Rotten (TV series)

Last updated
Rotten
Genre Documentary
Created byChristine Haughney
Developed by
  • Christine Haughney
  • Erin D. Cauchi
  • Gretchen Goetz
Voices of Latif Nasser
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes12
Production
Executive producer Ted Schillinger
Editors
  • Andrew Adolphus
  • Ali Muney
  • Dena Mermelstein
Running time48–63 minutes
Production companies
Original release
NetworkNetflix
ReleaseJanuary 5, 2018 (2018-01-05) 
October 4, 2019 (2019-10-04)

Rotten is an investigative documentary series produced by Zero Point Zero, focusing on corruption in the global food supply chain. [1] The show's first season was released on Netflix in January 2018, [2] and the second season in October 2019. [3] Each show "dives deep into the food production underworld to expose the corruption, waste and real dangers behind your everyday eating habits," [4] featuring interviews with manufacturers, distributors, and others. The series uncovers wrongdoing by corporations who control the food that we eat and shortcomings by governments who have the mandate to oversee or regulate the sources of these food.

Contents

Episodes

Season 1

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleDirected byOriginal release date
11"Lawyers, Guns and Honey"Lucy Kennedy, Bill KerrJanuary 5, 2018 (2018-01-05)
22"The Peanut Problem"Ted Gesing, Bill KerrJanuary 5, 2018 (2018-01-05)
33"Garlic Breath"David MettlerJanuary 5, 2018 (2018-01-05)
44"Big Bird"Ted GesingJanuary 5, 2018 (2018-01-05)
55"Milk Money"Lucy KennedyJanuary 5, 2018 (2018-01-05)
66"Cod Is Dead"David MettlerJanuary 5, 2018 (2018-01-05)

Season 2

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleDirected byOriginal release date
71"The Avocado War"Lucy KennedyOctober 4, 2019 (2019-10-04)
82"Reign of Terroir"Abigail HarperOctober 4, 2019 (2019-10-04)
93"Troubled Water"Daniel RuetenikOctober 4, 2019 (2019-10-04)
104"A Sweet Deal"Lucy KennedyOctober 4, 2019 (2019-10-04)
115"Bitter Chocolate"Abigail HarperOctober 4, 2019 (2019-10-04)
126"High on Edibles"Daniel RuetenikOctober 4, 2019 (2019-10-04)

Reception

The second season was nominated for a News & Documentary Emmy Award for "Outstanding Business and Economic Documentary", [5] while the reporting team — journalists Christine Haughney, Erin D. Cauchi, [6] and Gretchen Goetz — won the 2020 James Beard Media Award for "Visual Reporting (on TV or Online)." [7] General reception to the series has also been positive, [8] with an average rating of 86% on Rotten Tomatoes. [9]

The first season was praised [10] for its "exploration of how corporate greed and corruption have quite literally changed the nature and origins of the food America consumes." It also received accolades for high-quality cinematography and compelling, human-centered narratives but was criticized[ by whom? ] for focusing on particular issues rather than providing explanation for wider industry problems, [11] or giving the viewer answers as to which brands and products are unaffected by the issues the series presents. [12]

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References

  1. "Rotten". Netflix . Retrieved 24 March 2018.
  2. Rotten at IMDb OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
  3. Morabito, Greg (September 20, 2019). "Watch the Season 2 Trailer for Netflix's Eye-Opening Food Series 'Rotten'". Eater.
  4. Rotten (Documentary), Latif Nasser, Casey Cox, Stanley Crawford, Leslie Lopatofsky, 2018-01-05, retrieved 2020-12-12{{citation}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  5. "News 2020 Nominees – The Emmys". theemmys.tv. Retrieved 2020-12-12.
  6. "Erin D. Cauchi". IMDb. Retrieved 2020-12-12.
  7. "The 2020 James Beard Media Award Winners | James Beard Foundation". www.jamesbeard.org. Retrieved 2020-12-12.
  8. DeBos, Cody (2019-10-21). "Review: 'Rotten' season 2 exposes more Big Food corruption". The Burn-In. Retrieved 2020-12-12.
  9. Rotten , retrieved 2020-12-12
  10. Ali, Lorraine (January 4, 2018). "Review: 'Rotten' gets to the bottom of the food chain". Los Angeles Times .
  11. Gilbert, Sophie. "The State of the Food Industry Is 'Rotten'". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2018-03-24.
  12. Greene, Steve (2018-01-06). "'Rotten' Review: Netflix True Crime Series Finds a Shocking Battleground in the Food We Eat". IndieWire. Retrieved 2018-03-24.