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Halt and Catch Fire (TV series)

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Halt and Catch Fire
GenrePeriod drama
Created byChristopher Cantwell
Christopher C. Rogers
Starring
Theme music composerTrentemøller
ComposerPaul Haslinger
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes20 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
  • Christopher Cantwell
  • Christopher C. Rogers
  • Jonathan Lisco
  • Mark Johnson
  • Melissa Bernstein
Production locationAtlanta, Georgia
Running time42 minutes
Production companiesAMC Studios
Lockjaw Productions
Gran Via Productions
Original release
NetworkAMC
ReleaseJune 1, 2014 (2014-06-01) –
present

Halt and Catch Fire is an American period drama television series created by Christopher Cantwell and Christopher C. Rogers, that premiered on AMC on June 1, 2014.[1][2] The series is set in the Silicon Prairie of Texas, starting in 1983, and depicts a fictionalized insider's view of the personal computer revolution.[3][4] The show's title refers to computer machine code instruction HCF, the execution of which would cause the computer's central processing unit to stop working ("catch fire" was a humorous exaggeration).[5]

In August 2014, AMC renewed Halt and Catch Fire for a second season,[6] which premiered on May 31, 2015 and concluded on August 2, 2015.[7] In October 2015, AMC renewed the series for a 10-episode third season to premiere in summer 2016.[8]

Cast

Main cast

Recurring cast

2

Production and development

AMC ordered the pilot for Halt and Catch Fire in November 2012,[9] and production began on the pilot in April 2013 in Atlanta, Georgia.[10] AMC announced in July 2013 that it had ordered Halt and Catch Fire to a series of ten episodes.[11] The series was created by Christopher Cantwell and Christopher C. Rogers,[9] and Jonathan Lisco serves as the showrunner.[12] In August 2014, AMC renewed the show for a second season of ten episodes, which premiered on May 31, 2015 and concluded on August 2, 2015.[13][7] Lisco stepped down as showrunner after the second season, with Cantwell and Rogers taking over the role for the third season.[8]

Influences on the show's development and production included works such as Steve Jobs' biography and Tracy Kidder's The Soul of a New Machine.[14]

Episodes

Main article: List of Halt and Catch Fire episodes
SeasonEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
110June 1, 2014 (2014-06-01)August 3, 2014 (2014-08-03)
210May 31, 2015 (2015-05-31)August 2, 2015 (2015-08-02)
310August 21, 2016 (2016-08-21)October 11, 2016 (2016-10-11)
410August 19, 2017 (2017-08-19)October 14, 2017 (2017-10-14)

Distribution

The pilot was screened at the South by Southwest festival on March 8, 2014;[15] it was also made available online for streaming on AMC's Tumblr page beginning May 19, 2014 and is the first TV series to premiere on Tumblr.[16]

Home media

The first season was released on DVD and Blu-ray in Region 1 on May 5, 2015.[17] Season 1 was also released on Netflix and AMC.com for home streaming on April 8, 2015, for a limited time.[18] It is also available on Amazon Prime Instant Video in the UK.[19]

International

The series premiered in Australia on June 23, 2015, on Showcase.[20]

Reception

Critical response

The first season received generally positive reviews from critics and has a Metacritic rating of 69 out of 100, based on 30 reviews.[21] Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes gave the first season a 78% rating with an average score of 7.3 out of 10 based on 40 reviews, with the consensus: "A refreshingly well-acted period drama, Halt and Catch Fire convincingly portrays the not-too-distant past."[22] Matthew Gilbert of The Boston Globe expressed promise after the series premiere, writing "it's easy to see why the network chose it. Set in Dallas in 1983, it has a distinctive visual style—something AMC, with the cinematic Breaking Bad and the elegant Mad Men, wants to make part of its brand identity". Speaking of the show's dynamic characters, Gilbert added, "Gordon is the Steve Wozniak to Joe's Steve Jobs, in a way. Add to that dynamic immature 22-year-old coding expert Cameron Howe (Mackenzie Davis)...and you've got a chemical mixture on the verge of exploding".[23]

The second season has received generally positive reviews, with some critics noting the series has improved since the first season. On Metacritic, the season has a score of 73 out of 100 based on 8 reviews.[24] Rotten Tomatoes gave the second season a 94% rating with an average score of 8.3 out of 10, based on 17 reviews, with the critical consensus noting "Halt and Catch Fire version 2.0 has received some upgrades and improvements, including a welcome focus on its female leads."[25] Alan Sepinwall of HitFix gave it a very positive review, calling the performances "terrific" and wrote that "those who stayed patient with Halt season 1, or those who come to the show now that the quality has gone up significantly, will be rewarded."[26] Willa Paskin of Slate wrote that the series has "become a different, better show".[27] James Poniewozik of Time also gave it a positive review, writing that the series has improved in many ways.[28]

Accolades

Halt and Catch Fire was listed with six others for the Critics' Choice Television Award as one of the Most Exciting New Series of the year.[29] For the 19th Satellite Awards, the series was nominated for Best Drama Series and Lee Pace was nominated for Best Actor in a Drama Series.[30] For the 67th Primetime Emmy Awards, the series was nominated for Outstanding Main Title Design.[31]

