Defending Jacob (miniseries): Difference between revisions
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==Reception== |
==Reception== |
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On [[Rotten Tomatoes]], the series has an approval rating of 52% based on reviews from 27 critics, with an average rating of 6.09 out of 10. The website's critical consensus is, "Despite outstanding work from Michelle Dockery and Chris Evans, ''Defending Jacob'' stretches its source material too thin, undermining its own rich tension with too much melodramatic padding."<ref>{{cite web |title=Defending Jacob: Miniseries |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/defending_jacob/85309 |website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] |access-date=April 24, 2020}}</ref> On [[Metacritic]], the series has a weighted average score of 60 out of 100 based on reviews from |
On [[Rotten Tomatoes]], the series has an approval rating of 52% based on reviews from 27 critics, with an average rating of 6.09 out of 10. The website's critical consensus is, "Despite outstanding work from Michelle Dockery and Chris Evans, ''Defending Jacob'' stretches its source material too thin, undermining its own rich tension with too much melodramatic padding."<ref>{{cite web |title= Defending Jacob: Miniseries |url= https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/defending_jacob/85309 |website= [[Rotten Tomatoes]] |access-date= April 24, 2020 }}</ref> On [[Metacritic]], the series has a weighted average score of 60 out of 100 based on reviews from 21 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".<ref>{{cite web |title= Defending Jacob |url= https://www.metacritic.com/tv/defending-jacob/season-1 |website= [[Metacritic]] |access-date= April 25, 2020 }}</ref> |
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==References== |
==References== |
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Revision as of 04:40, 25 April 2020
| Defending Jacob | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Crime drama |
| Created by | Mark Bomback |
| Based on | Defending Jacob by William Landay |
| Written by | Mark Bomback |
| Directed by | Morten Tyldum |
| Starring | |
| Composer | Atli Orvarsson |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of episodes | 3 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
|
| Cinematography | Jonathan Freeman |
| Production companies |
|
| Original release | |
| Network | Apple TV+ |
| Release | April 24, 2020 – present |
Defending Jacob is an American crime drama web television miniseries, based on the novel of the same name by William Landay, produced by Apple TV+. The series was created and written by Mark Bomback and directed by Morten Tyldum. It stars Chris Evans, Michelle Dockery, Jaeden Martell, Cherry Jones, Pablo Schreiber, Betty Gabriel, and Sakina Jaffrey. It premiered on April 24, 2020.[1]
Premise
Defending Jacob tells the story of a family dealing with the accusation that their 14-year-old son may be a murderer.[2]
Cast
Main
- Chris Evans as Andy Barber
- Michelle Dockery as Laurie Barber
- Jaeden Martell as Jacob Barber
- Cherry Jones as Joanna Klein
- Pablo Schreiber as Neal Logiudice
- Betty Gabriel as Paula Duffy
- Sakina Jaffrey as Lynn Canavan
Recurring
- J. K. Simmons as Billy Barber
- Paul Wesley as Bobby
- Poorna Jagannathan as Dr. Elizabeth Vogel
- Jake Picking as Jake
- Nathan Parsons as Mike
- Leighton Meester as Sara
- Kat Graham as Rose
- Daniel Henshall as Leonard Patz
- Matt Lanter as Jason
- William Xifaras as Father O’Leary
Episodes
| No. | Title | Directed by | Teleplay by | Original release date [3] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Pilot" | Morten Tyldum | Mark Bomback | April 24, 2020 | |
|
Andy Barber (Chris Evans) is a district attorney in Newton, Massachussetts who lives a content, suburban life with his wife Laurie (Michelle Dockery) and their 14-year old son Jacob (Jaeden Martell). Andy is assigned to the case of Ben Litkin, a classmate of Jacob's who is found stabbed to death in the park near their middle school. Despite concerns from Attorney General Lynn Canavan (Sakina Jaffrey) and Andy's colleage and rival Neal Logiudice (Pablo Schreiber) that Andy's association with the school will cause a conflict of interest, he insists on prosecuting the case. Although Laurie and Andy are concerned of the effect Ben's death may have on Jacob, Jacob seems unperturbed and expresses to his parents that Ben was unlikeable. Andy and Detective Paula Duffy (Betty Gabriel) question students at the school, but are unable to figure out a motive for the murder. Duffy discovers a possible suspect, Leonard Patz (Daniel Henshall), a convicted sexual predator, but Andy is advised against bringing in him until they have solid evidence. That night, Andy discovers a social media post memorializing Ben, and reads a series of comments antagonizing Jacob, becoming disturbed when he reads a comment from Jacob's friend Derek that the students believes Jacob committed the murder and that they are aware he had a knife on him. Andy looks through Jacob's room and discovers a knife hidden in his drawer. | |||||
