Salem season 1
| Salem | |
|---|---|
| Season 1 | |
 Promotional poster | |
| Starring | |
| No. of episodes | 13 |
| Release | |
| Original network | WGN America |
| Original release | April 20 – July 13, 2014 |
| Season chronology | |
The first season of Salem, an American horror–drama television series on WGN America, premiered on April 20, 2014, and concluded on July 13, 2014, consisting of thirteen episodes. Created for television by Adam Simon and Brannon Braga, who write or co-write episodes of the show, the series is based on the Salem Witch Trials. It was executive produced by Braga, Coby Greenberg and David Von Ancken, with Braga and Simon assuming the role of showrunner.
As the first original scripted show on WGN America, the pilot episode received 1.52 million viewers, and remained the network's highest-rated show throughout its first season run. The show was soon renewed for a second season. The season follows Mary Sibley, a witch conspiring with other witches to bring forth the Grand Rite, as she brings forth hysteria among the puritans of Salem. Her former flame, John Alden, returns after years of absence, complicating her wicked plan.
Cast
Main cast
- Janet Montgomery as Mary Walcott, Salem's most powerful enchantress (13 episodes)
- Shane West as Captain John Alden, Mary's love interest (13 episodes)
- Seth Gabel as Cotton Mather, the local witch hunter (13 episodes)
- Ashley Madekwe as Tituba, Mary's friend and fellow witch (10 episodes)
- Tamzin Merchant as Anne Hale, the daughter of the Magistrate (13 episodes)
- Elise Eberle as Mercy Lewis, a tortured victim from the witches (12 episodes)
- Xander Berkeley as Magistrate John Hale, the father of Anne (13 episodes)
- Iddo Goldberg as Isaac Walton, branded the fornicator (9 episodes)
Recurring cast
- Lara Grice as Mrs. Hale, the mother of Anne and wife of John Hale (10 episodes)
- Michael Mulheren as George Sibley, the elected official of Salem (9 episodes)
- Azure Parsons as Gloriana Embry, Cotton's love interest later banished by Increase (7 episodes)
- Stephen Lang as Increase Mather, Cotton's father who takes over the witch hunt (7 episodes)
- Morgana Shaw as Mab, the madam of the local brothel (7 episodes)
- Mary Katherine O'Donnell as Emily Hopkins (7 episodes)
- Sammi Hanratty as Dollie Trask, Mercy's best friend (5 episodes)
- Christopher Berry as The Seer, a man who lives in the woods (5 episodes)
- Lucy Faust as Elizabeth (5 episodes)
- Diane Louise Salinger as Rose Browning, a fellow witch (4 episodes)
- Thomas Francis Murphy as Reverend Lewis, the local priest (4 episodes)
Guest cast
- Antonia Prebble as Bridget Bishop, a midwife accused of witchcraft (1 episode)
- Kevin Tighe as Giles Corey, has close ties to the Alden family (1 episode)
Production
Writing
Episodes
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Prod. code | U.S. viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "The Vow" | Richard Shepard | Brannon Braga & Adam Simon | April 20, 2014 | 1WAT01 | 1.521[1] |
| 2 | 2 | "The Stone Child" | David Von Ancken | Brannon Braga & Adam Simon | April 27, 2014 | 1WAT02 | 0.774[2] |
| 3 | 3 | "In Vain" | Alex Zakrzewski | Elizabeth Sarnoff & Tricia Small | May 4, 2014 | 1WAT03 | 0.440[3] |
| 4 | 4 | "Survivors" | David Von Ancken | Jon Harmon Feldman | May 11, 2014 | 1WAT04 | 0.429[4] |
| 5 | 5 | "Lies" | Sergio Mimica-Gezzan | Tricia Small & Elizabeth Sarnoff | May 18, 2014 | 1WAT05 | 0.500[5] |
| 6 | 6 | "The Red Rose and the Briar" | P. J. Pesce | Joe Menosky & Adam Simon | May 25, 2014 | 1WAT06 | 0.476[6] |
| 7 | 7 | "Our Own Private America" | David Von Ancken | Adam Simon & Brannon Braga | June 1, 2014 | 1WAT07 | 0.537[7] |
| 8 | 8 | "Departures" | Alex Zakrzewski | Jon Harmon Feldman | June 8, 2014 | 1WAT08 | 0.574[8] |
| 9 | 9 | "Children, Be Afraid" | David Grossman | Elizabeth Sarnoff & Tricia Small | June 15, 2014 | 1WAT09 | 0.490[9] |
| 10 | 10 | "The House of Pain" | David Von Ancken | Adam Simon & Joe Menosky | June 22, 2014 | 1WAT10 | 0.465[6] |
| 11 | 11 | "Cat and Mouse" | Tricia Brock | Jon Harmon Feldman | June 29, 2014 | 1WAT11 | 0.591[10] |
| 12 | 12 | "Ashes, Ashes" | Bill Johnson | Brannon Braga & Adam Simon | July 6, 2014 | 1WAT12 | 0.363[11] |
| 13 | 13 | "All Fall Down" | David Von Ancken | Brannon Braga & Adam Simon | July 13, 2014 | 1WAT13 | 0.432[6] |
Reception
Critical response
The first season of Salem received mixed reviews from critics, earning a 54% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 26 reviews, with the site's critical consensus reading: "While the horror scenes are well-executed, Salem lacks enough substance to sustain even a guilty-pleasure interest."
