Olive Kitteridge (miniseries)

Olive Kitteridge
Genre	Drama
Based on	Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout
Screenplay by	Jane Anderson
Directed by	Lisa Cholodenko
Starring	Frances McDormand Richard Jenkins Zoe Kazan Rosemarie DeWitt Martha Wainwright John Gallagher Jr. Devin Druid Jesse Plemons Bill Murray Peter Mullan
Theme music composer	Carter Burwell
Country of origin	United States
Original language(s)	English
No. of episodes	4
Production
Producer(s)	Gary Goetzman Tom Hanks Frances McDormand Jane Anderson Steve Shareshian David Coatsworth
Cinematography	Frederick Elmes
Editor(s)	Jeffrey M. Werner
Running time	233 minutes
Production company(s)	HBO Miniseries Playtone As Is
Release
Original network	HBO
External links
Website

Olive Kitteridge is an American television miniseries based on Elizabeth Strout's 2008 novel Olive Kitteridge. Set in Maine,^[1] the HBO miniseries features Frances McDormand as the title character, Richard Jenkins as Olive's loving husband Henry Kitteridge, Zoe Kazan as Denise Thibodeau, and Bill Murray as Jack Kennison.^[2] The show is divided into four parts, each depicting a certain point of time in the novel.^[1]

The miniseries debuted in the United States on November 2, 2014, on the American premium TV network HBO, which aired the show's first two episodes back-to-back that evening; the third and fourth episodes aired back-to-back the following evening. It was shown in a similar format in the United Kingdom on Sky Atlantic, on December 14 and December 15, 2014.^[3] It premiered in Australia on showcase from 13 January 2015.^[4] At the 67th Primetime Emmy Awards, the miniseries won eight awards including Outstanding Limited Series.

Premise[edit]

Olive Kitteridge is a misanthropic and strict, but well-meaning, retired schoolteacher who lives in the fictional seaside town of Crosby, Maine. She is married to Henry Kitteridge, a kind, considerate man who runs a pharmacy downtown, and has a troubled son named Christopher, who grows up to be a podiatrist. For 25 years, Olive has experienced problems of depression, bereavement, jealousy, and friction with family members and friends.

Cast[edit]

• Frances McDormand as Olive Kitteridge
• Richard Jenkins as Henry Kitteridge
• Zoe Kazan as Denise Thibodeau
• Rosemarie DeWitt as Rachel Coulson
• Martha Wainwright as Angela O'Meara
• John Gallagher Jr. as Christopher Kitteridge (adult)
• Devin Druid as Christopher Kitteridge (age 13)
• John Mullen as Kevin Coulson (age 13)
• Cory Michael Smith as Kevin Coulson (adult)
• Ann Dowd as Bonnie Newton
• Jesse Plemons as Jerry McCarthy
• Bill Murray as Jack Kennison
• Peter Mullan as Jim O'Casey
• Rachel Brosnahan as Patty Howe
• Brady Corbet as Henry Thibodeau
• Maryann Urbano as Linda Kennison
• Libby Winters as Suzanne
• Patricia Kalember as Joyce
• Audrey Marie Anderson as Ann
• Donna Mitchell as Louise Larkin
• Frank L. Ridley as Mr. Thibodeau

Reception[edit]

Critical response[edit]

Olive Kitteridge was praised for its writing, direction, cinematography, and Frances McDormand's central performance as well as those of Jenkins, Murray and Gallagher. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes gave it a 95% "fresh" rating, based on 65 reviews with an average score of 8.68 out of 10. The critical consensus reads: "Olive Kitteridge's narrative slow burn enhances fascinating performances—and a story worthy of its source material."^[5] On Metacritic, the show has a score of 89 out of 100, based on 34 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".^[6]

Accolades[edit]

The miniseries received nominations at several awards ceremonies including the 72nd Golden Globe Awards, where the series was nominated for Best Miniseries or Television Film, Frances McDormand was nominated for Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film and Bill Murray was nominated for Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries, or Television Film.^[7] Frances McDormand was also nominated at the 21st Screen Actors Guild Awards for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie and Richard Jenkins was nominated Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie.^[8] McDormand and Jenkins were also nominated in equivalent categories at the 19th Satellite Awards, where Zoe Kazan was also nominated Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries, or Television Film and the series was nominated Best Miniseries or Television Film.

Home media[edit]

Olive Kitteridge was released by HBO on DVD and Blu-ray on February 10, 2015.^[9]

References[edit]

External links[edit]

• Olive Kitteridge on IMDb