The Head (2020 TV series)

Last updated
The Head
Genre
Created by
  • David Pastor
  • Àlex Pastor
  • David Troncoso
Directed by Jorge Dorado
Starring
Country of origin
  • Spain
  • Japan
Original languages
  • English
  • Danish
  • Swedish
No. of episodes12
Production
Executive producers
  • Ran Tellem
  • Mariano Baselga
  • Laura Fernández Espeso
  • Javier Mendez
  • Bernat Elias
Production locations
Running time50+ minutes
Production companyThe Mediapro Studio
Original release
Network HBO Asia
Release12 June 2020 (2020-06-12)

The Head is a Spanish-Japanese English-language psychological thriller television series directed by Jorge Dorado for HBO Asia and Hulu Japan. The first season, set in Antarctica, premiered on 12 June 2020. A second season premiered on 22 December 2022. A third and final season is scheduled to air in 2024. [1]

Contents

Premise

Winter has fallen on the South Pole. The sun will soon disappear for the next six months. A small team, known as the Winterers, will remain at the Polaris VI Antarctic Research Station to continue their innovative research, a crucial part in the fight against climate change, under the command of renowned biologist Arthur Wilde (John Lynch). But when spring comes, summer commander Johan Berg (Alexandre Willaume) returns to the station only to find the entire team are either dead or missing. A killer is on the loose, and Annika (Laura Bach), Johan's wife, is missing. If he wants to find her alive, he will have to trust Maggie (Katharine O'Donnelly), the young doctor who is profoundly shaken and apparently the sole survivor from the group.

Cast and characters

Main

  • John Lynch as Dr. Arthur Wilde, a famous biologist. 8 years prior to the events of the series, he and Annika discovered a bacterium that feeds on CO2. On Polaris VI, he continues the research in order to fight climate change. He is a domineering and manipulative character. Although he does not lead the research station, as head scientist he does have some authority over the staff. At first classified as missing, he is another survivor.
  • Katharine O'Donnelly as Dr. Maggie Mitchell, the station doctor during winter. She is new to Polaris VI with Aki and Heather, and becomes close to Aki. Upon their return, the summer team finds her hiding and afraid as one survivor next to two missing and seven dead team members. She tries to reconstruct the past events while being worn-out physically and mentally. The story she tells leads Johan's search for his wife. [2]
  • Alexandre Willaume as Johan Berg (season 1), the station's summer commander. His wife Annika remains in the station during winter and is missing when Johan returns after six months, having lost communications for three weeks. He tries to figure out what happened and find his wife.
  • Richard Sammel as Erik Osterland (season 1), the winter commander of Polaris VI. He has a military background and tries hard to keep the team safe and together. He has a relationship with Ebba, the station's nurse. [2]
  • Tomohisa Yamashita as Aki Kobayashi (main, season 1; guest, season 2), a young, ambitious biologist who works on his PhD. He admires Arthur Wilde and his work and is proud to work for him. Like Maggie and Heather, he is new at the station. Aki and Maggie are very close, and he's protective of her, even more so when the killings begin. [2]
  • Laura Bach as Annika Lundqvist (season 1), an ambitious and very dedicated biologist who discovered the bacterium together with Arthur. She remained at Polaris VI because she is determined to work on this crucial research and be acknowledged as well in a world very dominated by men. Upon Johan's return, Annika is missing, and he tries hard to find her.
  • Álvaro Morte as Ramón Lazaro (season 1), the station cook who has repeatedly returned to the station for many years now. He gets along with the crew, but can also become choleric and aggressive.
  • Olivia Morris as Rachel Russo (season 2)
  • Moe Dunford as Alec Kurtz (season 2)
  • Josefin Neldén as Amy (season 2)
  • Hovik Keuchkerian as Charlie (season 2)
  • Sota Fukushi as Yuto (season 2)

Supporting and recurring

Production

The series was shot in a set in Tenerife, in the Canary Islands, whereas outdoor scenes were shot in Iceland. [3] [4]

In October 2021, The Mediapro Studio (detached from HBO Asia and Hulu Japan) reported that they were preparing a second season set in a container ship, directed by Jorge Dorado and written by Mariano Baselga (season 1 executive producer) and Jordi Galceran, with cinematography by David Acereto, with Laura Fernández Espeso, Javier Mendez and Bernat Elias credited as executive producers. [5] [6]

In October 2023 it was announced that the producers were working on a third season, which was officialy announced and confirmed as the last in December [7] . Shooting lasted from mid-December to late January 2024. [8]

International broadcast

The series aired on Hulu Japan, HBO Asia, Canal+, AXN Portugal, and Amazon Video in the summer season 2020. [9]

In the United States, the series was streamed on HBO Max from 4 February 2021, as a "Max Original". [10] [11]

