Dracula | |
---|---|
Genre | |
Created by | Cole Haddon Daniel Knauff [1] |
Based on | Dracula by Bram Stoker |
Starring | |
Composer(s) | Trevor Morris |
Country of origin |
|
Original language(s) | English |
No. of seasons | 1 |
No. of episodes | 10 (list of episodes) |
Production | |
Executive producer(s) |
|
Production location(s) | Hungary |
Cinematography | Ousama Rawi |
Editor(s) | Paul Knight |
Running time | 43 minutes |
Production company(s) | |
Release | |
Original network | NBC (US) Sky Living (UK) |
Picture format | 1080i (16:9 HDTV) |
Original release | October 25, 2013 – January 24, 2014 |
External links | |
Official website |
Dracula is a British-American horror drama television series. [2] The series, a reimagining of Bram Stoker's novel Dracula , was produced by London-based Carnival Films; it aired in the United States on NBC and in the United Kingdom on Sky Living. It was created by Cole Haddon and Daniel Knauff, [1] [3] while Daniel Knauf served as showrunner and head writer. [4]
The United Kingdom, officially the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland but more commonly known as the UK or Britain, is a sovereign country lying off the north-western coast of the European mainland. The United Kingdom includes the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands. Northern Ireland is the only part of the United Kingdom that shares a land border with another sovereign state—the Republic of Ireland. Apart from this land border, the United Kingdom is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, with the North Sea to the east, the English Channel to the south and the Celtic Sea to the south-west, giving it the 12th-longest coastline in the world. The Irish Sea lies between Great Britain and Ireland. With an area of 242,500 square kilometres (93,600 sq mi), the United Kingdom is the 78th-largest sovereign state in the world. It is also the 22nd-most populous country, with an estimated 66.0 million inhabitants in 2017.
The United States of America (USA), commonly known as the United States or America, is a country composed of 50 states, a federal district, five major self-governing territories, and various possessions. At 3.8 million square miles, the United States is the world's third or fourth largest country by total area and is slightly smaller than the entire continent of Europe's 3.9 million square miles. With a population of over 327 million people, the U.S. is the third most populous country. The capital is Washington, D.C., and the largest city by population is New York City. Forty-eight states and the capital's federal district are contiguous in North America between Canada and Mexico. The State of Alaska is in the northwest corner of North America, bordered by Canada to the east and across the Bering Strait from Russia to the west. The State of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific Ocean. The U.S. territories are scattered about the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, stretching across nine official time zones. The extremely diverse geography, climate, and wildlife of the United States make it one of the world's 17 megadiverse countries.
Horror is a genre of speculative fiction which is intended to frighten, scare, disgust, or startle its readers by inducing feelings of horror and terror. Literary historian J. A. Cuddon defined the horror story as "a piece of fiction in prose of variable length... which shocks, or even frightens the reader, or perhaps induces a feeling of repulsion or loathing". It creates an eerie and frightening atmosphere. Horror is frequently supernatural, though it can be non-supernatural. Often the central menace of a work of horror fiction can be interpreted as a metaphor for the larger fears of a society.
The series was given a straight-to-series commitment of ten episodes. [3] [5] It was canceled after one season. [6]
The series introduces Dracula as he arrives in London posing as Alexander Grayson, an American entrepreneur who maintains that he wants to bring modern science to Victorian society. In reality, he hopes to wreak revenge on the Order of the Dragon, a power-hungry organisation who ruined his life centuries earlier. Abraham Van Helsing, who has freed Dracula from the prison the Order placed him in, is also out for revenge on the Order and the two have formed an uneasy alliance. However, their plans are complicated when Dracula falls in love with Mina Murray, a woman who seems to be a reincarnation of his dead wife. [7]
Count Dracula is the title character of Bram Stoker's 1897 gothic horror novel Dracula. He is considered to be both the prototypical and the archetypal vampire in subsequent works of fiction. He is also depicted in the novel to be the origin of werewolf legends. Some aspects of the character are believed to have been inspired by the 15th-century Wallachian Prince Vlad the Impaler, who was also known as Dracula, and Sir Henry Irving, an actor for whom Stoker was a personal assistant.
