Sweetbitter (TV series)

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Sweetbitter
GenreDrama
Created byStephanie Danler
Based onSweetbitter
by Stephanie Danler
Starring
ComposerWill Bates
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes6 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
  • Stuart Zicherman
  • Stephanie Danler
  • Brad Pitt
  • Dede Gardner
  • Jeremy Kleiner
  • Sarah Esberg
  • Richard Shepard
ProducerDonna E. Bloom
CinematographyTerry Stacey
Camera setupSingle-camera
Running time28–29 minutes
Production companies
Original release
NetworkStarz
ReleaseMay 6, 2018 (2018-05-06) –
present (present)

Sweetbitter is an American drama television series, based on the novel of the same name by Stephanie Danler, that premiered on May 6, 2018 on Starz. On July 13, 2018, it was announced that Starz had renewed the series for a second season.

Premise

Sweetbitter follows "Tess, who shortly after arriving in New York City, lands a job at a celebrated downtown restaurant. Swiftly introduced to the world of drugs, drinking, love, lust, dive bars and fine dining, she learns to navigate the chaotically alluring, yet punishing life she has stumbled upon."[1]

Cast and characters

Main

Recurring

  • Jimmie Saito as Scott
  • Katerina Tannenbaum as Becky

Guest

Episodes

No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateU.S. viewers
(millions)
1"Salt"Richard ShepardStephanie DanlerMay 6, 2018 (2018-05-06)0.038[2]
2"Now Your Tongue Is Coded"Cherien DabisStuart ZichermanMay 13, 2018 (2018-05-13)0.160[3]
3"Everyone Is Soigné"Adam BernsteinKenneth LinMay 20, 2018 (2018-05-20)0.174[4]
4"Simone's"Shira PivenLiz TuccilloMay 27, 2018 (2018-05-27)0.217[5]
5"Weird Night"Ry Russo-YoungStephanie Danler & Deborah SchoenemanJune 3, 2018 (2018-06-03)0.185[6]
6"It's Mine"Stuart ZichermanJaquen Castellanos & Azie DungeyJune 10, 2018 (2018-06-10)0.210[7]

Production

Development

In July 2017, it was reported that Starz was developing a television adaptation of Stephanie Danler's novel Sweetbitter and considering ordering it to series. The project was based on a pilot script developed by Danler and Stu Zicherman, written by Danler, and produced by Plan B Entertainment. Starz ordered additional scripts and assembled a small writers room with an eye toward a potential straight-to-series order. Starz president and CEO Chris Albrecht said at the time, "It’s a book that several of the women at Starz had read and were excited about. When we heard it may be a project, I literally had some of my colleagues come and say this is one we’ve got to get; it plays into young female demographic but as we know women of all ages will certainly be attracted to great stories."[8]

In October 2017, Starz officially ordered the show to series for a first season consisting of six half-hour episodes. It was also announced that Richard Shepard, had come on board to direct and executive produce, Donna Bloom would serve as producer on series, and that Laura Rosenthal was leading the ongoing casting search.[9]

In January 2018, it was announced at the annual Television Critics Association winter press tour that the series would premiere on May 6, 2018.[10] On July 13, 2018, it was reported that Starz had renewed the series for a second season.[11]

Casting

On October 6, 2017, two days after the show was ordered to series, it was announced that Ella Purnell had been cast in the series lead role as Tess.[12] Later that month, the rest of the main cast was announced. These included Tom Sturridge, Caitlin FitzGerald, Paul Sparks, Evan Jonigkeit, Daniyar, Eden Epstein, and Jasmine Mathews.[13] On January 17, 2018, it was announced that Jimmie Saito had been cast in a recurring role as Scott, "the restaurant’s handsome, strong-minded sous chef".[14] On October 24, 2018, it was reported that Sandra Bernhard had been cast in a guest starring role for season two.[15]

Filming

Principal photography for the first season lasted from October to December 2017 in New York City, New York.[16][17]

Release

Promotional poster.