In the UK, Ireland, Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Luxembourg, streaming started on Starzplay on February 7, 2021. [12] While in Brazil, it started exclusively on streaming service Globoplay. [13]

In India, the series is streaming on Hotstar under "HBO Original" label. [14]

Related Research Articles

<i>Family Matters</i> American television sitcom (1989–1998)

Family Matters is an American television sitcom that originally aired on ABC for eight seasons from September 22, 1989, to May 9, 1997, then moved to CBS for its ninth and final season from September 19, 1997, to July 17, 1998. A spin-off of Perfect Strangers, the series was created by William Bickley and Michael Warren, and revolves around the Winslow family, an African-American middle class family living in Chicago, Illinois. Midway through the first season, the show introduced the Winslows' nerdy neighbor Steve Urkel, who was originally scripted to appear as a one-time character. However, he quickly became the show's breakout character, joining the main cast.

<i>Head of the Class</i> American sitcom television series

Head of the Class is an American sitcom television series that ran from 1986 to 1991 on the ABC television network.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nick Stahl</span> American actor (born 1979)

Nicolas Kent Stahl is an American actor. Starting out as a child actor, he gained recognition for his performance in the 1993 film The Man Without a Face, directed by and co-starring Mel Gibson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">HBO</span> American pay television network

Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based at Warner Bros. Discovery's corporate headquarters inside 30 Hudson Yards in Manhattan's West Side district. Programming featured on the network consists primarily of theatrically released motion pictures and original television programs as well as made-for-cable movies, documentaries, occasional comedy, and concert specials, and periodic interstitial programs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tatiana Issa</span> Brazilian actress and director

Tatiana Issa is a three-time Emmy Award winning Brazilian director and executive producer known for her 2009 documentary film Dzi Croquettes, the series "Brutal Pact: The Murder of Daniella Perez" for HBO MAX, and "Queens on the Run" for Amazon Prime.

HBO Now was an American subscription video on demand streaming service for premium television network HBO owned by WarnerMedia subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc. Officially unveiled on March 9 and launched on April 7, 2015, the service allowed subscribers on-demand access to HBO's library of original programs, films and other content on personal computers, smartphones, tablet devices and digital media players. Unlike HBO Go, HBO's online video on demand service for existing subscribers of the linear television channel, HBO Now was available as a standalone service and did not require a television subscription to use, targeting cord cutters who use competing services such as Netflix and Hulu. In February 2018, HBO Now had 5 million subscribers.

Pineapple Street Studios is a podcast studio based in Brooklyn, New York. In August 2019, it was acquired by Entercom. Pineapple's work includes multi-episode narratives, investigative journalism, branded podcasts, and talk shows. They have created series for companies like Nike, Hulu, Netflix, HBO, and The New York Times. In 2020, they led all podcast companies with two Peabody Award nominations, for The Catch and Kill Podcast with Ronan Farrow and Running From Cops. Twelve of their shows have reached #1 on Apple Podcasts.

<i>Bordertown</i> (Finnish TV series) Finnish crime drama television series

Bordertown is a Finnish crime drama and Nordic noir television series created by Miikko Oikkonen and starring Ville Virtanen as detective inspector Kari Sorjonen. The first season, which consisted of eleven episodes, premiered in Finland on 16 October 2016 on Yle TV1. Season two, containing ten episodes, premiered on 7 October 2018, and season three, containing another ten episodes, premiered in December 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kate Moyer</span> Canadian actress (born 2007 or 2008)

Kate Moyer is a Canadian teen actress.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Max (streaming service)</span> American video streaming service

Max, formerly and still known in some regions as HBO Max, is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. It is a proprietary unit of Warner Bros. Discovery Global Streaming & Interactive Entertainment, which is itself a division of Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD). The platform offers content from the libraries of Warner Bros., Discovery, HBO, CNN, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, Animal Planet, TBS, TNT, Eurosport, and their related brands. Max first launched in the United States on May 27, 2020.

<i>Tokyo Vice</i> (TV series) 2022 American crime drama television series

Tokyo Vice is an American crime drama television series created by J. T. Rogers and based on the 2009 memoir by Jake Adelstein. It stars Ansel Elgort, Ken Watanabe, Rachel Keller, Hideaki Itō, Show Kasamatsu, Ella Rumpf, Rinko Kikuchi, Tomohisa Yamashita, Miki Maya, and Yōsuke Kubozuka. The series centers on Adelstein (Elgort), an American journalist investigating the yakuza in Tokyo. The first season of Tokyo Vice premiered on April 7, 2022, on HBO Max, and the second season premiered on February 8, 2024, on Max. The series received generally positive reviews, with praise for its setting, aesthetic, and characters. In June 2024, the series was canceled after two seasons.

