pilot episode, and Killen continued producing the series along with Jeffrey Reiner and Howard Gordon.

Kyle Killen American television writer and producer

Kyle Killen is an American television writer and producer. He is best known as the creator and showrunner of the critically acclaimed but short-lived television series Lone Star (2010), Awake (2012) and Mind Games (2014). He also wrote the screenplay of Jodie Foster's The Beaver (2011).

Pilot (<i>Awake</i>) 1st episode of the first season of Awake

"Pilot" is the pilot episode of the American television police procedural fantasy drama Awake, which originally aired on NBC on March 1, 2012. Written by series creator Kyle Killen, "Pilot" earned a Nielsen rating of 2.0, being watched by 6.247 million viewers upon its initial broadcast. Directed by David Slade, it became the highest-rated non-sports program in its respective time slot on NBC in over a year. The episode has generally received positive reviews, with many critics commenting on the episode's unique script, and the cast members, particularly Jason Isaacs' performance as Michael Britten, who they felt effectively embodied the characteristics of the lead role. It was one of eight honorees at the Critics' Choice Television Awards.

The Little Guy 2nd episode of the first season of Awake

"The Little Guy" is the second episode of the American television police procedural fantasy drama Awake, which originally aired on NBC on March 8, 2012. The episode was written by series creator Kyle Killen and directed by executive producer Jeffrey Reiner. "The Little Guy" earned a Nielsen rating of 1.6, and was watched by 4.33 million viewers in its initial broadcast. The episode has generally received positive reviews, although many commentators criticized its ending.

"Guilty" is the third episode of the American police procedural drama television series Awake. The episode first aired on March 15, 2012 in the United States on NBC, and was simultaneously broadcast on Global in Canada. It was written by series executive producer and showrunner Howard Gordon and consulting producer Evan Katz, and was directed by Jeffrey Reiner. "Guilty" was well received by television critics, who praised its storylines, noting the script to be interesting. The episode garnered 5.12 million viewers in the United States and a 1.6/4 rating in the 18–49 demographic, according to Nielsen ratings. It ranked second in its timeslot of the night, behind Private Practice on ABC.

"Oregon" is the fifth episode of the American police procedural drama television series Awake. The episode first premiered on March 29, 2012 in the United States on NBC, was simultaneously broadcast on Global in Canada, and was subsequently aired on Sky Atlantic in the United Kingdom on June 1, 2012. It was written by consulting producer Lisa Zwerling, and directed by Aaron Lipstadt. "Oregon" was well received by television critics, who praised its storylines. Commentators noted that the script was well written and that the episode was the "strongest outing" since "Pilot" broadcast on March 1, 2012. Upon airing, the episode garnered 3.18 million viewers in the United States and a 1.0/3 rating-share in the 18–49 demographic, according to Nielsen ratings. It ranked second in its timeslot, behind The Mentalist on CBS.

"Say Hello to My Little Friend" is the eleventh episode of the American television police procedural fantasy drama Awake, which originally aired on NBC on May 10, 2012. Written by Leonard Chang and series creator Kyle Killen, "Say Hello to My Little Friend" earned a Nielsen rating of 0.9, being watched by 2.51 million viewers upon its initial broadcast in the United States. Directed by recurring guest actress Laura Innes, the episode generally received positive reviews, with many critics claiming that it was the best episode of the series since "Pilot" and that Jason Isaacs' performance deserved an Emmy Award.

"Two Birds" is the twelfth episode of the American television police procedural fantasy drama Awake. The episode premiered on NBC on May 17, 2012. In the episode, Michael learns more about the truth of the accident. He tries to get evidence that Ed Hawkins tried to kill him, and finds out that Hawkins' commanding officer Carl Kessel was also in on this setup.

Rickys Tacos 7th episode of the first season of Awake

"Ricky's Tacos" is the seventh episode of the American television police procedural supernatural drama Awake. It originally aired on NBC on April 12, 2012. The teleplay of the episode was written by executive producer Howard Gordon and Evan Katz, from a story by series creator Kyle Killen; the episode was directed by Adam Davidson. "Ricky's Tacos" earned a Nielsen rating of 0.9, being watched by 2.68 million viewers in its initial broadcast. The episode has generally received positive reviews, with critics commenting on its storylines.

"Turtles All the Way Down" is the thirteenth and final episode of the American television police procedural fantasy drama Awake. It premiered on May 23, 2012 in Canada on Global, and on May 24, 2012 in the United States on NBC. "Turtles All the Way Down" was scheduled to air on May 17, 2012, as part two of a two-hour finale. NBC had changed the order, and moved it to the following week. The teleplay of the episode was written by series creator Kyle Killen, from a story by Killen, and staff writers Leonard Chang and Noelle Valdivia. It was directed by Miguel Sapochnik. "Turtles All the Way Down" was well received by television critics, who praised its storylines. Commentators noted that the script was well written. Upon airing, "Turtles All the Way Down" obtained 2.87 million viewers in the United States and 0.9 million in the 18–49 demographic, according to Nielsen ratings.

Michael Britten

Michael Britten is the fictional main character featured in the American police procedural drama television series Awake. He is portrayed by Jason Isaacs and first appeared, along with the rest of his family, in "Pilot", and last appeared in "Turtles All the Way Down". Michael was created and designed by series creator Kyle Killen after he created and developed the series Lone Star for the Fox network. Killen had been called in to pitch a new drama for NBC after the cancellation of Lone Star.

Rex Britten

Rex David Britten is a fictional main character in the American police procedural drama television series Awake. He is portrayed by Dylan Minnette. The character first appeared in "Pilot" and last appeared in "Turtles All the Way Down". He appears in Michael's green reality. This is because it is his favorite color. Rex was created and designed by series creator and executive producer Kyle Killen after he created and developed the series Lone Star for the Fox network; Killen had been called in to pitch a new drama for NBC after the cancellation of Lone Star.

