Manhunt: Unabomber

Last updated
Manhunt
Manhunt, Unabomber tv series poster.jpeg
Television release poster
Genre Drama
Created byAndrew Sodroski
Jim Clemente
Tony Gittelson
Starring
Composer(s)Gregory Tripi
Country of originUnited States
Original language(s)English
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes18
Production
Executive producer(s) Dana Brunetti
John Goldwyn
Troy Searer
Andrew Sodroski
Kevin Spacey
Greg Yaitanes
Producer(s) David A. Rosemont
Production company(s) Discovery Communications
Trigger Street Productions
Release
Original network
Original releaseAugust 1, 2017 (2017-08-01) –
Present

Manhunt is an American drama miniseries created by Andrew Sodroski, Jim Clemente, and Tony Gittelson, starring Sam Worthington and Paul Bettany. It depicts a fictionalized account of the FBI's hunt for the Unabomber and premiered on Discovery Channel on August 1, 2017. [1] [2] On July 17, 2018, it was reported that Charter Communications was in advanced negotiations with the series' producers to pick up the series, now considered an anthology series, for two seasons to be aired on their Spectrum cable service. The first of these potential seasons reportedly would follow Eric Rudolph, known as the Olympic Park Bomber. [3] On January 18, 2020, it was announced that the second season titled Manhunt: Deadly Games will premiere on February 3, 2020. [4]

Contents

Cast

Season 1: Unabomber

Main (season 1)

Recurring (season 1)

Season 2: Deadly Games

Main (season 2)

Recurring (season 2)

Episodes

Season Subtitle EpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast airedNetwork
1 Unabomber8August 1, 2017 (2017-08-01)September 12, 2017 (2017-09-12) Discovery Channel
2 Deadly Games10February 3, 2020 (2020-02-03) Spectrum

Season 1: Unabomber (2017)

No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateU.S. viewers
(millions)
11"UNABOM" Greg Yaitanes Andrew SodroskiAugust 1, 2017 (2017-08-01)1.250 [5]
22"Pure Wudder"Greg YaitanesStory by : Jim Clemente & Tony Gittelson
Teleplay by : Andrew Sodroski		August 1, 2017 (2017-08-01)1.250 [5]
33"Fruit of the Poisonous Tree"Greg YaitanesMax HurwitzAugust 8, 2017 (2017-08-08)0.904 [6]
44"Publish or Perish"Greg YaitanesNick TowneAugust 15, 2017 (2017-08-15)0.940 [7]
55"Abri"Greg YaitanesStory by : Jim Clemente & Tony Gittelson
Teleplay by : Steven Katz		August 22, 2017 (2017-08-22)0.928 [8]
66"Ted"Greg YaitanesAndrew SodroskiAugust 29, 2017 (2017-08-29)1.114 [9]
77"Lincoln"Greg YaitanesStory by : Nick Schenk, Jim Clemente & Tony Gittelson
Teleplay by : Nick Schenk		September 5, 2017 (2017-09-05)1.022 [10]
88"USA vs. Theodore J. Kaczynski"Greg YaitanesAndrew SodroskiSeptember 12, 2017 (2017-09-12)0.930 [11]

Season 2: Deadly Games (2020)

No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date
91"CentBom"Michael DinnerAndrew SodroskiFebruary 3, 2020 (2020-02-03)
102"Unabubba"Michael DinnerAndrew SodroskiFebruary 3, 2020 (2020-02-03)
113"Bombingham"Jon AvnetDenise HarkavyFebruary 3, 2020 (2020-02-03)
124"Run Rudolph Run"Jon AvnetNick TowneFebruary 3, 2020 (2020-02-03)
135"Land of the Noonday Sun"Janice CookeAllison MooreFebruary 3, 2020 (2020-02-03)
146"Army of God"Janice CookeNick SchenkFebruary 3, 2020 (2020-02-03)
157"Eric"Ali SelimAndrew SodroskiFebruary 3, 2020 (2020-02-03)
168"Join or Die"Ali SelimNick TowneFebruary 3, 2020 (2020-02-03)
179"Don't Tread On Me"Michael DinnerNick SchenkFebruary 3, 2020 (2020-02-03)
1810"Open Season"Michael DinnerAllison MooreFebruary 3, 2020 (2020-02-03)

Production

The working title for the series was Manifesto, and the series order was announced in March 2016 at a presentation by Discovery Communications president Rich Ross. [12] On May 15, 2016, Entertainment Weekly released several promotional photos, showing a first look at Paul Bettany's portrayal of Ted Kaczynski. [13]

Release

Lionsgate Home Entertainment released the entire miniseries on Blu-ray and DVD on December 26, 2017. [14]

Netflix secured the rights to the series in November 2017. It premiered on the site on December 12, 2017 in various territories. [15] [16] [17]

