Lockdown | |
---|---|
Genre | |
Created by | J. J. Johnson |
Developed by |
|
Written by |
|
Directed by | J.J Johnson |
Starring |
|
Composer | Erica Procunier |
Country of origin |
|
Original language | English |
No. of seasons | 2 |
No. of episodes | 16 |
Production | |
Executive producers |
|
Producer | Alex Grieve |
Editor | Courtney Goldman |
Production company | Sinking Ship Entertainment |
Original release | |
Network | YouTube Premium |
Release | June 26, 2020 |
Lockdown (also stylized as Lockdown: The Scream Next Door and Lockdown: Who Is Question Mark Face?) is a children's and teen drama mystery thriller streaming television series produced by Sinking Ship Entertainment and commissioned and distributed by YouTube Originals. Conceived, developed and produced in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada and the United States, the scripted live-action series follows a group of socially distanced teenagers working together to solve a mystery in their neighborhood. [1] Originally announced in April 2020, [2] the initial ten-episode series premiered on the YouTube Originals for Kids & Family channel on June 26, 2020. [3]
The series received a Webby Award for best educational or science video series, [4] a Special Achievement Award from the Prix Jeunesse International festival for excellence in COVID-19 programming, the global festival that every two years recognizes the best in children and youth television, [5] as well as the Content Innovation Award for Kids Programming. [6] The series was also recognized by the MIPCOM Diversify TV Excellence Awards, [7] while series stars Arista Arhin and Amanda Cheung were nominated by the Joey Awards for their performances. [8] In 2021, the series was nominated for two Canadian Screen Awards for its writing. [9]
YouTube Originals announced in October 2020 that it had ordered six new episodes of Lockdown as part of its focus on racial justice programming. [10] The new season, titled Lockdown: Who Is Question Mark Face? premiered on the YouTube Originals for Kids & Family channel on November 19, 2020.[ citation needed ] The first season was also picked up for second-window by WildBrain for the Family Channel in Canada. [11]
This scripted series follows six teenaged friends as they work together to solve mysteries in their neighborhood during the social distancing era. Shot entirely via webcam and smartphone from the actors’ homes and neighborhoods, the series is a suspenseful look at how young people stay in touch while having to stay away, and the story unfolds almost in real-time as the friend group works together – from a distance – to solve the mystery, while also exploring their own anxieties and frustrations about life during a pandemic.
In this initial ten-episode season, which takes place during days 1 through 60 of a Covid-19 lockdown, Nira overhears what sounds like a woman's scream one night from her neighbor's house. As she enlists the help of her friends Aiden, Chris, Emi and Sam - along with Emi's crush Luke, who lives on the other side of Nira's neighbor - new suspicious events, including late night digging and creepy notes - thicken the plot. As they work together remotely and use technological tools to solve the mystery, they also support each other emotionally through the pandemic and the experience of being in quarantine. Storylines include Luke's grandmother at risk for Covid-19 in her retirement community, Sam's nurse father quarantining away from the family, Emi being verbally attacked for her Asian ethnicity, Aiden's and Sam's efforts in the online video game Bielzemor, a love triangle and bourgeoning romantic feelings between Luke and Nira as well as between Emi and Chris. [12]
In the six-episode second season that takes place days 61 through 120 of lockdown, the six teens reckon with a growing racial justice movement following the murders of George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery, the shooting of Breonna Taylor, and others. After Sam organizes a local Black Lives Matter march, Chris' family's restaurant - which had been preemptively boarded up ahead of Sam's community march - is vandalized with graffiti. A masked figure calling themselves Question Mark Face releases a video on social media claiming responsibility for the attack and promises for future attacks, while local real estate agent Mary Lewis blames Sam for the tagging. As Question Mark Face continues to target local businesses, the six teens work together to investigate the perpetrator's identity and motive. Throughout the season, the show explores how each of the main characters are responding to the George Floyd protests and Black Lives Matter movement, including Sam's growing social activism, Chris' focus on allyship, and Emi's use of fashion to make her voice heard. Additional storylines include Sam's crush on fellow gamer Harley, the socioeconomic impact of the lockdowns on families, and the differing philosophies on how to make a difference between Sam, her friends and her cousin Asha.[ citation needed ]
