Manhattan(sometimes styledMANH(A)TTAN) is an American drama television series based on theproject of the same namethat produced the first atomic weapons. While some historical figures appear inManhattan,most characters are fictional, and the show is not intended to maintain historical accuracy.[4]
| Manhattan | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Period drama |
| Created by | Sam Shaw |
| Starring | |
| Composers | Jónsi & Alex[1] Zoë Keating Jeff Russo[2] |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No.of seasons | 2 |
| No.of episodes | 23 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
|
| Production location | New Mexico |
| Running time | 44–57 minutes |
| Production companies |
|
| Original release | |
| Network | WGN America |
| Release | July 27, 2014– December 15, 2015 |
The show was the first drama production forWGN Americasince the revival of Tribune's production arm asTribune Studios.[5]The series premiered on WGN America on July 27, 2014. The series earned critical acclaim throughout its run, but failed to secure adequate ratings. As a result, it was canceled on February 2, 2016, after its second season, becoming the first WGN America original series to be canceled.[6]
Plot
editSet in 1943 and 1944 at the time of theManhattan Project,the series focuses on the scientists atProject Yand their families in the newly createdLos Alamos, New Mexico,a town the outside world knows nothing about. The federal government tells the scientists only what they need to know, while the scientists keep secrets from their families.[7]
The TV show is not intended to be historically accurate, but inspired by history.[8]The show does reference many aspects of the actual Manhattan Project, and some historical figures such as head scientistRobert Oppenheimer.Other contributors to the Manhattan Project, such asNobel LaureatesEnrico Fermi(who moved to the site in September 1944) andEmilio G. Segrè,do not appear.
Cast
editMain
edit- John Benjamin Hickeyas Dr. Frank Winter, leader of an initially small group of scientists working on animplosion designweapon (loosely based onSeth Neddermeyerand the E-5 Group at the Los Alamos Laboratory)[9]
- Olivia Williamsas Dr. Liza Winter, Frank's wife and abotanist
- Ashley Zukermanas Dr. Charlie Isaacs, a rising young star of the Project
- Rachel Brosnahanas Abby Isaacs, Charlie's wife
- Daniel Sternas Dr. Glen Babbit, mentor to other scientists (season 1; special guest season 2)
- Katja Herbersas Dr. Helen Prins, one of the few women scientists
- Harry Lloydas Paul Crosley,a British scientistwho wants to advance at any cost
- Alexia Fastas Callie Winter, Frank and Liza's rebellious teenage daughter (season 1; guest season 2)[a]
- Christopher Denhamas Jim Meeks, a scientist. Loosely based on theatomic spies,in particularKlaus Fuchs
- Michael Chernusas Louis "Fritz" Fedowitz, a scientist
- William Petersenas Colonel Emmett Darrow (season 2), a United States military officer[10]
Recurring
edit- David Harbouras Dr. Reed Akley, lead scientist for theThin Manbomb design
- Eddie Shinas Dr. Sidney "Sid" Liao, aChinese-Americanscientist[7]
- Daniel Londonas ProfessorJ. Robert Oppenheimer,the melancholic, somewhat reclusive, world-renownedtheoretical physicist,and scientific director of theLos Alamos National Laboratory
- Mark Mosesas Col. Alden Cox
- Carole Weyersas Elodie Lancefield, bisexual wife of scientist Lancefield
- Richard SchiffasG-2spy catcher Avraham Fisher (aka "Occam" )
- Jefferson Whiteas Private First Class Cole Dunlavey (aka "Iowa" )
- Peter Stormareas Lazar
- Josh Cookeas scientist Lancefield
- Neve Campbellas Kitty Oppenheimer (season 2)
- Mamie Gummeras Nora (season 2)
- Griffin Dunneas Woodrow Lorentzen, a reporter and old friend of Liza Winter (season 2)
Production
editTelevision networkWGN Americapremiered its first scripted show, the historical dramaSalem,on April 20, 2014.[11]Peter Liguori,CEO of WGN's parent,Tribune Media,emphasized a strategy of original content production as a way to improve the channel's prestige and profile.[12]TV companies producing the show includeLionsgate Television,Skydance TelevisionandTribune Studios,a WGN affiliate.[3]When announced in April 2014, 13 episodes were ordered.[13]
The series began filming in mid-March across 12 acres (5 ha) in New Mexico.[4]On October 14, 2014,Manhattanwas renewed for a second season.[3]Production on season 2 wrapped on July 24, 2015.[14]
David Saltzberg,a physicist atUCLA,acted as the scientific consultant for the show, andAlex Wellerstein,a historian of science atStevens Institute of Technologywho studies the history of nuclear weapons and secrecy, acted as a historical consultant for the show for Season 2, providing period detail to the writers.[15][16]
