Vinyl

Did You Know?

• The pilot episode was directed by Martin Scorsese from a teleplay by Terence Winter and George Mastras, and story by Cohen, Jagger, Scorsese and Winter.
• HBO announced the renewal of Vinyl for a second season on February 18, 2016, but reversed that decision on June 22, 2016, cancelling the series.
• Martin Scorsese described the cancellation as 'tragic' and said the series might have succeeded if he had directed all episodes.

Cast

Bobby Cannavale plays Richie Finestra, a record executive fighting to revive his label, American Century. Paul Ben-Victor is Maury Gold, a charming and fatherly record company owner. P. J. Byrne is Scott Leavitt, American Century's head of legal. Max Casella plays Julian "Julie" Silver, the label's head of A&R. Ato Essandoh portrays Lester Grimes, a former singer who once worked with Richie.

James Jagger is Kip Stevens, the lead singer of the proto-punk band Nasty Bits. J. C. MacKenzie appears as Skip Fontaine, American Century's head of sales. Jack Quaid plays Clark Morelle, a young A&R executive at the label. Ray Romano is Zak Yankovich, head of promotions.

Birgitte Hjort Sørensen plays Ingrid, a Danish actress Andy Warhol liked who is close to Devon. Juno Temple is Jamie Vine, an ambitious assistant in American Century's A&R department. Olivia Wilde plays Devon Finestra, Richie's wife, a former actress and model who was part of Warhol's Factory scene. Susan Heyward is Cece, Richie's personal secretary.

Emily Tremaine plays Heather, the receptionist. Ephraim Sykes is Marvin, an A&R rep. MacKenzie Meehan is Penny, another A&R rep. Griffin Newman plays Casper, a mustachioed A&R rep.

Jay Klaitz is Hal Underwood. Annie Parisse plays Andrea "Andie" Zito, a former co-worker of Richie's. John Cameron Mitchell portrays Andy Warhol. Bo Dietl is Joe Corso, an independent promotion man possibly connected to organized crime. Lena Olin plays Mrs. Fineman.

Jason Cottle is Detective Whorisky. Armen Garo plays Corrado Galasso. Michael Drayer is Detective Renk. Douglas Smith plays Gary / Xavier.

The show also includes portrayals of musicians and historical figures: Christian Peslak as David Johansen, Jonny D'Ambrosio as Johnny Thunders, Zebedee Row as Robert Plant, Ian Hart as Peter Grant, Vince Nudo as John Bonham, Kareem Bunton as Bo Diddley, Connor Hanwick as Lou Reed, Natalie Prass as Karen Carpenter, Dominique Johnson as DJ Kool Herc, Dustin Ingram as Alice Cooper, James Vincent Boland as Jeff Starship, Matt Bogart as Robert Goulet.

Music

The music for Vinyl was released by Atlantic Records and Warner Bros. Records. The first soundtrack album, titled Vinyl (Music from the HBO® Original Series), Vol. 1, was released on February 12, 2016. Icelandic rock band Kaleo released their song "No Good" on November 20, 2015, which later appeared in the second trailer for the series and on the show's Volume 1 and 1.6 soundtrack and EP. The soundtracks include a mix of songs from the 1950s to 1970s, covers by contemporary artists such as The Arcs, Julian Casablancas, Trey Songz, Chris Cornell, and Andrew W.K., and original songs written for the show by artists including Ty Taylor, Royal Blood, and Alex Newell with DJ Cassidy. The music featured on the series spans genres including rock, blues, pop, country, jazz, soul, funk, R&B, reggae, punk, disco, and hip-hop.

Reception

Vinyl received generally positive reviews from critics. The acting, particularly Bobby Cannavale's performance, and the directing were generally praised, while the writing and storyline, especially in the later half of the season, were criticized as formulaic and familiar. On Rotten Tomatoes, the first five episodes hold a 76% approval rating, with the site's consensus stating that the show capably honors rock pioneers of the '70s with absorbing stories, a spot-on soundtrack, and rich period detail.

On Metacritic, the first five episodes hold a score of 71 out of 100, though reviews became more critical as the series progressed. Alan Sepinwall of HitFix gave the first season a B, noting excess in the show but suggesting it wished to strip away glam and tropes for something simple and raw. Robert Bianco of USA Today described the series as a sometimes bumpy ride through the era, with a story that often halts just when gaining momentum. Emily Nussbaum of The New Yorker wrote that the show improves slightly after the pilot but never sheds its air of leaden nostalgia.

Verne Gay of Newsday reacted negatively, calling it a compelling idea in search of a compelling story. The show was nominated for two Emmy Awards: Outstanding Makeup for a Single-Camera Series (Non-Prosthetic) and Main Title Design.