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Servant (TV series)

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Servant
GenrePsychological thriller
Horror drama
Written byTony Basgallop
Directed byM. Night Shyamalan
Daniel Sackheim
Starring
ComposerTrevor Gureckis
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes5 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
Production locations
CinematographyMike Gioulakis
Camera setupSingle-camera
Running time30 minutes
Production companies
Original release
NetworkApple TV+
ReleaseNovember 28, 2019 (2019-11-28) –
present

Servant is an American psychological horror television series created and written by Tony Basgallop who also executive produced alongside M. Night Shyamalan. The series is produced for Apple TV+ and debuted on November 28, 2019.[1] Ahead of the premiere, Apple renewed Servant for a second season.[2]

Premise

Six weeks after the death of their 13-week-old son, Philadelphia couple Dorothy and Sean Turner hire a young nanny, Leanne, to move in and take care of Baby Jericho, a reborn doll. The doll, which Dorothy believes is her real child, was the only thing that brought her out of her catatonic state following Jericho's death. While Sean deals with the grief on his own, he becomes deeply suspicious of Leanne.[3]

Cast and characters

Main

  • Toby Kebbell as Sean Turner, a stay-at-home consulting chef, recently bereaved father and husband to Dorothy
  • Lauren Ambrose as Dorothy Turner, a local television news reporter, recently bereaved mother, and wife to Sean
  • Nell Tiger Free as Leanne Grayson, a mysterious young nanny from Wisconsin hired by the Turners
  • Rupert Grint as Julian Pearce, Dorothy's brother and Sean's brother-in-law
  • Mason and Julius Belford as Jericho

Recurring

  • Phillip James Brannon as Matthew Roscoe, Julian's private detective friend
  • Tony Revolori as Tobe, Sean's commis chef

Guest

Episodes

No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release date [4]
1"Reborn"M. Night ShyamalanTony BasgallopNovember 28, 2019 (2019-11-28)
Leanne, a dour 18-year-old, moves into the Philadelphia home of Dorothy and Sean Turner as a nanny for "baby Jericho"—a reborn doll. Following the apparent crib death of the real Jericho at 13 weeks old, Dorothy suffered a "psychotic break", and a therapist suggested the doll as a coping method. Dorothy, who acts as though the doll is real, enthusiastically welcomes Leanne into their home as she returns to her own job. Sean, alone in his grief, is uncomfortable around the devoutly religious Leanne, who also acts as though the doll is real. When Leanne puts the baby down for a "nap", Sean discovers Jericho alive in his crib.
2"Wood"Daniel SackheimTony BasgallopNovember 28, 2019 (2019-11-28)
Leanne appears mystified when Sean demands to know whose baby is in his house, telling him that it's his son. Dorothy acts "normally" when she sees Jericho, as though he'd never died. While both women are sleeping, Sean attempts to take Jericho to the police, but is suddenly unable to disarm the security system. He confides in Julian, Dorothy's brother, who, along with their father, is one of the few who knows Jericho died. Sean destroys a homemade straw cross Leanne hung above Jericho's crib. He begins finding painful splinters all over his body and loses his sense of taste. Dorothy begins having flashes of catatonia, the state she was in after Jericho's death six weeks earlier.
3"Eel"Daniel SackheimTony BasgallopNovember 28, 2019 (2019-11-28)
Leanne passes out while watching Sean, a chef, kill and prepare eels in the kitchen. Using the address from her application letter to Dorothy, Julian and a private investigator, Roscoe, go to Medicine Bridge, Wisconsin, to investigate Leanne. They discover a burned out house that belonged to the Grayson family, and graves for Leanne, who died as a baby in 2002, and her parents, who also perished in the fire. Julian believes Leanne is an impostоr who is trying to get money from the family through blackmail. Leanne begins to emulate Dorothy.
4"Bear"Nimród AntalTony BasgallopDecember 6, 2019 (2019-12-06)
After realizing that Leanne is taking Jericho into her own bedroom at night, Sean installs a nanny cam in her room to spy on her. Flashbacks reveal Dorothy suffered multiple miscarriages before Jericho was born. Dorothy decides to take Leanne and Jericho to work with her to meet her coworkers, but Sean intervenes and insists Jericho is too young. However, while watching Dorothy reporting live from a murder trial, Sean spots Leanne in the background with Jericho, watching Dorothy. Leanne watches a DVD from 2011 of Dorothy's reporting, which appears to show Dorothy interviewing a young Leanne at a children's pageant.
5"Cricket"Nimród AntalTony BasgallopDecember 13, 2019 (2019-12-13)
Leanne is hurt and angered by both Dorothy and Sean's actions toward her. She feels betrayed by Dorothy, who sends her on an errand so she and Sean can be intimate, while Sean snaps at her after she brings up a yellow onesie from the basement. After Leanne writes their names in her Bible before her evening prayers, Dorothy wakes up with a sudden coldsore and Sean gets yet another unexplained splinter. When Julian sends by a girl posing as a nanny to try to get rid of Leanne, Leanne gets her revenge. As a crying Leanne flogs herself, a dead cricket returns to life.

