Critters: A New Binge

Last updated
Critters: A New Binge
Genre Horror
Science Fiction
Comedy
Based on Critters
by Domonic Muir
Starring
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes8
Production
Executive producers
Running time9-11 minutes
Production companies New Line Cinema
Blue Ribbon Content
Triton Media
Original release
Network Shudder
ReleaseMarch 21, 2019 (2019-03-21)

Critters: A New Binge is an American horror-comedy web television series that premiered on Shudder on March 21, 2019. [1] A reboot of the original franchise, the series takes place in Livingston, Iowa and features all new characters.

Contents

Premise

The Krites arrive on Earth on a secret mission to rescue a missing comrade. Standing in the way of their plans are a group of high school students: Christopher (Joey Morgan), his crush Dana (Stephi Chin-Salvo), and his best friend, Charlie (Bzhaun Rhoden). The teens soon receive help in the form of three intergalactic bounty hunters.

Cast and characters

Episodes

No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date
1"No Eating"Jordan RubinAl & Jon KaplanMarch 21, 2019 (2019-03-21)
2"Beginnings"Jordan RubinAl & Jon KaplanMarch 21, 2019 (2019-03-21)
3"Party Time"Jordan RubinAl & Jon KaplanMarch 21, 2019 (2019-03-21)
4"Veronica"Jordan RubinAl & Jon KaplanMarch 21, 2019 (2019-03-21)
5"Detention"Jordan RubinAl & Jon KaplanMarch 21, 2019 (2019-03-21)
6"For Crites Sake"Jordan RubinAl & Jon KaplanMarch 21, 2019 (2019-03-21)
7"Split Decision"Jordan RubinAl & Jon KaplanMarch 21, 2019 (2019-03-21)
8"The Final Battle"Jordan RubinAl & Jon KaplanMarch 21, 2019 (2019-03-21)

Production

Development

In 2014, Warner Bros. announced plans to produce a web series based on the Critters films. [2] Producer Peter Girardi at Warner Bros. Digital reached out to writer-director Jordan Rubin to see if he was interested in the project. Rubin put together a pitch for the series with his writing partners, Jon and Al Kaplan, and the project was greenlit. [3]

Filming

Principal photography for the series reportedly began during the last week of May 2018 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. [4] Filming wrapped in July. [5]

Release

Shudder acquired the series from Warner Bros. Television in February 2019. [1] [6] All eight ten-minute episodes premiered on Shudder on March 21.

Reception

The series received mixed reviews. Bloody Disgusting gave the series one-and-a-half skulls, declaring the "CG effects are so Syfy-level bad that they wouldn’t have even passed muster back in the ’90s" and the episodes "absolutely loaded with that bargain basement effects work" and "lowbrow humor". [7] JoBlo gave the series a 6 out of 10, saying that "there's going to be a split reaction to A New Binge. I don't think the story crafted by Rubin and his co-writers Al Kaplan and Jon Kaplan is one that anybody was expecting to see told in this franchise". Ultimately, the review felt it was "a very innocuous piece of entertainment". [8]

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References

  1. 1 2 Foutch, Haleight (February 28, 2019). "The 'Critters' Are Back in the First Trailer for Shudder's New Series". collider.com. Archived from the original on April 26, 2019. Retrieved April 26, 2019.
  2. Gallagher, Brian (21 October 2014). "'Static Shock' and 'Critters' Digital Series in Development". MovieWeb. Archived from the original on 1 July 2015. Retrieved January 12, 2016.
  3. Radish, Christina (March 25, 2019). "'Critters: A New Binge' Co-Creator on Practical Effects, 'Matrix' Homages, & Letting Gilbert Gottfried Riff". collider.com. Archived from the original on March 28, 2019. Retrieved April 26, 2019.
  4. "Filming in Vancouver: Fresh off the Boat's Ali Wong and Russell Park, Loudermilk, Critters, and more". 28 May 2018. Archived from the original on 2 January 2022. Retrieved 26 April 2019.
  5. "18 TV Shows Filming in Vancouver This July". 29 June 2018. Archived from the original on 2 January 2022. Retrieved 26 April 2019.
  6. Shudder (February 28, 2019). "Critters: A New Binge - Official Trailer [HD]". YouTube . Archived from the original on July 13, 2023. Retrieved April 26, 2019.
  7. Squires, John (March 18, 2019). "[Review] Even the 'Critters' Franchise Deserves Better Than "Critters: A New Binge"". bloody-disgusting.com. Archived from the original on April 17, 2019. Retrieved April 26, 2019.
  8. Hamman, Cody (March 18, 2019). "Critters: A New Binge (Web Series Review)". bloody-disgusting.com. Archived from the original on March 22, 2019. Retrieved April 26, 2019.