Lovecraft Country (TV series)
A road trip through 1950s Jim Crow America meets Lovecraftian horror.
Lovecraft Country is an American Black horror historical fantasy drama television series developed by Misha Green, based on and continuing the 2016 novel by Matt Ruff. It premiered on HBO on August 16, 2020, and stars Jurnee Smollett and Jonathan Majors. The series was cancelled by HBO in 2021 while a second season was in development.
Quick Facts
- Genre
- Black horror
- Period drama
- Supernatural horror
- Science fiction
- Developer
- Misha Green
- Based on
- Lovecraft Country, Matt Ruff
- Music
- Laura Karpman and Raphael Saadiq
- End theme
- "Sinnerman" by Alice Smith
- Country
- United States
- Language
- English
- Seasons
- 1
Facts from the source article.
Premise
Atticus Freeman, accompanied by his friend Letitia and his uncle George, travels across 1950s Jim Crow America searching for his missing father. The journey forces him to confront both the racism of white America and monsters reminiscent of H. P. Lovecraft's fiction. The episodes "I Am." and "Jig-a-Bobo" reveal that the Lovecraft Country novel exists within the series as a book written by George Freeman II, fictionalizing events retrieved from the future by his father Atticus in an attempt to alter the story's conclusion.
Cast and characters
Jurnee Smollett plays Letitia "Leti" Lewis, a photographer and Atticus's friend and love interest. Jonathan Majors portrays Atticus "Tic" Freeman, a Korean War veteran, and also appears as George Freeman II, Tic's future son, in photographs. Aunjanue Ellis plays Hippolyta Freeman, Atticus's aunt and a star-gazer. Courtney B. Vance portrays George Freeman, Atticus's uncle, and also plays another George from an alternate timeline in "I Am.". Wunmi Mosaku plays Ruby Baptiste, Leti's half-sister, and also portrays Christina Braithwhite having taken Ruby's form. Abbey Lee plays Christina Braithwhite, daughter of the leader of the Order of the Ancient Dawn. Jamie Chung plays Ji-Ah, a Korean nursing student possessed by a kumiho. Jada Harris plays Diana Freeman, George and Hippolyta's daughter. Michael K. Williams plays Montrose Freeman, Atticus's father. Jordan Patrick Smith plays William, Christina's former henchman. Joaquina Kalukango plays Hanna, Atticus's slave ancestor. Jamie Neumann plays Dell / Hillary, whose form Ruby assumes. Erica Tazel plays Dora Freeman, Atticus's mother. Mac Brandt plays Seamus Lancaster, an Order leader and police captain. Deron J. Powell plays Tree. Lucius Baston plays Phil Hodges. Regina Taylor plays Hattie. Rhyan Hill plays Emmett "Bobo" Till. Sibongile Mlambo plays Tamara. Jonathan Pawlowski plays Burke. Demetrius Grosse plays Marvin Baptiste. Tony Goldwyn plays Samuel Braithwhite. Shangela, Monét X Change, and Darryl Stephens appear as Lena Horne, Dinah Washington, and Billie Holiday. James Kyson plays Byung-Ho. Monique Candelaria plays Yahima. Matthew Alan plays Deputy Eastchurch. Michael Rose plays Titus Braithwhite.
Production
HBO gave a series order to Lovecraft Country on May 16, 2017. Executive producers include Misha Green, Jordan Peele, J. J. Abrams, and Ben Stephenson. Green also serves as showrunner and wrote the pilot. Production companies involved are Monkeypaw Productions, Bad Robot, and Warner Bros. Television. Peele originally brought the project to Bad Robot and enlisted Green to develop the show. Yann Demange was announced to direct and executive produce the pilot on March 5, 2018. Jurnee Smollett was cast as the female lead on April 26, 2018. Jonathan Majors joined as male lead on May 2, 2018. Wunmi Mosaku was cast as a series regular on May 3, 2018. Aunjanue Ellis and Elizabeth Debicki were cast as series regulars on June 19, 2018, with Courtney B. Vance joining in a recurring capacity. Michael Kenneth Williams was cast in a leading role on October 10, 2018. Abbey Lee replaced Debicki as Christina Braithwaite on June 14, 2019, with Jamie Chung and Jordan Patrick Smith cast in recurring roles. Jamie Neumann, Erica Tazel, and Mac Brandt were cast in recurring capacities on June 20, 2019. Tony Goldwyn joined in July 2019. Principal photography began July 16, 2018, in Chicago, Illinois, and also took place at Chicago Cinespace Film Studios, White Pines State Park, Blackhall Studios in Atlanta, and Macon, Georgia. Laura Karpman composed the music; due to the COVID-19 pandemic, she and her team scored the show individually from residences in eastern Europe.
Reception
Lovecraft Country received positive reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes, it holds an 88% approval rating from 367 reviews, with an average rating of 8.05/10. The critics consensus states: "Anchored by Jurnee Smollett-Bell and Jonathan Majors' heroic performances, Misha Green's Lovecraft Country is a thrilling take on Lovecraftian lore that proves the Elder Gods aren't the only thing that goes bump in the cosmos." On Metacritic, the series has a weighted average score of 79 out of 100 from 42 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Shannon Miller of The A.V. Club praised the show's balance of Lovecraft's political views with appreciation for his vision. Brian Tallerico of RogerEbert.com noted its use of genre storytelling to reveal systemic problems in American history. Hugo Rifkind of The Times called it "brutal and righteously furious". Michael Phillips of the Chicago Tribune said the show "succeeds where others have not". Mike Hale of The New York Times credited Green's "impressively seamless job" with cultural metaphors. Alec Dent of The Dispatch praised its examination of racism through an unexpected genre. Daniel D'Addario of Variety wrote that the violence of Lovecraftian horror seemed extreme. Maya Phillips of The New York Times criticized the series for exploiting historical events for its fiction.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes of Lovecraft Country (TV series) are there?
Lovecraft Country has 10 episodes across 1 season.
When did Lovecraft Country (TV series) end?
Lovecraft Country last aired on 18 October 2020.
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