United States of Tara
| United States of Tara | |
|---|---|
| File:United States of Tara title.png | |
| Genre | Comedy-drama[1] |
| Created by | Steven Spielberg |
| Developed by | Diablo Cody |
| Starring | Toni Collette John Corbett Brie Larson Keir Gilchrist Rosemarie DeWitt |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 13 (1 aired) |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Steven Spielberg Diablo Cody Darryl Frank Justin Falvey |
| Producer | Dan Kaplow |
| Production location | Los Angeles, California |
| Camera setup | Single-camera |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Original release | |
| Network | Showtime |
| Release | January 18, 2009 |
United States of Tara is an American comedy-drama television series on the Showtime Network starring Toni Collette. Created by Steven Spielberg and developed by Juno's Academy Award-winning screenwriter, Diablo Cody, the 13-episode series follows the life of a housewife with dissociative identity disorder. It premiered on January 18, 2009. The pilot, written by Diablo Cody and directed by Craig Gillespie, has been made available for viewing on Showtime's official website.
Overview
Tara Gregson is a wife and mother with dissociative identity disorder (DID). After deciding to take a break from her medication to discover the real cause of her disorder, her alternate personalties re-emerge: wild and flirty teenager T, fifties housewife Alice, and loud, beer-drinking war vet Buck. Tara is supported by her calm and level-headed husband Max, her somewhat troubled teenage daughter Kate and quirky, good-hearted son Marshall. Her sister, Charmaine, is not so supportive, often expressing her doubt about the validity of Tara's disorder. The show is set in Overland Park, KS.
Cast
- Toni Collette as Tara Gregson, a hard-working mother of two who paints nursery room murals for pregnant women. She loves her family and often feels guilty for the bizarre events she puts them through. Though Tara's personalities re-emerge because she goes off her medication, Cody stated that she isn't being irresponsible, but rather "wants a chance to try living with her condition, instead of smothering it with drugs" because it is "clear ... that she is not receiving proper treatment for her [dissociative identity disorder]".[2] Collette has said that she is "absolutely in love ... and excited"[3] about the project.
- Toni Collette as Buck, Tara's only male personality. He is a loud and profane troublemaker, characterized by Collette as "the aggressive protector type, a man's man".[2] Buck has a gun named Persephone and often goes to the shooting range with Max and Marshall. He explains his lack of a penis by claiming that it was shot off in Vietnam.[4] Collete said that Buck is her favourite of the three personalities "just because he's most challenging", though she has to "always be careful not to make him a stereotype."[2]
- Toni Collette as Alice, Tara's "June Cleaver-esque"[2] housewife personality. Alice often bakes for the family and labels herself as old-fashioned.
- Toni Collette as T, Tara's wild, pot-smoking teen personality. She relates well with Kate, providing her with birth control medication and attempting to take her on a shopping spree with Tara's credit cards.
- John Corbett as Max Gregson, Tara's hard-working husband and father. He is calm and level-headed when it comes to Tara's disorder; The New Yorker called him "a member of that strange breed of TV husband that exhibits infinite patience".[4] After being married to Tara for 17 years, "it's no longer a shock to [Max] when he comes home and finds Buck in the kitchen drinking a beer".[2]
- Brie Larson as Kate Gregson, Tara's somewhat troubled teenage daughter. Kate has a lot of hormonal issues and often has a lot of trouble with the boys she dates, usually due to her bizarre taste in men.
- Keir Gilchrist as Marshall Gregson, Tara and Max's sensitive and good-natured son. Marshall is gay and has a crush on a boy in his film class, though writer Diablo Cody has said that Marshall's sexuality is "just matter-of-fact" and "definitely wasn't intended as any sort of plot point".[1] Though the family is supportive of Marshall, Buck is slightly homophobic and often makes disparaging remarks; Cody thought "it would be really fun" to have the dichotomy of Tara being "incredibly supportive" while Buck is "kind of a homophobe", though "he actually does love Marshall".[1] Gilchrist was praised for his portrayal, with one critic commenting that he "deserves his own series"[5] and another saying that he was "the real breakout star ... [his] expressive, trusting face will definitely break your heart in some scenes".[6]
- Rosemarie DeWitt as Charmaine, Tara's sister. She resents Tara for always being the center of attention, and accuses her of only acting out her personalities. Cody wrote Charmaine as an antagonist because she wanted "a voice for the skeptics".[1]
Broadcasting information
The series premiered on the US network Showtime at 10 p.m. on January 18, premiering before the second season of ITV's Secret Diary of a Call Girl. The season will air 13 episodes. In Canada, it will debut on The Movie Network beginning January 19 at 9 p.m.
In late December, Showtime offered free viewing on its website for the pilot of United States of Tara. Reaction to the pilot was positive; Variety magazine was the first to review it and gave it a very positive review. After averaging over a dozen reviews of the series, MetaCritic concluded that Tara has received "generally favorable reviews." [7]
References
- ^ a b c d Fox, Erin (January 17, 2009). "Oscar-Winner Diablo Cody Dishes on New Project: The United States of Tara". TV Guide. Retrieved January 17, 2009.
- ^ a b c d e Ryan, Andrew (January 17, 2009). "Meet Tara ... and T and Alice and Buck". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved January 17, 2009.
- ^ O'Hare, Kate (January 17, 2009). "Tara is a woman divided by four". Starweek Magazine. Toronto Star.
{{cite news}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help) - ^ a b Franklin, Nancy (January 19, 2009). "Altered States". The New Yorker. Retrieved January 17, 2009.
- ^ Gilber, Matthew (January 17, 2009). "Mother's little helpers". The Boston Globe. Retrieved January 17, 2009.
- ^ Amatangelo, Amy (January 14, 2009). "It's time to say goodbye to Gil Grissom". zap2it.com. Tribune Media Services. Retrieved January 17, 2009.
- ^ http://www.metacritic.com/tv/shows/unitedstatesoftara