The Order of the Dragon was a monarchical chivalric order for selected nobility, founded in 1408 by Sigismund von Luxembourg who was King of Hungary at the time and later became Holy Roman Emperor. It was fashioned after the military orders of the Crusades, requiring its initiates to defend the cross and fight the enemies of Christianity, in particular the Ottoman Empire.
Professor Abraham Van Helsing is a fictional character from the 1897 gothic horror novel Dracula. Van Helsing is an aged polymath Dutch doctor with a wide range of interests and accomplishments, partly attested by the string of letters that follows his name: "MD, D.Ph., D.Litt., etc.", indicating a wealth of experience, education and expertise. The character is best known throughout many adaptations of the story as a vampire hunter and the archenemy of Count Dracula.
Jonathan Rhys Meyers is an Irish actor. He is known for his roles in the films Velvet Goldmine (1998), Bend It Like Beckham (2002), Match Point (2005), Mission: Impossible III (2006) and his television roles as Elvis Presley in the biographical miniseries Elvis (2005), which earned him a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film, and as King Henry VIII in the historical drama The Tudors (2007–10). He has been the face model for several Hugo Boss fragrances advertising campaigns.
Vlad III, known as Vlad the Impaler or Vlad Dracula, was voivode of Wallachia three times between 1448 and his death.
Jessica Elise De Gouw, sometimes credited as Jess De Gouw, is an Australian actress. She is known for her role as Helena Bertinelli/The Huntress in the television series Arrow, as Mina Murray in the NBC TV series Dracula, and as Elizabeth Hawkes in the WGN series Underground.
Benjamin Charles Miles is an English actor, best known for his starring role as Patrick Maitland in the British television comedy Coupling, from 2000 to 2004 and as Peter Townsend in the Netflix drama The Crown (2016–17).
Robert Guy Bathurst is an English actor. Bathurst was born in the Gold Coast in 1957, where his father was working as a management consultant. In 1959 his family moved to Ballybrack, Dublin, Ireland and Bathurst attended school in Killiney and later was enrolled at an Anglican boarding school. In 1966, the family moved to England and Bathurst transferred to Worth School in Sussex, where he took up amateur dramatics. At the age of 18, he read law at Pembroke College, Cambridge and joined the Cambridge Footlights group. After graduating, he took up acting full-time.
Anthony Calf is an English actor. He studied acting at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA). He has recurring roles in the television medical drama Holby City, as Michael Beauchamp, and New Tricks as Strickland. He has also worked in theatre, where his credits include productions of The Madness of George III with the National Theatre and A Midsummer Night's Dream, The false servant at the National Theatre and Rock'n Roll at the Duke of York's Theatre. He has been nominated as best actor in the Irish Times Theatre Awards 2008 for his work in Uncle Vanya at the Gate Theatre. He was featured in King Charles III on Broadway in 2015.
The series was shot in Budapest. [10] [16] Prior to the series premiere, NBC released an animated web companion entitled Dracula Rising, which serves as a prequel that depicts the origin story of the titular character. [17]
Budapest is the capital and the most populous city of Hungary, and the tenth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits. The city had an estimated population of 1,752,704 in 2016 distributed over a land area of about 525 square kilometres. Budapest is both a city and county, and forms the centre of the Budapest metropolitan area, which has an area of 7,626 square kilometres and a population of 3,303,786, comprising 33 percent of the population of Hungary.