Creator Sam Shaw said although that at first the show seems to be about World War II, and the development of the atomic bomb, it was about two eras: the development of the atomic bomb, and after dropping of it on Japan. Speaking about a potential third season Shaw said "the most complicated and morally fascinating and dramatic aspects of the history don't come until after the end of World War II." Shaw noted that only Fritz, Meeks, and Winter knew exactly what happened at the end of season 2 and that going forward he hoped he would get to write that story.[8]Shaw also said "I hope we'll get to follow characters in this moment when Los Alamos goes from being the best kept secret in the world to being the most famous city on the planet."[17]
Episodes
editSeason 1 (2014)
edit| No. overall | No.in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | U.S. viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "You Always Hurt the One You Love" | Thomas Schlamme | Sam Shaw | July 27, 2014 | 0.904[18] |
| 2 | 2 | "The Prisoner's Dilemma" | Thomas Schlamme | Sam Shaw | August 3, 2014 | 0.339[19] |
| 3 | 3 | "The Hive" | Christopher Misiano | Nathaniel Halpern & Lisa Melamed | August 10, 2014 | 0.398[20] |
| 4 | 4 | "Last Reasoning of Kings" | Paris Barclay | Tom Spezialy&Gideon Yago | August 17, 2014 | 0.372[21] |
| 5 | 5 | "A New Approach to Nuclear Cosmology" | Bill D'Elia | Mark Lafferty &Noelle Valdivia | August 24, 2014 | 0.377[22] |
| 6 | 6 | "Acceptable Limits" | Michael Uppendahl | Dustin Thomason | August 31, 2014 | 0.295[23] |
| 7 | 7 | "The New World" | Rosemary Rodriguez | Lila Byock & Dustin Thomason | September 7, 2014 | 0.426[24] |
| 8 | 8 | "The Second Coming" | Daniel Stern | Sam Shaw & Dustin Thomason | September 14, 2014 | 0.303[25] |
| 9 | 9 | "Spooky Action at a Distance" | Andrew Bernstein | Mark Lafferty | September 21, 2014 | 0.425[26] |
| 10 | 10 | "The Understudy" | Simon Cellan Jones | Tom Spezialy | September 28, 2014 | 0.360[27] |
| 11 | 11 | "Tangier" | Julie Anne Robinson | Scott Brown | October 5, 2014 | 0.371[28] |
| 12 | 12 | "The Gun Model" | Dan Attias | Lila Byock | October 12, 2014 | 0.413[29] |
| 13 | 13 | "Perestroika" | Thomas Schlamme | Sam Shaw | October 19, 2014 | 0.378[30] |
Season 2 (2015)
edit| No. overall | No.in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | U.S. viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | 1 | "Damnatio Memoriae" | Thomas Schlamme | Sam Shaw | October 13, 2015 | 0.265[31] |
| 15 | 2 | "Fatherland" | Dan Attias | Scott Brown | October 20, 2015 | 0.191[32] |
| 16 | 3 | "The Threshold" | Andrew Bernstein | Lila Byock & Vinne Wilhelm | October 27, 2015 | 0.256[33] |
| 17 | 4 | "Overlord" | Christopher Misiano | Alexander Woo | November 3, 2015 | 0.335[34] |
| 18 | 5 | "The World of Tomorrow" | Daniel Stern | Mark Lafferty | November 10, 2015 | 0.161[35] |
| 19 | 6 | "33" | Kimberly Peirce | Scott Brown & Megan Ferrell Burke | November 17, 2015 | 0.250[36] |
| 20 | 7 | "Behold the Lord High Executioner" | Jennifer Getzinger | Lila Byock & Vinne Wilhelm | November 24, 2015 | 0.180[37] |
| 21 | 8 | "Human Error" | Julie Anne Robinson | Mark Lafferty | December 1, 2015 | 0.308[38] |
| 22 | 9 | "Brooklyn" | Michael Uppendahl | Dustin Thomason | December 8, 2015 | 0.240[39] |
| 23 | 10 | "Jupiter" | Thomas Schlamme | Sam Shaw | December 15, 2015 | 0.201[40] |
Reception
editCritical reception
editSeason 1 ofManhattanreceived highly positive reception from television critics and has aMetacriticscore of 78 out of 100, based on 23 "generally favorable" reviews.[41]The review aggregation websiteRotten Tomatoesreports a 90% critics rating, with an average rating of 8.3/10 based on 31 reviews; the site's consensus reads: "Though slow to start,Manhattanis a top-notch drama thanks to a talented cast, beautiful cinematography, and a keen eye for period detail. "[42]
Season 2 received further acclaim, scoring an 80 out of 100 based on nine reviews on Metacritic.[43]Rotten Tomatoes reports a 93% approval rating, with an average rating of 8.7/10 based on 14 reviews, and the site's consensus reading, "Manhattan's slow-building intrigue and sense of impending doom deepen in season two, further enriching an already well-acted period drama. "[44]
Accolades
editThe series won thePrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Main Title Designfor the67th Primetime Emmy Awardsand also won the award for Excellence in Title Design at the 2015South by Southwestfestival.[45][46]Justin Kirkreceived a nomination for theCritics' Choice Television Award for Best Guest Performer in a Drama Seriesfor the6th Critics' Choice Television Awards.[47]
References
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