Muse (web series)

Last updated

Muse
Genre
Created by Kayden Kross
Written byKayden Kross
Directed byKayden Kross
Starring
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes11
Production
EditorDuboko
Production companyDeeper
Original release
ReleaseSeptember 18, 2020 (2020-09-18) –
October 21, 2021 (2021-10-21)

Muse is a pornographic drama series written and directed by Kayden Kross, and produced by Deeper, and distributed by Pulse Distribution. It stars an ensemble cast that includes Maitland Ward, Adriana Chechik, Gianna Dior, Lena Paul, Scarlit Scandal and Manuel Ferrara. The series has received overall positive feedback from the industry, winning dozens of major industry accolades. [1] [2]

Contents

The first season was released on September 18, 2020, and the second on September 16, 2021. [3] [4] The first season received eleven nominations at the 38th AVN Awards, winning seven, including Grand Reel, Best Screenplay and Best Directing – Drama for Kross, Best Actress for Ward, and Best Editing for Duboko. [5] For her performance, Ward won two XBIZ, XRCO and XCritic Awards for Best Actress. [6]

Episodes

SeasonEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
1 5September 18, 2020 (2020-09-18)October 15, 2020 (2020-10-15)
Special November 12, 2020 (2020-11-12)
2 5September 16, 2021 (2021-09-16)October 21, 2021 (2021-10-21)

Season 1 (2020)

No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleDirected byStarringOriginal release date
11"Episode 1" Kayden Kross Maitland Ward, Dante ColleSeptember 18, 2020 (2020-09-18)
Acclaimed author, documentary filmmaker, professor, and—Infamously—an activist formerly employed in the sex industry, Maitland Ward’s notoriety precedes her. An educator at heart, she is quick to direct the discussion forward, and to exact discipline wherever necessary.
22"Episode 2"Kayden KrossGianna Dior, Scarlit Scandal, Rob PiperSeptember 24, 2020 (2020-09-24)
Scarlit is torn between her obligations as a daughter and desire to follow her own path. When she decides to lean into the conflict she finds at the center, an idea strikes. Gianna and Rob help execute it. Lena grapples with the demands of her son. Adriana is inspired by a cord of rope found in Seth’s bedroom. Maitland examines the emotional payoff of libertinism.
33"Episode 3"Kayden KrossAdriana Chechik, Maitland Ward, Isiah Maxwell, Sly DigglerOctober 1, 2020 (2020-10-01)
Adriana’s relationship hits a breaking point, sending her running to the only doorstep she can think of in the city. Maitland answers. The two men just behind her wait patiently. Gabbie finishes her work in a rush of inspiration.
44"Episode 4"Kayden KrossLena Paul, Troy FranciscoOctober 8, 2020 (2020-10-08)
As the due date looms, each student takes another look at their approach to the project. Adriana must make a choice. Lena finds a way to make space for herself again. Maitland drives the lesson forward.
55"Episode 5"Kayden KrossAdriana Chechik, Seth GambleOctober 15, 2020 (2020-10-15)
Resigned to return to her hometown, Adriana relies on Seth’s help to get back. Seth begs her to finish their work before she goes. For everyone, the assignment comes due. Maitland clicks through, and in the process finally pairs a face with the struggle she’s felt.

Special (2020)

No.
overall		TitleDirected byStarringOriginal release date
6"Continuum"Kayden KrossMaitland Ward, Manuel Ferrara November 12, 2020 (2020-11-12)
Maitland brings the lesson around on her way to surrendering to the man she'd been holding out against.

