Emerald City (TV series)
A dark reimagining of the Land of Oz.
Emerald City is an American fantasy drama television series that aired on NBC. It was created by David Schulner, based on a pitch by Matthew Arnold, drawing from L. Frank Baum's early 20th-century Oz books and set in the fictional Land of Oz. Tarsem Singh directed all ten episodes, with a cast including Adria Arjona, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Ana Ularu, and Vincent D'Onofrio. NBC ordered the series in April 2015, premiered it with a two-episode debut on January 6, 2017, and aired the final episode on March 3, 2017. The network canceled the show after one season on May 5, 2017.
The story follows 20-year-old Dorothy Gale, a nurse from Lucas, Kansas, who is swept to Oz by a tornado. She sets out to find the Wizard, unaware that her journey will fulfill a prophecy that alters everyone's lives.
Main cast members include Adria Arjona as Dorothy Gale, a nurse seeking the Wizard to return home; Oliver Jackson-Cohen as Roan or Lucas, an amnesiac who joins Dorothy and falls in love with her; Ana Ularu as West, the former Witch of the West and an opium-addicted brothel madam who still uses magic despite blaming it for failing her fellow witches; Mido Hamada as Eamonn, a loyal member of the Wizard's Guard tasked with stopping Dorothy to prevent the Beast Forever's return, combining elements of Omby Amby and the Cowardly Lion; Gerran Howell as Jack, a young man reanimated after an accident and forced into servitude, blending Jack Pumpkinhead, Nick Chopper, and Tik-Tok; Jordan Loughran as Ozma or Tip, a teenager freed from a spell that kept her in a boy's form; Joely Richardson as Glinda, the former Witch of the North and one of the four Cardinal Witches, who runs an orphanage and despises the Wizard for outlawing magic; and Vincent D'Onofrio as Frank Morgan or the Wizard of Oz, a mysterious ruler who banned magic, named after the actor from the 1939 film.
Recurring characters include Florence Kasumba as East, the Witch of the East who runs the Prison of the Abject and clashes with her sister Glinda; Isabel Lucas as Anna, a High Council member who becomes the Wizard's close advisor; Roxy Sternberg as Elizabeth, another Council member determined to protect Oz; Stefanie Martini as Langwidere, the Princess of Ev seeking revenge on the Wizard; Rebeka Rea as Leith or Sylvie, a child witch with dangerous abilities; Gina McKee as Dr.
Quick Facts
- Genre
- Adventure / Drama / Fantasy
- Based On
- Oz book series · L. Frank Baum
- Developer
- Matthew Arnold / Josh Friedman
- Director
- Tarsem Singh
- Starring
- Adria Arjona / Oliver Jackson-Cohen / Ana Ularu / Mido Hamada / Gerran Howell / Jordan Loughran / Joely Richardson / Vincent D'Onofrio
- Composer
- Trevor Morris
- Country
- United States
- Language
- English
- Num Seasons
- 1
- Num Episodes
- 10
- Executive Producer
- David Schulner / Shaun Cassidy / Matthew Arnold / Josh Friedman / Tarsem Singh
- Producer
- Tommy Turtle / Chris Thompson
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The series follows 20-year-old Dorothy Gale, a nurse from Lucas, Kansas, who is transported to the Land of Oz by a tornado. She sets out to find the Wizard, unaware that she is about to fulfill a prophecy that will change everyone's lives forever. The main cast includes Adria Arjona as Dorothy, Oliver Jackson-Cohen as Roan/Lucas, Ana Ularu as West, and Vincent D'Onofrio as Frank Morgan/The Wizard of Oz. The Wizard is an enigmatic figure who outlawed magic and sought to reinvent himself by ruling Oz.
The series was created by David Schulner, based on a pitch by Matthew Arnold, who wrote the pilot script. The project initially received a direct-to-series order, but was put on hold due to creative differences. It was later revived, with David Schulner taking over as showrunner and production proceeding under his leadership.
Reader's Guide
Emerald City is notable as a dark, edgy reinterpretation of L. Frank Baum's Oz stories, aiming for a tone reminiscent of Game of Thrones. Despite a 10-episode order and a high-profile director, the series received mixed to negative reviews. Rotten Tomatoes reported a 38% approval rating based on 42 reviews, with the consensus calling it 'dark and brooding, but also confusing and contrived.' Metacritic gave a score of 47 out of 100, indicating mixed or average reviews. The series premiered to low ratings among adults aged 18–49, which continued to decline; the finale drew 2.9 million viewers. It ended as one of the lowest-rated NBC series of 2017. The series launched on 5Star in the UK on February 8, 2017, to 670,000 viewers, the station's largest audience to date. Its legacy is that of a short-lived, ambitious adaptation that failed to find a broad audience.
Did You Know?
- The series was originally slated to air in 2015 but was canceled before production due to creative differences, then revived on April 15, 2015.
- Vincent D'Onofrio's character Frank Morgan is named after the actor who played the Wizard in the 1939 film.
- The character Jack is a composite of Jack Pumpkinhead, Nick Chopper, and Tik-Tok from Baum's books.
- A special episode titled 'Oz Reimagined: The Making of Emerald City' aired on December 16, 2016.
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