Gossip Girl is an American teen drama television series developed by Joshua Safran for HBO Max. Based on the original CW television series of the same name, itself based on the novel written by Cecily von Ziegesar, it serves as a standalone series in a shared universe. The series is executive produced by original series co-creators Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage, along with Safran, who was an executive producer on the first series and who also serves as showrunner. The series is narrated by Kristen Bell, who reprised her role as the voice of Gossip Girl, an anonymous and omniscient blogger. It features an ensemble cast led by Jordan Alexander, Whitney Peak, Tavi Gevinson, Eli Brown, Thomas Doherty, Emily Alyn Lind, Evan Mock, Zión Moreno, Savannah Lee Smith, and Grace Duah.

<i>Head of the Class</i> (2021 TV series) 2021 American sitcom

Head of the Class is an American sitcom developed by Amy Pocha and Seth Cohen that was released on the streaming service HBO Max on November 4, 2021. It is based on Rich Eustis and Michael Elias' series of the same name that ran from 1986 to 1991. In December 2021, the series was canceled after one season.

<i>The Staircase</i> (American miniseries) American crime drama television miniseries

The Staircase is an American biographical crime drama television miniseries created by Antonio Campos, based on the 2004 true crime docuseries of the same name created by Jean-Xavier de Lestrade. The series stars Colin Firth as Michael Peterson, a writer convicted of murdering his wife Kathleen Peterson, who was found dead at the bottom of the staircase in their home. The series premiered on HBO Max on May 5, 2022.

<i>Paradise</i> (Spanish TV series) Spanish television series

Paradise is a Spanish speculative fiction television series with mystery and adventure elements set in 1992. Produced by Movistar+ and Globomedia, it is directed by Fernando González Molina. It premiered on 4 June 2021.

Theodosia is an English-language fantasy adventure television series, produced by ZDF and Cottonwood Media and based on the children's adventure novels by Robin LaFevers.

Katharine O'Donnelly is a Scottish actress. She is known for her starring role as Maggie Mitchell in the HBO series The Head (2020–2022).

References

  1. ↑ "Comienza el rodaje de la tercera (y última) temporada de 'The Head'". https://www.elseptimoarte.net/ (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-06-14.{{cite web}}: External link in |website= (help)
  2. 1 2 3 4 "The Head: Get To Know The 11 Characters In HBO's New 6-Part Series". Hype Malaysia. June 13, 2020. Retrieved February 14, 2021.
  3. ↑ Hopewell, John; Lang, Jamie (4 June 2020). "The Mediapro Studio Unveils Banner Antarctic Thriller 'The Head'". Variety .
  4. ↑ Keller, Joel (4 February 2021). "Stream It Or Skip It: 'The Head' On HBO Max, A Mystery Thriller That Takes Place At An Antarctic Research Station". Decider.
  5. ↑ Lang, Jamie (13 October 2021). "'The Head' Season 2 in Pre-Production at The Mediapro Studio (Exclusive)". Variety .
  6. ↑ "'The Head' anuncia por sorpresa la producción de su temporada 2, con un carguero como nuevo escenario". Vertele!. eldiario.es. 13 October 2020.
  7. ↑ "Comienza el rodaje de la tercera (y última) temporada de 'The Head'". https://www.elseptimoarte.net/ (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-06-14.{{cite web}}: External link in |website= (help)
  8. ↑ Jorge Dorado [@Jorge_Dorado_] (January 23, 2024). "El fin de un viaje increíble. Gracias a todos los que la habéis hecho posible, a un lado y al otro de la pantalla. The head forever. #TheHead" (Tweet). Retrieved June 14, 2024– via Twitter.
  9. ↑ Brzeski, Patrick (April 23, 2020). "HBO Asia, Hulu Japan Set Action-Survival Series 'The Head'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
  10. ↑ Hopewell, John (January 25, 2021). "The Mediapro Studio Sells 'The Head' to HBO Max, Unveils John Turturro, Big Talk & Guillem Morales Shows (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety . Archived from the original on January 26, 2021. Retrieved January 28, 2021.
  11. ↑ "Acclaimed International Mystery Thriller THE HEAD to Premiere Exclusively on HBO Max in the U.S. on February 4". WarnerMedia (Press release). January 28, 2021. Retrieved January 28, 2021.
  12. ↑ Lang, Jamie (January 13, 2021). "'The Head' Lands on Starzplay in U.K., Germany – Global Bulletin". Variety. Retrieved February 14, 2021.
  13. ↑ Lang, Jamie (November 24, 2021). "Assista 'The Head' no Globoplay". Globoplay. Archived from the original on October 5, 2022. Retrieved November 24, 2021.
  14. ↑ "The Head". Disney+ Hotstar. Archived from the original on 2022-10-08. Retrieved 2022-01-06.
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.