Season | Episodes | Originally released | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
First released | Last released | |||
1 | 10 | June 26, 2020 | July 14, 2020 | |
2 | 6 | November 19, 2020 |
No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date [13] |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1 | "Neighbor Watching" | J.J. Johnson | J.J. Johnson, Christin Simms | June 26, 2020 |
2 | 2 | "Walk-By" | J.J. Johnson | Sabrina Sherif | June 26, 2020 |
3 | 3 | "Stake Outing" | Warren P. Sonoda | Lakna Edilima | June 26, 2020 |
4 | 4 | "Bad Connection" | Warren P. Sonoda | Thomas Conway | June 26, 2020 |
5 | 5 | "Unfriended" | Melanie Orr | Sabrina Sherif | June 26, 2020 |
6 | 6 | "If The Shoe Fits" | Melanie Orr | Lakna Edilima | June 26, 2020 |
7 | 7 | "Relationship Status" | Stephen Reynolds | Thomas Conway | July 2, 2020 |
8 | 8 | "Angry Face" | Lisa Rose Snow | J.J. Johnson, Christin Simms | July 7, 2020 |
9 | 9 | "Social Togetherness" | Nicole Stamp | J.J. Johnson, Christin Simms. Teleplay by J.J. Johnson, Christin Simms, Nicole Stamp | July 8, 2020 |
10 | 10 | "Killer Instinct" | Christin Simms | Christin Simms | July 14, 2020 |
No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date [13] |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
11 | 1 | "The Confession" | Nicole Stamp | Lisa Codrington | November 19, 2020 |
12 | 2 | "Guilty Unil Proven Innocent" | J.J. Neepin | Nicole Stamp | November 19, 2020 |
13 | 3 | "Best Intentions" | Alicia K. Harris | Desmond Sargeant | November 19, 2020 |
14 | 4 | "The Sting" | Shawn Gerrard | Gillian Muller | November 19, 2020 |
15 | 5 | "Ticking Clock" | Ayesha Mansur Gonsalves | Alejandro Alcoba | November 19, 2020 |
16 | 6 | "Questions Answered" | Tiffany Hsiung | Aaron Bala | November 19, 2020 |
Common Sense Media awarded Lockdown for its Common Sense Selection for Families seal, calling it a "enjoyable, fresh series adapts a traditional whodunnit story to the 2020-era pandemic experience of being homebound for weeks on end" that "doubles as a modern spin on Rear Window-style suspense and a more realistic, revealing glimpse into the teens' psyche during a period of compulsory quarantine." [14] Cablefax also praised the series, noting "it's not difficult to see why this series...has garnered awards for youth programming" and "it’s not an easy assignment for the mostly teen cast of “Lockdown” to create art on a small screen, but they do it well," while commending its inclusion of timely issues, including the Black Lives Matter movement and the LGBTQ+ experience. [15]
Year | Award | Category | Recipient(s) | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
2022 | Canadian Screen Awards | Best Children's or Youth Fiction Program or Series | Aaron Bala, Lisa Codrington, J.J. Johnson, Blair Powers, Christin Simms, Matthew J.R. Bishop, Carla de Jong, Alejandro Alcoba | Pending |
Best Direction, Children's or Youth | Episode: "The Confession" Nicole Stamp | Pending | ||
Best Writing, Children's or Youth | Episode: "The Confession" Lisa Codrington | Pending | ||
Episode: "Guilty Until Proven Innocent" Nicole Stamp | Pending | |||
Best Performance, Children's or Youth | Saara Chaudry | Pending | ||
2021 | Daytime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Younger Performer in a Daytime Fiction Series | Arista Arhin | Nominated |
Webby Awards | Video Series & Channels - Science & Education | Lockdown | Won | |
Canadian Screen Awards | Best Writing, Web Program or Series | Episode: "Social Togetherness" J. J. Johnson, Nicole Stamp, Christin Simms | Nominated | |
Episode: "Stake Outing" Lakna Edilima | Nominated | |||
Canadian Alliance of Film & Television Costume Arts & Design (CAFTCAD) Awards | Best Costume Design in a Web Series | Christine Toye | Nominated | |