References

  1. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (July 26, 2013). "TCA: AMC Picks Up 'Halt & Catch Fire' & 'Turn' To Series". Deadline.com. Retrieved August 7, 2013.
  2. ^ "AMC Drama 'Halt and Catch Fire' to Bow June 1 After 'Mad Men' Finale". Variety. March 5, 2014. Retrieved March 5, 2014.
  3. ^ Darling, Cary (May 31, 2014). "AMC does Dallas, and Fort Worth, in 'Halt and Catch Fire'". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Retrieved June 29, 2014.
  4. ^ Labrecque, Jeff (June 1, 2014). "'Halt and Catch Fire': If Don Draper and Walter White met in 1983". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved June 29, 2014.
  5. ^ Roots, Kimberly (June 1, 2014). "Halt and Catch Fire: Does AMC's New Drama Compute?". TVLine. Retrieved June 2, 2014.
  6. ^ Mitovich, Matt Webb (August 20, 2014). "Halt and Catch Fire Gets Season 2". TVLine. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
  7. ^ a b Kondolojy, Amanda (March 26, 2015). "'Halt and Catch Fire' Season Two Premieres Sunday May 31". TV by the Numbers (Press release). Retrieved March 26, 2015.
  8. ^ a b Ausiello, Michael (October 8, 2015). "Halt and Catch Fire Scores Season 3 Renewal Amid Showrunner Switch". TVLine. Retrieved October 8, 2015.
  9. ^ a b Andreeva, Nellie (November 27, 2012). "AMC Orders Period Drama Pilots From Craig Silverstein/Barry Josephson, Mark Johnson". Deadline.com. Retrieved May 24, 2014.
  10. ^ "AMC Set To Film New Pilot 'Halt & Catch Fire' In Atlanta This Month". FanBolt. April 8, 2013. Retrieved May 24, 2014.
  11. ^ Snierson, Dan (July 26, 2013). "AMC greenlights drama series 'Halt & Catch Fire' and 'Turn'". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved May 24, 2014.
  12. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (July 30, 2013). "Jonathan Lisco Inks Overall Deal With AMC". Deadline.com. Retrieved May 24, 2014.
  13. ^ Hibberd, James (August 20, 2014). "Surprise: AMC renews 'Halt and Catch Fire'". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
  14. ^ Villarreal, Yvonne (May 23, 2014). "'Halt and Catch Fire' depicts the early days of the PC revolution". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 14, 2015. 'To familiarize themselves with the subject matter, the staff read Tracy Kidder's "The Soul of a New Machine," Steve Jobs' biography, and watched documentaries such as Robert X. Cringely's "Triumph of the Nerds."'
  15. ^ "AMC Sets June Premiere Date For Drama Series 'Halt And Catch Fire'". Deadline.com. March 8, 2014. Retrieved May 24, 2014.
  16. ^ Highfill, Samantha (May 19, 2014). "AMC drama to become first show to ever premiere on Tumblr". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved May 24, 2014.
  17. ^ Lambert, David (February 24, 2015). "Halt and Catch Fire - Press Release Announces 'The Complete 1st Season' for DVD, Blu-ray". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Retrieved February 25, 2015.
  18. ^ ""Halt and Catch Fire" Dials Up Season Two on Sunday, May 31 at 10:00 P.M. ET/PT" (Press release). AMC. March 26, 2015. Retrieved May 28, 2015.
  19. ^ "Season 2 of "Halt and Catch Fire" for Amazon Prime Instant Video UK" (Press release). Advanced Television. March 31, 2015. Retrieved August 5, 2015.
  20. ^ "Foxtel in June: 200+ new shows including Orange Is The New Black, True Detective, Suits, PLL, Wimbledon and more". The Green Room. Foxtel. June 1, 2015. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  21. ^ "Halt and Catch Fire : Season 1". Metacritic. Retrieved May 31, 2014.
  22. ^ "Halt and Catch Fire: Season 1 (2014)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved June 4, 2014.
  23. ^ Gilbert, Matthew (May 29, 2014). "The promise of Halt and Catch Fire". The Boston Globe. Retrieved June 10, 2014.
  24. ^ "Halt and Catch Fire : Season 2". Metacritic. Retrieved May 31, 2015.
  25. ^ "Halt and Catch Fire: Season 2". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
  26. ^ Sepinwall, Alan (May 28, 2015). "Review: 'Halt and Catch Fire' upgrades in a big way for season 2". HitFix. Retrieved May 31, 2015.
  27. ^ Paskin, Willa (May 28, 2015). "The Perfect Pivot". Slate. Retrieved May 31, 2015.
  28. ^ Poniewozik, James (May 28, 2015). "Review: Halt and Catch Fire Works the Bugs Out in Version 2.0". Time. Retrieved May 29, 2015.
  29. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (June 9, 2014). "Critics' Choice TV Awards Name Top New Series, Sets Ryan Murphy For Icon Honor". Deadline.com. Retrieved June 11, 2014.
  30. ^ Pond, Steve (February 16, 2015). "Satellite Awards: Complete Winners List". The Wrap. Retrieved February 16, 2015.
  31. ^ Hipes, Patrick (July 16, 2015). "Emmy Nominations 2015 – Full List". Deadline.com. Retrieved July 16, 2015.
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