This section's plot summaries may be too long or excessively detailed. (May 2016) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) |
No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | US viewers (millions) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | "The Blood Is the Life" | Steve Shill | Cole Haddon | October 25, 2013 | 5.26 [18] |
Enter the arrival of Dracula, who is posing as Alexander Grayson, a rich American entrepreneur. He throws a lavish ball and invites the elite locals, including Lucy Westenra, who is accompanied by her best friend, biology student Mina Murray, and Mina's partner, Jonathan Harker, a striving journalist. Grayson's party is scrutinised by its attendant, and while Grayson makes his rounds of greetings, he spots Mina, whom, we learn from flashbacks, strongly resembles his dead wife Ilona, from across the room. He also meets a group he labels the Order of the Dragon, including Lord Davenport and Lord Browning, who ridicule him and develop an instant dislike of him due to his magnetic demonstration, which would put their business down if successful. However, the other member, Lady Jayne Wetherby, takes a liking to him. | |||||
2 | "A Whiff of Sulfur" | Steve Shill | Daniel Knauf | November 1, 2013 | 3.39 [19] |
Grayson and Lady Jayne become lovers, despite his suspicions about her being involved with the Order of the Dragon. Mina asks for Grayson's help with a challenge at medical school which leads to a much desired success; Van Helsing continues his work on a solar vaccine for Dracula as Harker enters a bargain with the devil. | |||||
3 | "Goblin Merchant Men" | Andy Goddard | Harley Peyton | November 8, 2013 | 2.96 [20] |
With Harker's help, Grayson begins to dismantle the Order of the Dragon from within by attacking its members one by one. He unmasks and threatens to exploit Lord Laurent's secret to his own advantage. This ultimately leads the Order to take drastic measures to reprimand members who break their rules. As a result of a chain of events resulting from Grayson's blackmail of Lord Laurent, he, in turn, earns a powerful enemy within the Order of the Dragon — Lord Davenport. Renfield proves to be a sophisticated and skillful tactician in business matters on behalf of his employer. Grayson investigates Lady Jayne and finds brutal proof regarding her secret life within the Order — now he realizes he must change his tactics with her. Lucy tries to help Mina who is depressed over the current sad state of her relationship with Jonathan. Mina confides in Grayson about her troubles and Grayson offers Jonathan advice to help fix the situation. Jonathan and Mina reconcile and become engaged to be married — all according to Grayson's plan to continue to keep Mina close, but not too close. | |||||
4 | "From Darkness to Light" | Andy Goddard | Tom Grieves | November 15, 2013 | 2.99 [21] |
Grayson sets out to win Lady Jayne's heart and utmost trust in order to keep her and the Order of the Dragon from suspecting him to be the ancient vampire they're looking for. To this end, he sacrifices an old but loyal acquaintance who, according to the sage advice of Renfield, demonstrates too much brutish, uncontrolled behavior — thus, proving himself to be too much of a "wild card" to include in Grayson's strategically subtle plans for the Order (and possibly himself, with Mina). Harker looks into General Shaw, at Grayson's request, while Lord Davenport seeks out the help of an "expert" to destroy Grayson for indirectly causing the death of his son. Lord Davenport, without the sanction of the Order, aids in the kidnapping (and soon-to-be torture) of Renfield, Grayson's close associate, confidant & up-and-coming right hand man. Meanwhile, Lucy hides her broken heart over Mina by throwing herself into the planning for Mina and Harker's lavish engagement party — hosted entirely by Grayson. | |||||
5 | "The Devil's Waltz" | Nick Murphy | Nicole Taylor | November 29, 2013 | 2.84 [22] |
Mina dreams of Grayson in her bedroom telling her that Harker was not the right man for her. As they start to get intimate, Lucy walks into her room and Mina awakens abruptly from her dream. Van Helsing was able to make an initially successful attempt of the solar serum which was tried on a woman vampire after he and Grayson shocked her heart back to beating again — although she burst into flames after a few minutes' exposure to sunlight. Grayson reminisces about first meeting Renfield in America, while worriedly awaiting word from Harker who makes inquiry about Renfield's disappearance. Using the 'scent' of Renfield's pocket book which Harker found outside the building where Renfield was seen beaten and abducted into a carriage, Grayson was able to find and rescue him once night falls. Renfield admirably withstands grotesque torture techniques without uttering a single word of betrayal and then suddenly Grayson arrives