HBO continues to challenge theatrically-released cinema with its roster of compelling small screen serials. Its upcoming “special two-part miniseries”, Olive Kitteridge, aims to maintain their winning streak. In fact, their faith in the success of the show is such that it was granted a screening in its entirety at the Venice Film Festival.
Set across four episodes, the show’s story stretches over 25 years and is told through the experiences of a small New England town and its residents. Headlining the show in the titular role is Frances McDormand, as Kitteridge. She’s a spot-on piece of casting if the trailer is an honest indicator of what to expect. In fact, the whole cast are practically an assembly of my favourite actors. If Kitteridge is the centre of the show’s universe, then Bill Murray and Richard Jenkins are in close orbit. The three of them trade off each other with some barbed banter that’s the exact type of observational humour we’ve come to expect from HBO’s output.
Sitting in the director’s chair is Lisa Cholodenko, who helmed the insightful and witty The Kids Are All Right, so I’m anticipating television gold this November. Check out the trailer above and tell us, will you be tuning in?
Olive Kitteridge will air on HBO November 2nd and November 3rd, with two parts shown each night.
OLIVE KITTERIDGE tells the poignantly sweet, acerbically funny and devastatingly tragic story of a seemingly placid New England town wrought with illicit affairs, crime and tragedy, told through the lens of Olive, whose wicked wit and harsh demeanor mask a warm but troubled heart and staunch moral center. Richard Jenkins portrays Olive’s husband Henry. The story, which spans 25 years, focuses on her relationships with her husband, Henry, the good-hearted and kindly town pharmacist; their son Christopher, who resents his mother’s approach to parenting; and other members of their community.