Season 2 (2021)

No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleDirected byStarringOriginal release date
71"What We Are Missing"Kayden KrossAubrey Kate, Destiny Cruz, Maitland Ward, Pierce ParisSeptember 16, 2021 (2021-09-16)
Maitland Ward's notoriety is both her blessing and her curse, drawing people to her with a sometimes-obsessive intensity and at the same time keeping her walled off from the relationships she values most. As she sends students home with a new assignment, we begin to understand that the prompt is more pressing than the usual exercises in classroom discussion.
82"Every Behavior Meets a Need"Kayden KrossIvy Wolfe, Manuel FerraraSeptember 23, 2021 (2021-09-23)
Aubrey finally finds a challenge worthy of her attention when Mona brings Ernest’s case to her desk. Lulu’s work/family balance worsens. We learn why Ivy hasn’t come home and why, but all focus is whiplashed toward Maitland when scandal breaks out.
93"What We Have Lost"Kayden KrossLulu Chu, Anton HardenOctober 7, 2021 (2021-10-07)
As Jessie leads the charge on the celebration of Lulu’s presentation, a damper mood settles over the group with the discussion of Maitland’s scandal, Lena’s quiet crisis, and Avery’s further unraveling relationship with Ivy. Behind closed doors, Manuel tries to calm Maitland down as she finally names her frustration with the pedestal she’s been placed on but the unspoken problem between them forces its way through again. By the end of the night, Lena finds connection in an unlikely place and Lulu is out for blood.
104"Another’s Good"Kayden KrossAvery Cristy, Vanna Bardot, Quinton JamesOctober 14, 2021 (2021-10-14)
Aubrey and Mona double down on their strategy to drag Maitland’s case through the jury of the press as Maitland spirals toward hopelessness and keeps Manuel at a distance. Avery and Ivy’s relationship troubles finally come to a head. Jessie plots revenge as Lena stumbles across a line she’d never thought she would cross
115"Break the Cycle"Kayden KrossMaitland Ward, Alex Jones, Danny Mountain, Rob Piper, Will PounderOctober 21, 2021 (2021-10-21)
Ernest’s obsession with Maitland has not waned, and Mona tries to intercept those attentions. Ivy’s departure leaves a void that Avery turns to Lulu to fill as Jessie exacts her revenge. Maitland finds herself across from a student who needs her but can’t bridge the gap in this new landscape. Maitland snaps as Avery channels pent-up emotion toward the stage. The final showdown begins.

Reception

Critical response

The series has received generally positive reviews from critics. An All Adult Network critic called the series an "exquisite piece of film making" and continued saying "...the shadings, looks, backgrounds, locales and pacing that Ms. Kross gives this piece really put this project over the top. Then add in some very crisp, sharp cinematography that provides masterful visuals and you have something very special. It has a number of well deserved nominations in the upcoming AVN awards and others and they are very well deserved." [7] Another adult film critic website Die-Screaming.com compliments director Kayden Kross writing "Kayden has firmly established herself as one of the most talented creative forces currently working in smut and the joints she’s churning out with her Deeper studio are consistently some of the most expertly crafted films of any hardcore studio anywhere in the world." [8] On the adult review aggregator AdultDVDTalk the film received extremely positive reviews, seeing a 4.6 out of 5 stars on sixteen reviews. In the sites featured review on the film the reviewer stated, "Needless to say, this flick is absolutely a must-see. Even those who aren''t typically inclined toward features will likely marvel at just how good it is. Indeed, there is little doubt that what Kross and Ward are doing as a team right now is several cuts above the competition and, quite frankly, may well be changing and reforming the broader adult landscape...both in terms of quality and public perception." [9] [ failed verification ]

Awards and nominations

YearCeremonyAwardRecipient(s)Result
2020XCritic AwardsBest Actress Maitland Ward Won
Best Director Kayden Kross Won
2021 AVN Awards [10] Best Three-Way Sex SceneGianna Dior, Rob Piper, Scarlit ScandalWon
Best Directing - DramaKayden KrossWon
Best Art Direction—Won
Best Editing—Won
Best Group Sex SceneAdriana Chechik, Isiah Maxwell, Maitland Ward, Sly DigglerNominated
Best Actress Maitland WardWon
Best Non-Sex PerformanceA.J.Nominated
Best Screenplay - Drama—Won
Best Soundtrack—Nominated
Grand Reel—Won
Best Supporting Actress Adriana CheckikNominated
XBIZ Awards Best Cinematography—Won
Best Acting - LeadMaitland WardWon
Feature Movie of the Year—Won
Best Acting - SupportingAdriana CheckikNominated
Best Sex Scene - Feature MovieGianna Dior, Rob Piper, Scarlit ScandalNominated
Best Screenplay—Nominated
Best Editing—Nominated
Best Sex Scene - Feature MovieAdriana Checkik, Isiah Maxwell, Maitland Ward, Sly DigglerWon
Best Music—Nominated