Accolades
Ratings
The series premiere on April 20, 2014 garnered 1.5 million viewers and 647,000 Adults 18-49, which was a 635% increase over WGN America's season-to-date average in that timeslot. Including the other three airings that night, Salem had a cumulative 2.3 million viewers and 886,000 Adults 18-49. The premiere was also WGN America's highest rated telecast since 2007.[12] In Live+3 DVR ratings, Salem rose to 3.1 million total viewers, and 1.3 million Adults 18-49, which was WGN America's best 18-49 performance since December 2003, and best performance in total viewers since December 2001.[13]
The premiere averaged 3.4 million viewers and 1.5 million Adults 18-49 in Live+7 ratings, and the first two episodes averaged in 1.7 million viewers and 806,000 Adults 18-49 in the Live+7's. As a result, the show was renewed for a second season on May 5, 2014 after airing only 3 episodes.[14] The season as a whole averaged a 0.22 18-49 rating and a 0.28 25-54 rating. It also averaged approximately 159,000 Females 18-49 and 126,000 Males 18-49 over the course of the season.[15]
Home media releases
The first season was released on DVD in the United States on October 28, 2014 by Fox Home Entertainment.[16]
References
- ^ "Sunday's Cable Ratings & Broadcast Finals: "Game of Thrones" Tops Easter Demoss". The Futon Critic. April 22, 2014.
- ^ Kissell, Rick (April 30, 2014). "ABC Closing Season Strong, Wins Second Straight Week in Young Adults Demo". Variety. Retrieved March 1, 2016.
- ^ Kondolojy, Amanda (May 6, 2014). "Sunday Cable Ratings: 'Game of Thrones' Wins Night, + 'Real Housewives of Atlanta', 'Married to Medicine', 'Silicon Valley' & More". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved July 13, 2015.
- ^ @SonoftheBronx (May 15, 2014). "429,000 viewers on 5/11 10PM ET RT @yankeesrj12 Do you have the ratings for the most recent episode of Salem?" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ Kondolojy, Amanda (May 20, 2014). "Sunday Cable Ratings: 'Game of Thrones' Wins Night + 'Silicon Valley', 'Real Housewives of Atlanta', 'River Monsters', 'Married to Medicine' & More". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved July 13, 2015.
- ^ a b c @SonoftheBronx (November 28, 2014). "In viewers, respectively: 476k, 465k, 591k, 432k "@mralphafreak viewership numbers for SALEM on May 25, June 22, June 29, and July 13?"" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ Kondolojy, Amanda (June 3, 2014). "Sunday Cable Ratings: 'Game of Thrones' Wins Night + NHL Conference Finals, 'Real Housewives of Atlanta: Kandi's Wedding', 'Silicon Valley' & More". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved July 13, 2015.
- ^ Bibel, Sara (June 10, 2014). "Sunday Cable Ratings: 'Game of Thrones' Wins Night, 'Keeping Up With the Kardashians', 'Devious Maids', 'Veep', 'Turn' & More". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on June 14, 2014. Retrieved April 21, 2015.
- ^ "Who Won Sunday Night's Primetime Slugfest? - Sunday, June 15, 2014". Multichannel News. Retrieved March 25, 2016.
- ^ ""The Primetime 100" - Sunday, June 29, 2014". MultichannelNews. Retrieved March 5, 2016.
- ^ Bibel, Sara (July 9, 2014). "Sunday Cable Ratings: 'True Blood' Wins Night, 'The Last Ship', 'Falling Skies', 'The Leftovers', 'Devious Maids', 'Witches of East End', & More". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved July 13, 2015.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (April 21, 2014). "WGN's 'Salem' Off To Strong Ratings Start". Deadline. Retrieved March 23, 2016.
- ^ "WGN America's 'Salem' Spikes to 3.1 Million Total Viewers in Live + 3". TV by the Numbers. April 25, 2014. Archived from the original on April 9, 2016. Retrieved March 23, 2016.
- ^ "'Salem' Renewed for Second Season by WGN America". TV by the Numbers. May 5, 2014. Archived from the original on April 9, 2016. Retrieved March 23, 2016.
- ^ "Viewers Aren't Afraid Of Supernatural". Multichannel. Retrieved March 23, 2016.
- ^ Lambert, David (October 28, 2014). "Salem - A DVD Release for 'The Complete 1st Season' of the WGN America Series". TV Shows on DVD. Archived from the original on April 25, 2016. Retrieved January 17, 2016.