Production

Development

On February 27, 2018, it was announced that Apple Inc. had given the production a series order for a first season consisting of ten episodes. The series was created by Tony Basgallop who also wrote for the series and executive produced it alongside M. Night Shyamalan, Ashwin Rajan, Jason Blumenthal, Todd Black, and Steve Tisch. Production companies involved with the show include Blinding Edge Pictures, Escape Artists, and Dolphin Black Productions.[5][6][7] Mike Gioulakis served as the series' cinematographer.[8] On October 3, 2019, it was reported that series is scheduled to be released on November 28, 2019.[1] Ahead of the series premiere, on November 22, 2019, it was announced that Apple had renewed the series for a second season.[2]

Shyamalan stated that he envisions the series to stretch for 60 half-hour episodes, or six seasons.[9]

Casting

On August 22, 2018, it was announced that Lauren Ambrose and Nell Tiger Free had been cast in leading roles.[3] On November 30, 2018, it was reported that Rupert Grint had joined the main cast.[10] On December 4, 2018, it was announced that Toby Kebbell had been cast in a starring role.[11]

Filming

Servant was filmed in Philadelphia from November 2018 to March 2019. Exterior scenes took place in Philadelphia's Center City near Spruce and 21st Streets. A set for the interior of the Turner home was built in a former paint factory in Bethel Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania, where the interior of the Turner home was built.[12][13]

Italian chef Marc Vetri served as a food consultant for the cooking scenes.[9]

Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds an approval rating of 84% based on 38 reviews, with an average rating of 6.88/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Though Servant's slithering mystery often wanders into dark, crowded corners, its claustrophobic atmosphere and powerful performances build enough tension to keep viewers hooked."[14] On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 68 out of 100 based on reviews from 14 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[15]

References

  1. ^ a b Edelstein, Robert (October 3, 2019). "M. Night Shyamalan's Apple Series 'Servant' Gets Premiere Date – New York Comic Con". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 23, 2019.
  2. ^ a b Andreeva, Nellie (November 22, 2019). "M. Night Shyamalan's 'Servant' Renewed For Season 2 By Apple Ahead Of Premiere". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 23, 2019.
  3. ^ a b Andreeva, Nellie (August 22, 2018). "Lauren Ambrose & Nell Tiger Free To Star In M. Night Shyamalan's Apple Series". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 22, 2018.
  4. ^ "Servant – Listings". The Futon Critic. Retrieved October 21, 2019.
  5. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (February 27, 2018). "Apple Orders M. Night Shyamalan Psychological Thriller TV Series". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 23, 2018.
  6. ^ Otterson, Joe (February 27, 2018). "M. Night Shyamalan to Produce Straight-to-Series Thriller for Apple". Variety. Retrieved June 23, 2018.
  7. ^ Goldberg, Lesley (February 27, 2018). "M. Night Shyamalan Psychological Thriller Scores Apple Series Pickup". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 23, 2018.
  8. ^ "echnicolor's Work on Glass Brings Together the Narratives – the Looks and Colorful Characters – to Complete the M. Night Shyamalan Trilogy". Technicolor SA. February 5, 2019. Retrieved March 27, 2019.
  9. ^ a b Wigler, Josh (November 27, 2019). "'Servant': M. Night Shyamalan on Crafting an "Urban Nightmare" for Apple TV+". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
  10. ^ Petski, Denise (November 30, 2018). "Rupert Grint Joins M. Night Shyamalan's Apple Series". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 30, 2018.
  11. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (December 4, 2018). "Toby Kebbell To Star In M. Night Shyamalan's Apple Series". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 4, 2018.
  12. ^ Owen, Rob (November 21, 2019). "M. Night Shyamalan's creepy, set-in-Philly series 'Servant' to stream on Apple TV+". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
  13. ^ Koblin, John (2019-03-17). "Apple's Big Spending Plan to Challenge Netflix Takes Shape". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-03-24.
  14. ^ "Servant: Season 1 (2019)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
  15. ^ "Servant: Season 1". Metacritic. Retrieved November 30, 2019.
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