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vivid Entertainment</span> American adult entertainment studio

Vivid Entertainment Group is an American independent pornographic film production company, featuring internet content.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jessica Drake</span> American pornographic actress

Jessica Drake is an American pornographic actress and sex educator.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maitland Ward</span> American actress (born 1977)

Ashley Maitland Welkos, known professionally as Maitland Ward, is an American pornographic performer and model and former actress. She made her acting debut as Jessica Forrester on the CBS soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful (1994–1996). Continuing to appear in film and television through the mid-2000s, she came to further prominence for playing Rachel McGuire on the sixth and seventh seasons of the ABC sitcom Boy Meets World (1998–2000). After retiring from mainstream acting in 2007, Ward began performing in pornographic films in 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Herschel Savage</span> American pornographic actor, director and stage actor (1952–2023)

Herschel Savage was an American pornographic actor, director, and stage actor who appeared in over 1,000 adult films. In 2002, AVN ranked him 46th on their list of The Top 50 Porn Stars of All Time. He was also inducted into the AVN and XRCO Halls of Fame.

Wicked Pictures is an American independent pornographic movie studio headquartered in Canoga Park, California. Between 2004 and 2021, it was one of the only heterosexual studios to maintain a condoms-only policy.

Bang Bros is an independent pornographic film studio operating from Miami, Florida, United States. It was founded in 2002 by Kristopher Hinson while he was a student at the University of Florida. The network is now owned by WGCZ S.R.O.—a Czech company based in Nové Město dictrict of Prague, which purchased the network and its associated websites in 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joanna Angel</span> American pornographic actress (born 1980)

Joanna Mostov, professionally known as Joanna Angel, is an American pornographic film actress, director, and writer of adult films. She founded the website BurningAngel.com in April 2002 with her roommate Mitch Fontaine, and has been credited with helping the growth of the alt porn genre. Launched as a response to websites such as SuicideGirls, the website featured alternative performers acting in exclusively hardcore scenes with a stronger focus on a punk aesthetic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manuel Ferrara</span> French adult entertainer and director

Manuel Jeannin, known professionally as Manuel Ferrara, is a French-American adult entertainer and director. One of the leading actors in the porn industry, Ferrara has won over 64 adult industry awards including six AVN Awards as Male Performer of the Year—the record for the accolade, and was inducted into the AVN and XRCO Halls of Fame.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kayden Kross</span> American pornographic actress

Kayden Kross is an American pornographic actress and director. She is a member of the AVN and XRCO Halls of Fame.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Céline Tran</span> French pornographic actress

Céline Tran is a French actress, writer, martial artist, blogger, and former pornographic actress, previously known under the stage name Katsuni, and before that Katsumi. She started her adult film career in 2001, working first in France, then in the United States.

Arrangement Finders is a North America-based sugar baby and sugar daddy dating Matchmaking service, with its headquarters in Toronto, Ontario. The parent company is Ruby Inc.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stoya</span> American pornographic actress and writer

Stoya is an American pornographic actress, actress, model, and nonfiction writer. She began her porn career in 2007 in the alt porn scene, and since 2009 has also worked in non-pornographic media, including the 2016 lesbian fantasy series Dagger Kiss. Since 2019, she has co-written the sex column "How To Do It" for Slate under the byline Jessica Stoya.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Angela White</span> Australian pornographic actress

Angela Gabrielle White is an Australian pornographic film actress and director. She has been inducted into the AVN Hall of Fame and the XRCO Hall of Fame, and in 2020 became AVN's first three-time Female Performer of the Year winner.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mia Malkova</span> American pornographic actress and media personality (born 1992)