Reception

The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 93% approval rating, with an average rating of 7.67/10 based on 28 reviews. [18]

Historical accuracy

Greg Stejskal, a former FBI agent who was involved in the UNABOM investigation, criticized the writers of the show in TheWrap . He accused them of making "a minor member" of the FBI investigative team "into the star player who won the game", referring to the show's portrayal of Jim Fitzgerald. He said that Fitzgerald never met Kaczynski, was not in Lincoln, Montana, during the time of Kaczynski's arrest, had no part in the search of Kaczynski's cabin, and never interviewed him. [19] [20] [21]

Fitzgerald told Bustle in August 2017 that the show is in the "high 80 percentile" of accuracy, though "the Fitz character is a composite". He also stated that he had not interviewed Kaczynski, although he said he was on his way to do so in 2007 when Kaczynski changed his mind. [22]

The trial took place in Billings, Montana, not in California as depicted in the show.

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References

  1. ↑ Hipes, Patrick (2017-03-28). "'Manhunt: Unabomber' Premiere Date Set On Discovery Channel". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved 2017-07-31.
  2. ↑ Pedersen, Erik (2017-06-05). "[Watch] 'Manhunt: Unabomber' Trailer: FBI Profiler Hunts Unusual Serial Killer". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved 2017-07-31.
  3. ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (July 17, 2018). "'Manhunt' Anthology Series Nears 2-Season Pickup At Charter From Lionsgate With Eric Rudolph As Next Subject". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved July 17, 2018.
  4. ↑ "Spectrum Originals Anthology Series "Manhunt: Deadly Games" Produced by Lionsgate Television to Debut February 3". The Futon Critic . January 18, 2020.
  5. 1 2 Welch, Alex (2017-08-02). "Tuesday cable ratings: 'Manhunt: Unabomber' premieres, 'WWE Smackdown' holds steady". TV by the Numbers . Retrieved 2017-08-07.
  6. ↑ Welch, Alex (2017-08-09). "Tuesday cable ratings: 'WWE Smackdown' holds steady, 'Manhunt: Unabomber' dips". TV by the Numbers . Retrieved 2017-08-13.
  7. ↑ "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Tuesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 8.15.2017". Showbuzz Daily. 2017-08-16. Retrieved 2017-08-21.
  8. ↑ "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Tuesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 8.22.2017". Showbuzz Daily. 2017-08-23. Retrieved 2017-08-29.
  9. ↑ "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Tuesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 8.29.2017". Showbuzz Daily. 2017-08-29. Retrieved 2017-09-03.
  10. ↑ "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Tuesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 9.5.2017". Showbuzz Daily. 2017-09-07. Retrieved 2017-09-10.
  11. ↑ Porter, Rick (2017-09-14). "Tuesday cable ratings: 'American Horror Story' takes a hit in week 2". Tvbythenumbers. Retrieved 2017-09-19.
  12. ↑ Wagmeister, Elizabeth (March 31, 2016). "Kevin Spacey, Dana Brunetti FBI drama 'Manifesto' lands series order at Discovery Channel". Variety . Retrieved November 4, 2017.
  13. ↑ Snierson, Dan (May 15, 2016). "See Paul Bettany as the Unabomber in new Discovery series". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved December 4, 2017.
  14. ↑ "Manhunt: Unabomber (mini-series) - Lionsgate's Press Brief Reveals Bonus Material for the DVDs and Blu-rays". tvshowsondvd.com. Archived from the original on 2017-10-28. Retrieved 2017-10-23.
  15. ↑ Netflix UK Acquires True Crime Anthology Series ‘Manhunt’, Discovery UK Retains Linear Rights
  16. ↑ 'Manhunt: Unabomber' es la serie que debes ver antes de que termine 2017
  17. ↑ Zum Start: Netflix zeigt "Manhunt: Unabomber" als Deutschlandpremiere
  18. ↑ "Manhunt: Unabomber (2017)". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved February 28, 2019.
  19. ↑ "An FBI Veteran on What Discovery's 'Manhunter: Unabomber' Gets Wrong (Guest Blog)". TheWrap. 2017-08-15. Retrieved 2017-08-17.
  20. ↑ Stejskal, Greg (August 15, 2017). "An FBI Veteran on What Discovery's 'Manhunter: Unabomber' Gets Wrong (Guest Blog)". Houston Chronicle.
  21. ↑ "Ex-FBI Agent: 'Manhunt Unabomber' Series Disrespects Heroes". www.deadlinedetroit.com. Retrieved 2017-08-17.
  22. ↑ Urquhart-White, Alaina. "How Accurate Is Fitz In 'Manhunt: Unabomber'? Here's What The Real James Fitzgerald Thinks Of His Fictionalized Self". Bustle. Retrieved 2017-08-18.
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