to quickly and mercilessly exact bloody revenge against Renfield's torturers. During Mina and Harker's engagement party, Grayson was introduced to some of the elite gents of the Order of the Dragon and after shaking hands with them, he sniffs his hand in order to discover the man responsible for Renfield's kidnapping. Mina introduces Grayson to her mentor, Dr. Van Helsing, and the two men act as though they never met. Lucy observes Lady Jayne searching for someone and correctly concludes she's looking for Grayson and that they are lovers. Later on, Lady Jayne catches Lucy looking at Mina lovingly and deduces she is in love with her. As a thank you to Grayson for the engagement party, Harker gifts him the first dance with Mina. Both Grayson and Mina are visibly shaken by this. While dancing, Mina and Grayson inadvertently have a long 'moment' as they seem to only have eyes for each other -- Lady Jayne, Harker and Lucy each then become aware that there is an intense attraction between them and Harker promptly interrupts their dance. Browning discusses with Lady Jayne the possibility of Grayson being the old one they are seeking as his entrance into London society coincides with Dracula's appearance. Lady Jayne dismisses this and Browning informs her that she is not the first woman to be blinded by lust but she will be the first vampire hunter to do so. Grayson gently tends to Renfield's head wounds and we continue to learn how the two became fiercely loyal to one another. | |||||
6 | "Of Monsters and Men" | Nick Murphy | Katie Lovejoy | December 6, 2013 | 3.83 [23] |
Browning decides to host a board meeting in the sunlight in an effort to expose Grayson, putting Van Helsing under even more pressure, albeit he finds a method via reanimating Grayson's heart. Grayson attends the meeting whilst exposed to direct sunlight and manages to pull through, until Lord Davenport stops him, causing his cheek to burn. Lucy comes over for a sleepover with Mina in which she professes her true feelings and attempts to seduce Mina, but this upsets her, leading her to ask Lucy to leave. Finally, Mina and Harker reconcile and have sex. | |||||
7 | "Servant to Two Masters" | Brian Kelly | Rebecca Kirsch | January 3, 2014 | 2.90 [24] |
Grayson is so intoxicated by his invulnerability to sunlight that he doesn't indulge in blood. He foolishly deludes himself into thinking that avoiding his cravings for blood plus the serum is beginning to make him human again. He slowly grows sick which others notice. Renfield is sent to Budapest for a painting of Ilona which is stolen by the Order of the Dragon. Lord Davenport, having stolen and viewed the painting, learns that Mina Murray is the object of Grayson's desire. Lady Jayne continues her manipulation of Lucy and thereby the indirect assault on Mina, Grayson's weakness. She teaches Lucy the art of seduction and suggests she try to entice Harker so as to set Mina free for a relationship with Lucy. Harker realizes he was manipulated by Grayson and is introduced to the Order of the Dragon. The Order employs a policeman to poison the milk offered by Grayson Energies as Grayson is ready to present his technology to the public. This causes the people who drink it to become very ill. The same policeman then proceeds to force Grayson's business to be shut down by associating the "mysterious" illness with the demonstration's machinery. In retaliation, Grayson then proceeds to drain the policeman when everyone is gone. Meanwhile, Mina throws a dance at the hospital that Harker missed but she danced with Grayson which is noticed by her father. Angered that Van Helsing's serum has not "cured" him of the Order's curse upon him (something Van Helsing never promised), Grayson threatens to kill him. | |||||
8 | "Come to Die" | Brian Kelly | Harley Peyton | January 10, 2014 | 2.47 [25] |
Van Helsing has a falling out with Grayson, after Grayson learned he would still crave blood despite taking the serum, and seeks payback against Mr. Browning and his family. Mina tries to avoid Grayson and focus on her schooling, but ends up being attacked by Lord Davenport's men, an act Harker vows to avenge. After the attack, Mina ends up in a hospital. Harker confronts Mina about her feelings towards Grayson. After seeing Mina's portrait that Grayson wanted to attain, Harker becomes mad with jealousy and sleeps with Lucy. Lady Jayne learns that Dracula has returned to London after seeing the three men who attacked Mina impaled on public gates. | |||||
9 | "Four Roses" | Tim Fywell | Story by : Jesse Peyronel Teleplay by : Daniel Knauf | January 17, 2014 | 2.78 [26] |
Grayson goes to war with the Order of the Dragon just as Harker becomes a member of the group. Lucy reveals a secret that damages her friendship with Mina, as she recovers from her attack. Mr. Browning desperately searches for his children. Lady Jayne prepares to hunt the ultimate vampire, Dracula. Grayson turns Lucy into the monster he believes she is. | |||||