Mia Malkova is an American pornographic actress. She has won several awards, including the 2014 AVN Award for the Best New Starlet and the 2017 XBIZ Award for the Best Actress. Malkova has also acted in an Indian pornographic short monologue documentary and an Indian erotic thriller film, both directed by Ram Gopal Varma. In 2022, she began video game livestreaming on Twitch. Malkova has been described as one of the most popular pornographic actresses in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carter Cruise</span> American pornographic actress

Carter Cruise is an American DJ, record producer, podcaster and former pornographic film actress.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Casey Calvert</span> American actress, model and pornographic actress

Casey Calvert is an American pornographic actress and film director. She has won several awards in the pornographic film industry, and has written about it in mainstream media publications. Calvert entered the adult media industry with early work as an art model and fetish model at age 21. She chose her stage name after one of her college professors, Clay Calvert.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brett Rossi</span> American pornographic actress (born 1989)

Scottine Ross, known professionally as Brett Rossi and formerly Scottine Sheen, is an American model, entertainer, dancer and former pornographic film actress.

Vixen Media Group, commonly referred to as Vixen, is an independent Internet pornography production company located in Los Angeles, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">37th AVN Awards</span> Pornography award show

The 37th AVN Awards was a pornography award show recognizing the best actresses, actors, directors and films in the adult industry in 2019. Nominations were announced at a ceremony on November 24, 2019, at the Avalon Hollywood. The show was held on January 25, 2020, at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. It was broadcast on Showtime. The awards show was hosted by adult star Nikki Benz, MyFreeCams celebrity Emily Bloom, with comedian Aries Spears. The 37th AVN Awards was noteworthy as one of the last events held at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, before the facility's closure on February 3, 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adriana Chechik</span> American pornographic actress (born 1991)

Adriana Chechik is an American pornographic actress, media personality and Twitch streamer. By 2022, she had mostly retired from pornography in favor of video game livestreaming on Twitch. In October 2022, she broke her back when she jumped into a deceptively shallow foam pit at Twitch's annual convention TwitchCon, and thereafter documented her recovery.

References

  1. ↑ XBIZ. "Maitland Ward Makes Anal Debut in Deeper's 'Muse'". XBIZ. Archived from the original on June 5, 2021. Retrieved June 5, 2021.
  2. ↑ Ward, Maitland (September 19, 2020). "Maitland Ward: How We Made the First Big Porn Movie of the COVID Era". The Daily Beast. Archived from the original on May 31, 2021. Retrieved June 5, 2021.
  3. ↑ Warren, Peter (September 17, 2021). "Vixen Debuts High-Profile Deeper Sequel 'Muse Season 2'". AVN. Retrieved October 20, 2022.
  4. ↑ "The Women Behind That History-Making Porn Billboard in Hollywood". The Daily Beast. November 13, 2021. Retrieved October 20, 2022.
  5. ↑ King, Austin (February 23, 2021). "A Formidable 'Muse': Maitland Ward on Best Actress Triumph". Archived from the original on October 20, 2022. Retrieved October 20, 2022.
  6. ↑ Bartlett, Samantha. "Ex-Disney star Maitland Ward wins best actress at porn awards for second year running". Daily Star. Archived from the original on September 2, 2024. Retrieved October 20, 2022.
  7. ↑ "All Adult Network | Review – Muse Season 1 – Deeper.com". Archived from the original on June 5, 2021. Retrieved June 5, 2021.
  8. ↑ "Muse: Season 1 - Watch the XXX Trailer". Die-Screaming. October 1, 2020. Archived from the original on April 11, 2021. Retrieved June 5, 2021.
  9. ↑ XBIZ. "XBIZ - Adult Industry News | Adult Webmaster Resources". XBIZ. Retrieved June 5, 2021.
  10. ↑ Network, AVN Media. "AVN Awards". AVN Awards. Retrieved June 5, 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.