WGC Screenwriting Awards | Tweens & Teens | Episode: "Social Togetherness" J.J. Johnson, Nicole Stamp, Christin Simms | Nominated | |
Episode: "Stake Outing" Lakna Edilima | Nominated | |||
2020 | Prix Jeunesse International | Special Achievement Prize (for excellence in Covid-19 programming) | Lockdown | Won |
MIPCOM Diversify TV Excellence Awards | Representation of Diversity - Kids Programming | Lockdown | Nominated | |
Content Innovation Awards | Innovation & Ingenuity Award - Kids Programming | Lockdown | Won | |
Joey Awards | Best Actress in a Webseries 12-15 Years | Amanda Cheung | Nominated | |
Arista Arhin | Nominated | |||
Unsolved Mysteries is an American mystery documentary television series, created by John Cosgrove and Terry Dunn Meurer. Documenting cold cases and paranormal phenomena, it began as a series of seven specials, presented by Raymond Burr, Karl Malden, and Robert Stack, beginning on NBC on January 20, 1987, becoming a full-fledged series on October 5, 1988, hosted by Stack. After nine seasons on NBC, the series moved to CBS for its 10th season on November 13, 1997. After adding Virginia Madsen as a co-host during season 11 failed to boost slipping ratings, CBS canceled the series after only a two-season, 12-episode run on June 11, 1999. The series was revived by Lifetime in 2000, with season 12 beginning on July 2, 2001. Unsolved Mysteries aired 103 episodes on Lifetime, before ending on September 20, 2002, an end that coincided with Stack's illness and eventual death.
Totally Spies! is a French anime-influenced animated spy-fi series created by Vincent Chalvon-Demersay and David Michel mainly produced by French company Zodiak Kids & Family France, with seasons three to five being co-produced with Canadian company Image Entertainment Corporation. It focuses on three teenage girls from Beverly Hills, California, who work as undercover agents for the World Organization of Human Protection (WOOHP).
Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! is an American animated comedy television series created by Joe Ruby and Ken Spears and produced by Hanna-Barbera for CBS. The series premiered as part of the network's Saturday morning cartoon schedule on September 13, 1969, and aired for two seasons until October 31, 1970. Reruns were broadcast for the 1971 season. In 1978, a selection of episodes from the later animated series Scooby's All-Star Laff-A-Lympics and The Scooby-Doo Show were aired on ABC under the Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! title name, and was released in a DVD set marketed as its third season. It also aired on BBC One in the United Kingdom from 1970 to 1973. The complete series is also available on Boomerang, Max, and Tubi streaming services.
INSP is an American digital cable television network that features primarily westerns and is headquartered in Indian Land, South Carolina - a suburb of Charlotte, North Carolina.
Albie Hecht is an American film and television producer and media executive. In 1997, Hecht was the president of film and TV entertainment for Nickelodeon before becoming president of the television channel Spike TV in 2003. In 2005, he founded and was CEO of the digital studio Worldwide Biggies. From 2013 to 2015, he also served as general manager of the TV channel, HLN, and is chief content officer of PocketWatch.
Myx is an American pay TV channel based in Daly City, California with an office also in Redwood City, California targeting a multicultural audience. As a sister network to Myx (Philippines), it launched in the United States in 2007. MyxRadio launched in November 2019 as a radio station on Dash Radio & as a global podcast on Spotify, iHeartRadio & Apple iTunes in March 2020. A video on demand service for Myx shows is also available via iWantTFC and TFC IPTV.
Samuel Tsui is an American singer, songwriter and video producer. He rose to fame as an internet celebrity known for doing covers and musical medleys of songs by pop artists. He has since released original songs and expanded to mashups.
Cracked is a Canadian police crime drama television series which aired from January 8 to November 25, 2013 on CBC Television. The series was created by writer Tracey Forbes and Toronto Emergency Task Force officer Calum de Hartog, and was executive produced by Peter Raymont and Janice Dawe of White Pine Pictures. It premiered on January 8, 2013, and aired new episodes through November 25, 2013.
