Flowers (TV series)

Last updated

Flowers
Flowers (TV series).png
Genre
Created by Will Sharpe
Directed byWill Sharpe
Starring
Country of originUnited Kingdom
No. of series2
No. of episodes12
Production
Executive producer Diederick Santer
ProducerNaomi De Pear
Production companies
Original release
Network
Release25 April 2016 (2016-04-25) 
15 June 2018 (2018-06-15)

Flowers is a British black comedy-drama sitcom written by Will Sharpe and starring Olivia Colman and Julian Barratt. It was commissioned by the British broadcaster Channel 4, in association with the American TV streaming service Seeso. [4] The first series premiered in the U.K. with two episodes on 25 April 2016 and was broadcast daily during the week, ending on 29 April. [5] [1] In the United States, all 6 episodes were released online on 5 May 2016. [6] The series concluded with a second series following the same pattern, premiering with two episodes on 11 June 2018, in the UK, followed by an episode daily during that week.

Contents

Synopsis

The series follows the Flowers family, consisting of depressed father and children's author Maurice (Barratt); music teacher wife Deborah (Colman), their 25-year-old twin children: inventor son Donald (Daniel Rigby) and musician daughter Amy (Sophia Di Martino); Maurice's senile mother Hattie (Leila Hoffman); and Maurice's Japanese illustrator Shun (Sharpe).

Cast

Episodes

Series overview

SeasonEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
1 6April 25, 2016 (2016-04-25)April 29, 2016 (2016-04-29)
2 6June 11, 2018 (2018-06-11)June 15, 2018 (2018-06-15)

Series 1 (2016)

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateUS air dateU.K. viewers
(millions)
11"Episode 1" Will Sharpe Will Sharpe25 April 2016 (2016-04-25)5 May 20161.26 [7]
22"Episode 2"Will SharpeWill Sharpe25 April 2016 (2016-04-25)5 May 20161.26 [7]
33"Episode 3"Will SharpeWill Sharpe26 April 2016 (2016-04-26)5 May 20160.94 [7]
44"Episode 4"Will SharpeWill Sharpe27 April 2016 (2016-04-27)5 May 2016N/A
55"Episode 5"Will SharpeWill Sharpe28 April 2016 (2016-04-28)5 May 2016N/A
66"Episode 6"Will SharpeWill Sharpe29 April 2016 (2016-04-29)5 May 20160.86 [7]

Series 2 (2018)

In May 2018, Channel 4 released a trailer for the second series of the show. [8] It began broadcasting with two episodes on 11 June 2018.

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date [9] U.K. viewers
(millions)
71"Episode 1" Will Sharpe Will SharpeJune 11, 2018 (2018-06-11)N/A
82"Episode 2"Will SharpeWill SharpeJune 11, 2018 (2018-06-11)N/A
93"Episode 3"Will SharpeWill SharpeJune 12, 2018 (2018-06-12)N/A
104"Episode 4"Will SharpeWill SharpeJune 13, 2018 (2018-06-13)N/A
115"Episode 5"Will SharpeWill SharpeJune 14, 2018 (2018-06-14)N/A
126"Episode 6"Will SharpeWill SharpeJune 15, 2018 (2018-06-15)N/A

DVD

The complete series 1 was released on DVD in June 2016 by Dazzler Media, while the complete second series was released on DVD in September 2018.

Reception

Reviews for the series were positive. Review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes rated it 100% "fresh" based on 10 reviews. [10] The Guardian praised the series and called it "a gloriously dark sitcom about depression and rage". [3] The New York Times also reviewed it positively saying, "Flowers isn't really about any particular story. It's a portrait – a weird, Edward Gorey-like portrait of a family with loves, suspicions and insecurities, perhaps not all that different from yours, after all." [11]

Reception of the second series was similarly positive, once again garnering a 100% "fresh" score on Rotten Tomatoes based on 9 reviews. [12] Writing for The Guardian , Sam Wollaston awarded four stars out of five, stating: "The second series of Will Sharpe’s deeply imaginative comedy drama has been serious and sensitive in its handling of difficult issues, and hilarious to boot." [13]

Accolades

YearAwardCategoryNomineeResultRef.
2016
Royal Television Society Craft & Design Awards Editing - Entertainment and ComedySelina MacArthurWon [14]
Music - Original ScoreArthur SharpeWon
Production Design - DramaLuana HansonNominated
2017
British Academy Television Awards Best Scripted Comedy Will Sharpe, Naomi de Pear, Diederick Santer, Jane Featherstone Nominated [15]
Diversity in Media AwardsProgramme of the YearFlowersNominated
2018
Royal Television Society Craft & Design Awards Picture EnhancementDan ColesNominated [16]
Make Up Design - DramaSjaan GillingsNominated
2019
Ivor Novello Awards Best Television SoundtrackArthur SharpeNominated [17]

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References

  1. 1 2 Wallis, Sara (23 April 2016). "Star-Studded Black Comedy The Flowers Takes a Sideways Look at Mental Health and Suicide – Mirror". Mirror . Retrieved 6 May 2016.
  2. Caird, Jo (24 April 2018). "Flowers writer Will Sharpe on bringing Japanese comedy to the British stage and screen". The Independent . London. Retrieved 12 July 2019.
  3. 1 2 Wollaston, Sam (26 April 2016). "Flowers review – a gloriously dark sitcom about depression and rage". The Guardian . United Kingdom. Retrieved 12 July 2019.
  4. Prudom, Laura (6 April 2016). "First Look: Olivia Colman and Julian Barratt Star in Seeso Dark Comedy 'Flowers'". Variety. Retrieved 25 April 2016.
  5. Waring, Olivia (24 April 2016). "13 things to expect from new week-long, Wes Anderson-style drama Flowers". Metro. Retrieved 24 April 2016.
  6. "First Look: Olivia Colman and Julian Barratt Star in Seeso Dark Comedy 'Flowers'". 6 April 2016.
  7. 1 2 3 4 "Weekly top 30 programmes" . Retrieved 9 May 2016.
  8. Dowell, Ben (30 May 2018). "First look: Olivia Colman is frocked-up in Flowers series 2". Radio Times . Retrieved 1 June 2018.
  9. "Flowers Listings". TV Maze. Retrieved 13 June 2018.
  10. "Flowers: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved 28 October 2018.
  11. Genzlinger, Neil (4 May 2016). "Review: 'Flowers' Features a Household in the Twilight Zone". The New York Times.
  12. "Flowers". Rotten Tomatoes .
  13. "Flowers review – mental-health comedy blossoms into utter brilliance". TheGuardian.com . 16 June 2018.
  14. "CRAFT & DESIGN AWARDS 2016". Royal Television Society . 21 June 2016. Retrieved 2 March 2023.
  15. "Bafta TV awards 2017: full list of winners". Guardian. 14 May 2017. Retrieved 16 May 2017.
  16. "CRAFT & DESIGN AWARDS 2018". Royal Television Society . 2 July 2018. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
  17. Trendell, Andrew (24 April 2019). "Here are the nominations for the Ivor Novellos 2019". NME . Retrieved 20 November 2021.