10 | "Let There Be Light" | Tim Fywell | Cole Haddon | January 24, 2014 | 3.04 [27] |
A public demonstration of Grayson's technology is sabotaged with it exploding and killing most if not all of the people there. It was sabotaged by Harker and now Grayson knows that he is the enemy and part of the Order of the Dragon. Mina is afraid of new Harker so she runs away from him. Van Helsing destroys the process that enables Grayson to walk in the light and escapes, stabbing Renfield and sends a ransom note for £50000 together with a child's finger to Browning's distraught wife luring Browning with the ransom to his children. There, Browning is shot before Van Helsing shows him that his children have become vampires through Dracula's blood. He then allows the children to eat Browning and before setting the place on fire. Lady Jayne employs a seer with a relic containing the blood of Christ to locate vampires that leads her, armed with a holy papal dagger, to a final confrontation with Grayson. She stabs Grayson and tells him that she never loved him before he throws her on the ground, impaling her. She begs him not to transform her in her dying moments, and Grayson complies. Meanwhile, Lucy fully changes into a vampire and bites her mother. Mina discovers the secret of Grayson's love before making love to him. Van Helsing decides to hunt down Dracula now that he had his revenge and tells Harker that Grayson is Dracula. Van Helsing employs Harker to fight and destroy Dracula. |
Year | Group | Award | Result | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
2014 | American Society of Cinematographers | Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in One-Hour Episodic Television Series | Nominated | Dracula |
2014 | People's Choice Awards | Favorite New TV Drama | Nominated | Dracula |
2014 | People's Choice Awards | Favorite Actor in a New TV Series - Jonathan Rhys Meyers | Nominated | Dracula |
The ninth season of the American television series Bones premiered on September 16, 2013, and concluded on May 19, 2014, on Fox. The show maintained its previous time slot, airing on Mondays at 8:00 pm ET, then moved to Fridays at 8:00 pm starting November 15, 2013, and returned to Mondays at 8:00 pm beginning March 10, 2014. The season consists of 24 episodes.
The third season of the NBC American supernatural drama series Grimm was announced on April 26, 2013. It consisted of 22 episodes. The series, created by David Greenwalt, Jim Kouf and Stephen Carpenter, follows a descendant of the Grimm line, Nick Burkhardt, as he deals with being a cop, and trying not to expose his secret as a Grimm.
The fourth and final season of Nikita premiered on November 22 and ended on December 27, 2013, containing six episodes. It is based on the French film Nikita (1990), the remake Point of No Return (1993), and a previous series La Femme Nikita (1997).
Enlisted is an American comedy television series that premiered January 10, 2014, on Fox. Fox placed a 13-episode order for the single-camera comedy in May 2013. Despite low ratings, the show received critical acclaim.
The second and final season of The Carrie Diaries aired from October 25, 2013, through January 31, 2014, on The CW. The series serves as a prequel to the HBO series Sex and the City.
The fourth season of the CBS crime drama series Hawaii Five-0 premiered on Friday, September 27, 2013 and concluded on May 9, 2014. The season consisted of 22 episodes.
The fourth season of Blue Bloods, a police procedural drama series created by Robin Green and Mitchell Burgess, premiered on CBS on September 27, 2013. Leonard Goldberg serves as executive producer.
The second season of the American television science fiction comedy series The Neighbors premiered on September 20, 2013, on ABC, after being renewed for a second season on May 11, 2013. The series was created by Dan Fogelman and produced by Fogelman, Chris Koch, Aaron Kaplan, John Hoberg, Kat Likkel, Kristin Newman, Kirker Butler, and Jeffrey Morton. The series follows the Weavers, a family of humans who relocate to a gated community, which happens to be inhabited by aliens, such as the Bird-Kersees.
The fourth and final season of the American television series Raising Hope premiered on November 15, 2013, on Fox. The program moved to a new time slot this season, airing on Friday at 9:00 pm ET followed by the comedy series Enlisted. It later moved to 9:30 pm, swapping time slots with Enlisted. The season consisted of 22 episodes.
The fourth season of the NBC American supernatural drama series Grimm was announced on March 19, 2014. It consisted of 22 episodes. The series, created by David Greenwalt, Jim Kouf and Stephen Carpenter, follows a descendant of the Grimm line, Nick Burkhardt, as he deals with being a cop, and trying not to expose his secret as a Grimm.