Preacher | |
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Genre | |
Based on | |
Developed by | |
Starring | |
Composer | Dave Porter |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
No. of seasons | 4 |
No. of episodes | 43 (list of episodes) |
Production | |
Executive producers |
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Producer | Matt Tauber |
Production locations | |
Cinematography |
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Editors |
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Camera setup | Single-camera |
Running time | 42–65 minutes |
Production companies |
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Original release | |
Network | AMC |
Release | May 22, 2016 – September 29, 2019 |
Preacher is an American supernatural adventure television series developed by Sam Catlin, Evan Goldberg, and Seth Rogen for AMC starring Dominic Cooper, Joseph Gilgun and Ruth Negga. The series is based on the comic book series Preacher created by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon and published by DC Comics' Vertigo imprint. The series was officially picked up on September 9, 2015, with a ten-episode order which premiered on May 22, 2016. The series was renewed for a fourth and final season, which premiered on August 4, 2019 and concluded on September 29, 2019.
Jesse Custer is a hard-drinking, chain-smoking preacher who, enduring a crisis of faith, becomes infused with an extraordinary power. He embarks on a quest to better understand his new gift and literally find God, alongside his trigger-happy ex-girlfriend, Tulip, and new vampire friend, Cassidy. [1]
Talking Preacher was a live aftershow hosted by Chris Hardwick that featured guests discussing episodes of Preacher. The show used the same format as Talking Dead , Talking Bad , and Talking Saul , which were also hosted by Hardwick. [25]
The first episode of Talking Preacher debuted immediately following the pilot encore on May 29, 2016, with guests Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, Dominic Cooper and Sam Catlin, and received 538,000 viewers. [26] The second installment aired following the Preacher season one finale on July 31, 2016, with guests Rogen, Goldberg and Ian Colletti, [25] and received 620,000 viewers. [27]
The aftershow returned for the first two episodes of Preacher's second season, with an installment airing directly after the second episode on June 26, 2017, with guests Dominic Cooper, Graham McTavish and Sam Catlin, [28] and received 441,000 viewers. [29] A third episode aired following the second season finale which included guests Dominic Cooper, Sam Catlin, Ian Colletti and Pip Torrens, and received 298,000 viewers. [30]
A TV adaptation for the comic book series had been planned in 2006, when Mark Steven Johnson purchased the rights and pitched the series to HBO. Johnson was a big fan of Preacher, but he believed that a two-hour movie would not be able to do justice to the property. In an interview with MovieWeb, he said that he didn't want the storyline to be loyal, but "exact", and that adapting all 75 issues would let the show run for 6 years. Johnson would produce the series and write the pilot, and expressed interest in having Kevin Smith and Robert Rodriguez direct episodes. [31] Howard Deutch was reported to be directing the pilot, [32] but Johnson said in another interview that he had only discussed the series with Deutch and it would all depend who would direct after the screenplay was finished. [33] In 2008, Johnson revealed that the new head of HBO deemed the show to be too violent and demanded a revamp. Johnson refused, and HBO cancelled production. [34]
After HBO abandoned Preacher, Neal H. Moritz of Original Film purchased the film rights for Columbia Pictures in 2008. [35] John August was brought on board to write a script and Sam Mendes was attached to direct. [36] Mendes left the film to work on Skyfall , [37] and D.J. Caruso replaced him. [38] Caruso later said that the film was put on the backburner because he was working on another film for Sony. [39]
On November 16, 2013, it was announced that AMC was developing a TV series based on the DC Vertigo comic book series Preacher. [40] On November 18, 2013, it was revealed that Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg were developing the series pilot with Sam Catlin, and that it would be distributed by Sony Pictures Television. [41] On February 6, 2014, AMC ordered a pilot script to be written by Rogen and Goldberg, and confirmed Sam Catlin would serve as showrunner. [42] On December 3, 2014, AMC ordered the pilot, written by Catlin, to be filmed. [43] Comic creators Steve Dillon and Garth Ennis serve as co-executive producers for the series. [44] From season 3, the show's three lead actors–Dominic Cooper, Ruth Negga and Joseph Gilgun–serve as co-executive producers.
