Candy (miniseries)

Production

In July 2020, UCP was developing a series about Candy Montgomery, with Robin Veith writing the pilot and Nick Antosca executive producing under his Eat the Cat banner. Hulu picked up the series in December 2020. Elisabeth Moss was originally cast as Candy but dropped out in October 2021 due to scheduling conflicts, and Jessica Biel replaced her. Principal photography took place from December 2021 through February 2022 in Austell, Georgia.

Release

The miniseries Candy, also called Candy: A Death in Texas in certain regions, first showed a trailer on March 17, 2022. It began airing on Hulu in the United States on May 9, 2022, with new episodes each night for five nights, ending on May 13. In India, it launched on Disney+ Hotstar on July 15. For other international audiences, it appeared on Disney+ as a Star Original, and in Latin America it started on Star+ on July 27, 2022.

Reception

According to data from Whip Media, which tracks viewership through its TV Time app, Candy ranked as the fifth most anticipated new show premiering in May 2022. JustWatch, a streaming guide, calculated that it was the most-streamed TV series in the United States during the week of May 9 to May 15. Reelgood, another streaming aggregator, placed it as the eighth most-streamed series for the week of May 14, and it climbed to third place the following week ending May 21. Nielsen Media Research reported that from May 9 to May 15, viewers watched 557 million minutes of Candy, with the first episode accounting for 42 million minutes and later episodes each drawing about 25 million minutes. Nielsen also noted that 36% of the audience was aged 35 to 49, and 73% were female. The following week, May 16 to May 22, the series accumulated 359 million minutes of viewing time, making it the eighth most-streamed original series.

On Rotten Tomatoes, the limited series has a 72% approval rating from 47 critics, with an average score of 6.4 out of 10. The site’s consensus states that while the show’s sour aftertaste is offset by uniformly excellent performances, it loses its appeal after a short while. On Metacritic, it holds a score of 61 out of 100 from 19 critics, indicating generally favorable reviews. Josh Bell of Comic Book Resources praised the series for its authentic late 1970s aesthetic in décor and costumes, its dark tone, and the performances of Jessica Biel and the supporting cast. Brian Lowry of CNN found Candy more effective than many true crime dramas, commending the convincing portrayals by Biel and Melanie Lynskey, as well as the show’s well-crafted scripted elements that set it apart from similar series.