| 2 | "Everything Is Cool" | Morten Tyldum | Mark Bomback | April 24, 2020 | |
| 3 | "Poker Faces" | Morten Tyldum | Mark Bomback | April 24, 2020 | |
The remaining episodes of the first season include, all written by Mark Bomback:[a]
- "After"
- "Damage Control"
- "Defending Jacob"
- "Ilunga"
- "Visitors"
- "Wishful Thinking"
- ^ Episodes are currently ordered as they appear on the Writers Guild of America West website.[4]
Production
Development
On September 20, 2018, it was announced that Apple had given a straight-to-series order consisting of eight episodes to a television miniseries adaptation of William Landay's 2012 novel Defending Jacob. The series was created by Mark Bomback who also wrote the series and executive produced alongside Chris Evans, Morten Tyldum, Rosalie Swedlin, and Adam Shulman. Tyldum also directed the series as well. Production companies involved with the series consist of Paramount Television and Anonymous Content.[2][5]
Casting
Alongside the series order announcement, it was confirmed that Chris Evans had been cast in the series' lead role.[2][5] In March 2019, Michelle Dockery and Jaeden Martell joined the cast of the series.[6] In April 2019, Cherry Jones, Pablo Schreiber, Betty Gabriel and Sakina Jaffrey joined the cast of the series.[7] J. K. Simmons was revealed as part of the cast in a March 2020 trailer.[8]
Filming
Filming was confirmed to commence in Newton, Massachusetts––the city in which the novel takes place––in April 2019. Three locations have been confirmed for filming thus far: Cold Spring Park, the village of Newton Highlands, and the UMass Amherst Mount Ida Campus. Additional filming has begun in Belmont, Massachusetts. Filming also began in Salem, Massachusetts, on June 15, 2019, as well as at MCI Cedar Junction in Walpole, Massachusetts, on June 17, 2019, and in Lowell, Massachusetts, by the UMass Lowell Tsongas Arena on June 19, 2019. Filming took place at River's Edge in Medford, Massachusetts, on June 21, 2019. Filming also commenced on June 28, 2019, in Worcester, Massachusetts,[9][10] and on July 8, 2019, in Watertown, Massachusetts, where the facade of the old Watertown Police Station will appear as the Newton Police Station in the series. Filming took place on July 9, 2019 at the Town Diner in Watertown. On July 18, 2019, they filmed at C&M Pizza in Leominster, Massachusetts. Neighborhood scenes were filmed in Needham, Massachusetts.
Reception
On Rotten Tomatoes, the series has an approval rating of 52% based on reviews from 27 critics, with an average rating of 6.09 out of 10. The website's critical consensus is, "Despite outstanding work from Michelle Dockery and Chris Evans, Defending Jacob stretches its source material too thin, undermining its own rich tension with too much melodramatic padding."[11] On Metacritic, the series has a weighted average score of 60 out of 100 based on reviews from 21 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[12]
References
- ^ Turchiano, Danielle (January 19, 2020). "Apple TV Plus Announces Premiere Dates for Steven Spielberg's 'Amazing Stories,' 'Defending Jacob,' More". Retrieved January 19, 2020.
- ^ a b c Andreeva, Nellie (September 20, 2018). "Chris Evans To Star In 'Defending Jacob' Apple Limited Series From Mark Bomback & Morten Tyldum". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved September 20, 2018.
- ^ "Defending Jacob – Listings". The Futon Critic. Retrieved March 22, 2020.
- ^ "Defending Jacob". Writers Guild of America West. Retrieved March 22, 2020.
- ^ a b Goldberg, Lesley (September 20, 2018). "Chris Evans to Star in Apple Crime Drama 'Defending Jacob'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 20, 2018.
- ^ Otterson, Joe (March 20, 2019). "Michelle Dockery, Jaeden Martell Join Chris Evans in Apple Series 'Defending Jacob'". Variety. Retrieved March 20, 2019.
- ^ Petski, Denise (April 5, 2019). "'Defending Jacob': Cherry Jones, Pablo Schreiber, Betty Gabriel & Sakina Jaffrey Round Out Series Regular Cast Of Apple Series". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 5, 2019.
- ^ "'Defending Jacob' First Trailer: Apple TV+ Unveils Chris Evans' New Legal Series". IndieWire. March 25, 2020.
- ^ DeFeudis, Nicole (June 20, 2019). "Actor Chris Evans films in Lowell for upcoming series". Lowell Sun. Retrieved June 24, 2019.
- ^ Fisher, Jenna (March 21, 2019). "Newton Picked For Apple TV Series Starring Chris Evans". Patch Media. Retrieved March 21, 2019.
- ^ "Defending Jacob: Miniseries". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
- ^ "Defending Jacob". Metacritic. Retrieved April 25, 2020.