Odd Squad is a children's live action educational television series created by Tim McKeon and Adam Peltzman. The series premiered on TVOKids in Canada and PBS Kids in the United States on November 26, 2014. Similar to Cyberchase and Peg + Cat, the series involves child characters using mathematical concepts to advance each episode's plot. The series features child actors who use indirect reasoning and basic math to solve and investigate strange happenings in their town.
Escape the Night is an American reality television web series that documents vlogger Joey Graceffa inviting his friends for dinner and are trapped in fantasy plots based on horror and murder mystery aesthetics.
Talking Tom & Friends is an animated sitcom and children's television series by Slovenian company Outfit7, based on the media franchise of the same name. Its premiere release was on 23 December 2014 on YouTube, with the final episode being released on 24 December 2021. The first three seasons of the show were produced by the Austrian company ARX Anima, while seasons 4 and 5 were produced by the Spanish animation studio People Moving Pixels.
UNHhhh is an American comedy web series starring drag queens Trixie Mattel and Katya Zamolodchikova. In the series, Trixie and Katya discuss a topic humorously in front of a green screen. UNHhhh premiered on March 25, 2016, one year after Mattel and Zamolodchikova appeared in the seventh season of RuPaul's Drag Race. The show is aired through World Of Wonder's YouTube channel, as well as through its video-on-demand service WOW Presents Plus. UNHhhh has been nominated for ten Streamy Awards throughout its run, winning Unscripted Series at the 2020 ceremony, which the duo also hosted.
The Inbestigators is an Australian mystery children's television series. The show stars Abby Bergman, Anna Cooke, Aston Droomer and Jamil Smyth-Secka as Ava Andrikides, Maudie Miller, Ezra Banks and Kyle Klimson, respectively. The characters are fifth-graders who solve crimes in their school and neighbourhood. Created by Robyn Butler and Wayne Hope, the series has the comic tone of Little Lunch and an air of mystery. The show aired in two series from 21 June to 30 November 2019 on ABC Me. Netflix released the first and second series in mid-2019 and early 2020 respectively.
The Society is an American mystery teen drama television series created by Christopher Keyser, that was released via streaming on Netflix on May 10, 2019. It stars Kathryn Newton, Gideon Adlon, Sean Berdy, Natasha Liu Bordizzo, Jacques Colimon, Olivia DeJonge, Alex Fitzalan, Kristine Froseth, Jose Julian, Alexander MacNicoll, Toby Wallace and Rachel Keller. Although it was initially renewed for a second season, it was ultimately canceled after one season as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ang sa Iyo ay Akin is a Philippine television drama series broadcast Kapamilya Channel. Directed by FM Reyes and Avel E. Sunpongco, it stars Jodi Sta. Maria, Iza Calzado and Sam Milby. It aired on the network's Primetime Bida line up and worldwide on TFC from August 17, 2020, to March 19, 2021.
The 2020-21 World Surf League was the 44th season of all iterations of the tour circuit for professional surfers. After the 2020 season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, limiting international travel between and within countries namely Australia, Indonesia, Portugal and South Africa. The championships took a break for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The board changed the tour to a wraparound season of 2020-21, which allowed major changes to the tour schedule, with the Billabong Pipe Masters becoming the first round of the tour.
"Married in Vegas" is a song by British pop rock band The Vamps. It was released as a digital download on 31 July 2020 via Virgin EMI as the lead single from their fifth studio album Cherry Blossom. The song was written by James McVey, Tristan Evans, Bradley Simpson, Connor Ball and Peter Rycroft.
Karikku is an Indian YouTube Channel in Malayalam, founded by Nikhil Prasad in 2018. The YouTube Channel gained popularity with their first Web series titled "Thera Para". Karikku has different business verticals including Fliq, Tuned, Fuse, Wybe (merchandising) and Zero.
Planet Lockdown is a film containing misinformation about COVID-19 that was banned on YouTube and Facebook.