Kate Is Enough 4th episode of the first season of Awake

"Kate Is Enough" is the fourth episode of the American police procedural drama television series Awake. The episode first premiered on March 22, 2012 in the United States on NBC, was simultaneously broadcast on Global in Canada, and was subsequently aired on Sky Atlantic in the United Kingdom on May 25, 2012. It was written and produced by series creator and executive producer Kyle Killen, and was directed by Sarah Pia Anderson. "Kate Is Enough" was well received by television critics, who praised its storylines. Commentators noted that the script was well written and that the episode was "enjoyable". Upon airing, the episode garnered 4.73 million viewers in the United States and a 1.2 rating in the 18–49 demographic, according to Nielsen ratings. It ranked second in its timeslot of the night, behind The Mentalist on CBS.

Thats Not My Penguin 6th episode of the first season of Awake

"That's Not My Penguin" is the sixth episode of the American television police procedural fantasy drama Awake. The episode premiered on April 5, 2012, on NBC, and was simultaneously broadcast on Global in Canada. It was written by series creator and executive producer Kyle Killen and staff writer Noelle Valdivia, and was directed by Scott Winant. "That's Not My Penguin" was well received by television critics, who praised its storylines. Commentators noted that the script was well written and that the episode worked "either way". Upon airing, the episode garnered 2.56 million viewers in the United States and a 0.9 rating in the 18–49 demographic, according to Nielsen ratings. It was the lowest-rated show of the timeslot.

"Nightswimming" is the eighth episode of the American television police procedural fantasy drama Awake, which originally aired on NBC on April 19, 2012. Written by Leonard Chang and co-executive producer Davey Holmes, "Nightswimming" was watched by 2.8 million viewers, including 0.9 percent of those aged between 18 and 49 in Nielsen ratings, upon its initial broadcast in the United States. Directed by executive producer Jeffrey Reiner, this episode received generally mixed reviews.

"Game Day" is the ninth episode of the American television police procedural fantasy drama Awake. The episode was scheduled to be the eighth broadcast episode but NBC changed the broadcasting order. It premiered on NBC on April 26, 2012. The episode was written by executive producer Howard Gordon and writer David Graziano. The episode was directed by Michael Waxman. "Game Day" earned a Nielsen rating of 0.8, being watched by 2.21 million viewers in its initial broadcast.

"Slack Water" is the tenth episode of the American television police procedural fantasy drama Awake, which originally aired on NBC on May 3, 2012. Written by Noelle Valdivia and directed by Nick Gomez, "Slack Water" was watched by 2.15 million viewers, including 0.7 percent of those aged between 18 and 49 in Nielsen ratings, upon its initial broadcast in the United States. Critics were largely positive in their reviews of the installment.

Hannah Britten

Hannah Britten is a fictional protagonist in the American police procedural drama television series Awake. She is portrayed by Laura Allen. The character first appeared in "Pilot" and last appeared in the series finale "Turtles All the Way Down". Hannah was created and designed by series creator and executive producer Kyle Killen after he created and developed the series Lone Star for the Fox network.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 "Pilot". Awake. Season 1. Episode 1. NBC.
  2. 1 2 "Say Hello to My Little Friend". Awake. Season 1. Episode 11. NBC.
  3. ↑ "Guilty". Awake. Season 1. Episode 3. NBC.
  4. 1 2 "Inside the Unlucky/Lucky Life of 'Awake' Creator Kyle Killen". The Hollywood Reporter . January 3, 2012. Retrieved June 19, 2012.
  5. ↑ Ng, Philiana (February 20, 2011). "Jason Isaacs Lands Lead Role in NBC's 'REM'". The Hollywood Reporter. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved June 19, 2012.
  6. 1 2 3 Hibberd, James (January 7, 2012). "Will viewers understand NBC's 'Awake'?". Entertainment Weekly . Time, Inc. Retrieved June 19, 2012.
  7. ↑ Ng, Philiana (February 20, 2011). "Laura Allen Cast and Recast in NBC's 'REM' Pilot". The Hollywood Reporter. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved June 19, 2012.
  8. 1 2 Naki, Jessica (February 17, 2012). "Interview With Dylan Minnette (Rex) Of The Upcoming NBC Series 'Awake'". Science Fiction. Retrieved June 19, 2012.
  9. ↑ "That's Not My Penguin". Awake. Season 1. Episode 6. NBC.
  10. 1 2 3 "Kate Is Enough". Awake. Season 1. Episode 4. NBC.
  11. ↑ "The Little Guy". Awake. Season 1. Episode 2. NBC.
  12. 1 2 "Two Birds (Awake)". Awake. Season 1. Episode 12. NBC.
  13. ↑ Tucker, Ken (March 1, 2012). "'Awake' premiere review: Did the show put you to sleep, or intrigue you?". Entertainment Weekly. Time, Inc. Retrieved June 19, 2012.
  14. ↑ West, Kelly (February 29, 2012). "Awake Review: NBC's Intriguing New Drama Premieres Thursday Night". Cinema Blend. Retrieved March 3, 2012.
  15. ↑ Bonaime, Ross (May 11, 2012). "Awake Review: "Say Hello to My Little Friend" (Episode 1.11)". The Paste Magazine. Retrieved May 23, 2012.
  16. ↑ McHatton, Nick (May 11, 2012). "Awake Review: We're Not In Green Anymore". TV Fanatic. Retrieved May 23, 2012.
  17. ↑ Fowler, Matt (May 10, 2012). "Awake: "Say Hello to My Little Friend" Review". IGN. Retrieved May 23, 2012.
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