On May 14, 2015, Rogen revealed that filming on the pilot episode of Preacher had started. Rogen additionally revealed that he and Goldberg would be directing the pilot. [42]
The series was officially picked up on September 9, 2015 [44] with a ten-episode order which premiered on May 22, 2016. [45] On June 29, 2016, AMC renewed the series for a 13-episode second season that premiered on June 25, 2017. [46] [47] On October 26, 2017, it was announced the series was renewed for a third season, [48] which premiered on June 24, 2018, and consisted of 10 episodes. [16] [49] On November 29, 2018, it was announced that the series was renewed for a fourth season, with production beginning in early 2019 in Australia. [50] On April 8, 2019, it was announced that the fourth season would be the series' final season and that it would premiere on August 4, 2019. [51]
In March 2015, Ruth Negga was cast as Tulip O'Hare, the ex-girlfriend of Jesse Custer, and Joseph Gilgun was cast as Cassidy, an Irish vampire and the best friend of Custer. [3] In April 2015, Lucy Griffiths was cast as Emily Woodrow, a character described as a no-nonsense single mother of three who is a waitress, the church organist, bookkeeper and Jesse's loyal right hand." [5] Also in April, it was confirmed that Dominic Cooper would play Custer. [2]
AMC aired a marathon of the first five episodes of Preacher from June 30 to July 1, 2016, with bonus, behind-the-scenes footage within each episode. [52]
The first season received largely positive reviews from critics. Review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes gave the season an approval rating of 89%, based on 243 reviews, with an average rating of 7.55/10. The site's critical consensus states, "A thrilling celebration of the bizarre, Preacher boasts enough gore, glee, and guile to make this visually stunning adaptation a must-see for fans of the comic and newcomers alike." [53] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, found that the first season received "generally favorable reviews" with a score of 76 out of 100, based on 37 critics. [54] Eric Goldman of IGN, gave the pilot episode an 8.8/10, praising the "great mixture of comic and horror elements" and the "excellent casting," particularly praising Ruth Negga's Tulip. [55]
The second season received generally positive reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the season has an approval rating of 91%, based on 179 reviews, with an average rating of 7.65/10. The site's critical consensus states, "Preacher's sophomore season benefits from more focused storytelling, without sacrificing any of its gorgeous, violent, insane fun." [56] On Metacritic, the series again received "generally favorable reviews" with a score of 76 out of 100 for the second season, based on 9 critics. [57]
The third season received generally favorable reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the season has an approval rating of 92%, based on 91 reviews, with an average rating of 7.7/10. The site's critical consensus states, "Preacher returns to its delightful debauchery, but with a steadier hand and better balance, elevating the drama without taking the edge off." [58] On IGN, Jesse Scheeden gave the season premiere a score of 8.7 out of 10 and claimed that "Preacher is finally venturing into one of the best and most unsettling pieces of the comic, and so far the new season seems to be headed in the right direction. 'Angelville' succeeds in telling a somber, focused story, one that establishes the relationship between Jesse and his grandmother and making our heroes feel more vulnerable than ever." [59]
On Rotten Tomatoes, the fourth season has an approval rating of 77%, based on 74 reviews, with an average rating of 7.2/10. The site's critical consensus states, "Preacher returns as creatively violent, bloody, and profane as ever, but it seems to be running out of steam in its final season." [60]
Season | Timeslot (ET) | Episodes | First aired | Last aired | Avg. viewers (millions) | ||
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Date | Viewers (millions) | Date | Viewers (millions) | ||||
1 | Sunday 10:00 pm (premiere) Sunday 9:00 pm | 10 | May 22, 2016 | 2.38 [61] | July 31, 2016 | 1.72 [62] | 1.60 [63] |
2 | Sunday 10:00 pm (premiere) Monday 9:00 pm | 13 | June 25, 2017 | 1.69 [64] | September 11, 2017 | 0.97 [65] | 1.16 [66] |
3 | Sunday 10:00 pm | 10 | June 24, 2018 | 0.84 [67] | August 26, 2018 | 1.02 [68] | 0.85 [69] |
4 | Sunday 9:00 pm (premiere) Sunday 10:00 pm | 10 | August 4, 2019 | 0.62 [70] | September 29, 2019 | 0.51 [71] | 0.53 [72] |
Year | Award | Category | Nominee | Result | Ref |
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2016 | Hollywood Post Alliance Awards | Outstanding Sound - Television | Richard Yawn, Mark Linden, Tara Paul | Nominated | [73] |
2017 | American Society of Cinematographers Awards | Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Regular Series for Commercial Television | John Grillo | Nominated | [74] |
Art Directors Guild Awards | One Hour Contemporary Single-Camera Television Series | David Blass, Mark Zuelzke, Kirsten Oglesby, Derek Jensen, Gregory G. Sandoval, Taura C.C. Rivera, Tyler Standen, Brandon Arrington, Amy Lynn Umezu, Edward McLoughlin | Nominated | [75] | |
Saturn Awards | Best Fantasy Television Series | Preacher | Nominated | [76] | |
2018 | Best Horror Television Series | Preacher | Nominated | [77] | |
2019 | Best Horror Television Series | Preacher | Nominated | [78] |