Marketing

On March 1, 2018, Starz released the first poster and trailer for the series.[18]

On March 10, 2018, Starz opened the "Starz Sensory House" at the annual South by Southwest Film Festival in Austin, Texas. The "sensory house" featured a multitude of screens playing the trailers for both new shows on a loop. Various types of food and drinks were available and designed thematically to Sweetbitter and other new Starz series Vida. For “Sweetbitter,” Sugarfina handed out a selection of alcohol-inspired sweets, including martini almond olives and champagne gummy bears. Additionally, a series of six artisanal cocktails were also available, designed by Austin-based bartender Tracy Rowland. One such cocktail based on Sweetbitter included the "Autumn in New York", featuring cognac, sherry, coffee, bitter lemon and a rosemary garnish. Other services contained in the sensory house included mini manicures that were offered by the Austin-based Nails Y’all, and a perfume bar Roux Saint James, which created four custom scents inspired by “Sweetbitter’s” four main characters. The Starz Sensory House was located at 88 Rainey Street in Austin and operated until March 12.[19]

Premiere

On April 26, 2018, the series held its world premiere at the SVA Theatre in New York City, New York during the annual Tribeca Film Festival. Following the screening a discussion was held with creator, executive producer, and writer Stephanie Danler, showrunner Stuart Zicherman, and cast members Ella Purnell, Caitlin FitzGerald, Tom Sturridge, and Paul Sparks.[20][21]

Reception

The first season has been met with a mixed to negative response from critics. On the review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, the first season holds an 30% approval rating with an average rating of 5.25 out of 10 based on 23 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, "Sweetbitter fails to live up to its well-received literary source material -- or stand out from the many big-city coming-of-age television series that came before it."[22] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the season a score of 52 out of 100 based on 14 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews."[23]

References

  1. ^ McDermott, Maeve (October 4, 2017). "Addictive food-world memoir 'Sweetbitter' is headed to TV". USA TODAY. Retrieved December 25, 2017.
  2. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (May 8, 2018). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 5.6.2018". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved May 8, 2018.
  3. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (May 15, 2018). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 5.13.2018". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved May 15, 2018.
  4. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (May 22, 2018). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 5.20.2018". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved May 22, 2018.
  5. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (May 30, 2018). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 5.27.2018". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved May 30, 2018.
  6. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (June 5, 2018). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 6.3.2018". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved June 5, 2018.
  7. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (June 12, 2018). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 6.10.2018". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved June 12, 2018.
  8. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (July 31, 2017). "'Sweetbitter' Drama Based On Book From Plan B In Series Consideration At Starz". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 25, 2017.
  9. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (October 4, 2017). "'Sweetbitter' Half-Hour Drama Based On Book From Plan B Gets Starz Series Order". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 25, 2017.
  10. ^ Pedersen, Erik (January 12, 2018). "Starz Sets Premiere Dates For Rookie Dramas 'Howards End', 'Vida' & Sweetbitter' – TCA". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 12, 2018.
  11. ^ Petski, Denise (July 13, 2018). "'Sweetbitter' Renewed By Starz For Second Season". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 13, 2018.
  12. ^ Petski, Denise (October 6, 2017). "'Sweetbitter': Ella Purnell To Star In Starz Drama Series Based On Book". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 25, 2017.
  13. ^ Petski, Denise (October 31, 2017). "'Sweetbitter': Tom Sturridge, Caitlin Fitzgerald, Paul Sparks, Four More Round Out Cast". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 25, 2017.
  14. ^ Petski, Denise (January 17, 2018). "'Quantico' Casts Vandit Bhatt; Seamus Dever Joins 'Titans'; Jimmie Saito In 'Sweetbitter'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 18, 2018.
  15. ^ Butler, Mary Anne (October 24, 2018). "Sandra Bernhard is Joining Season 2 of STARZ 'Sweetbitter'". Bleeding Cool. Retrieved October 25, 2018.
  16. ^ "Brad Pitt's 'Sweetbitter' Starz TV Series Open Casting Call". Project Casting. October 4, 2017. Retrieved March 3, 2018.
  17. ^ Wood, Lucy (October 27, 2017). "Ella Purnell gets to work on new series after Brad Pitt dating rumours". Metro. Retrieved March 3, 2018.
  18. ^ Pedersen, Erik (March 1, 2018). "'Sweetbitter' Trailer: First Look At Starz's NYC Restaurant Drama". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 1, 2018.
  19. ^ Long, Christian (March 11, 2018). "Starz Introduces 'Vida' and 'Sweetbitter' to SXSW With Sensory House Experience". Variety. Retrieved March 12, 2018.
  20. ^ Ramos, Dino-Ray (March 21, 2018). "Tribeca Film Festival Sets 'The Trayvon Martin Story', 'Cobra Kai' For Tribeca TV Lineup". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 21, 2018.
  21. ^ Brara, Noor (April 27, 2018). "Sweetbitter, Now on TV, Celebrates Living Large and Eating Well". Vogue. Retrieved May 5, 2018.
  22. ^ "Sweetbitter: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved January 5, 2019.
  23. ^ "Sweetbitter: Season 1". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved May 13, 2018.

External links