Predicting a hit TV show in advance is a gambler’s game, but if Lessons in Chemistry is anything like its namesake it’ll penetrate the entertainment zeitgeist and cause as much of a stir as it did in the literary world.
Starring Academy Award-winning actress Brie Larson as the main character Elizabeth Zott, Lessons in Chemistry follows the storyline laid out in Bonnie Garmus’ New York Times best-selling debut novel of the same name. The widely popular book hit shelves back in April 2022, spent over 56 weeks on the NYT’s Best Seller list, was named one of NYT’s notable books of the year, and was chosen as Good Morning America’s book club pick. It was also read and loved by over three-quarters of a million readers on Goodreads and was named the platform’s Best Debut Novel of 2022.
In other words, Lessons in Chemistry has the chance to be a huge hit for Apple TV Plus. The limited series is developed by Lee Eisenberg and executive produced by himself, Jason Bateman, Michael Costigan, Susannah Grant, Natalie Sandy, and Brie Larson. It also includes a decked-out cast of both fresh and familiar faces.
Here’s everything you need to know about the show before it premieres this fall.
What is the plot of Lessons in Chemistry?
Elizabeth Zott is a chemist. She’s also a woman living in the 1950s, so although she possesses intelligence far greater than her male counterparts, she’s constantly forced to explain herself and her existence in the scientific community. Falling in love with renowned chemist Calvin Evans (Lewis Pullman), with whom she works at Hastings Research Institute does not help in the slightest, but at least Calvin takes her seriously, which is more than she can say for her boss or her fellow colleagues.
After Elizabeth is fired from Hastings for reasons you must watch the show to find out, she’s approached by Walter Pine (Kevin Sussman) to host an afternoon cooking show called Supper at Six. It just so happens that Elizabeth is a fantastic cook. However, the kitchen is not where she belongs. She belongs in a lab. Nevertheless, she needs the money (also for reasons you must watch the show to find out), so she accepts the position. But in true Elizabeth fashion, she brings chemistry to the kitchen as well as a host of feminist wisdom that enraptures the entire nation and has men and women alike clinging to their living room TV screens. Elizabeth Zott is, after all, not your average woman.
The official synopsis of the show is as follows, per Apple TV Plus:
“Set in the early 1950s, “Lessons in Chemistry” follows Elizabeth Zott (played by Larson), whose dream of being a scientist is put on hold in a patriarchal society. When Elizabeth finds herself fired from her lab, she accepts a job as a host on a TV cooking show, and sets out to teach a nation of overlooked housewives — and the men who are suddenly listening — a lot more than recipes.”
What is the release date for Lessons in Chemistry?
Lessons in Chemistry is scheduled to premiere its first two episodes on Friday, Oct. 13. New episodes will air every Friday until the finale on Nov. 24, the day after Thanksgiving in America, which is sort of fitting when you think about it.
How many episodes does Lessons in Chemistry have?
Lessons in Chemistry is a limited series, so don’t expect a full 22 episodes like a network drama or even 13 episodes like some streaming shows. This Apple TV Plus show contains eight episodes, spanning a total of nine years (1952 to 1961), so that means there’s a lot to get through. Prepare yourselves. Come on an empty stomach. This will be a feast.