The Horror of Dolores Roach
A recently released convict turns to murder to survive.
Justina Machado leads the black comedy horror series The Horror of Dolores Roach, which Aaron Mark adapted from his off-Broadway play Empanada Loca and its podcast. Prime Video released the show on July 7, 2023, but canceled it after one season in November 2023.
Quick Facts
- Genre
- Dark comedy
- Drama
- Horror
- Creator
- Aaron Mark
- Based on
- Empanada Loca (play); The Horror of Dolores Roach (podcast)
- Starring
- Justina Machado
- Alejandro Hernandez
- Kita Updike
- K. Todd Freeman
- Music
- Siddhartha Khosla
- Producer
- Tina Grewal, Alexander Kruener
- Editor
- Roslyn Kalloo
- Jorge Weisz
- Andrew Wesman
- Runtime
- 28–29 minutes
Facts from the source article.
Cast
Justina Machado portrays Dolores Roach, a convict released after sixteen years for marijuana possession who starts a massage parlor and kills clients, partially inspired by Sweeney Todd. Alejandro Hernandez plays Luis Batista, the cook and owner of Empanada Loca, who develops cannibalistic tendencies and helps Dolores dispose of victims, partially inspired by Mrs. Lovett. Kita Updike appears as Nellie Morris, a cashier and server. K. Todd Freeman plays Jeremiah, a meat company driver who suspects something is wrong. Marc Maron portrays Gideon Pearlman, the abusive landlord who becomes Dolores' first victim. Ilan Eskenazi plays Jonah Pearlman, Gideon's son, killed after finding his father's corpse. Judy Reyes appears as Marcie, a drug dealer and victim, partially inspired by Adolfo Pirelli. Jessica Pimentel plays Flora Frias, a playwright who adapts Dolores' crimes. Jean Yoon portrays Joy, Dolores' neighbor who helps set up the parlor. Jeffery Self plays Caleb Sweetzer, the showrunner of Flora's play. Cyndi Lauper appears as Ruthie, a reformed convict and amateur investigator killed by Dolores. Kate Beahan plays Georgina Bellyard. Maureen Cassidy portrays Tabitha, a disabled convict and former cellmate who taught Dolores to kill.
Development
On May 6, 2020, Blumhouse Television began adapting the Gimlet Media podcast as a drama series for Amazon Studios. Dara Resnik serves as showrunner, working with Aaron Mark, who adapted the series from his own script. The podcast is based on Mark's one-woman off-Broadway play Empanada Loca, starring Daphne Rubin-Vega. Amazon Studios ordered a pilot in June 2021 and gave a series order on February 3, 2022.
Production
The eight-episode series is executive produced by Mark, Resnik, Rubin-Vega, Jason Blum, Chris McCumber, Jeremy Gold, Justin McGoldrick, Dawn Ostroff, Mimi O'Donnell, Gloria Calderón Kellett, and Roxann Dawson. Dawson directed the pilot, written by Mark. On February 3, 2022, Justina Machado, Alejandro Hernandez, Kita Updike, and K. Todd Freeman were announced as stars. Marc Maron, Jean Yoon, Judy Reyes, and Jeffery Self joined in recurring roles on June 29, 2022. Cyndi Lauper was added in a recurring guest role on August 1, 2022. The series was canceled on November 21, 2023.
Release
The first three episodes premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival on June 15, 2023, as part of its Festival TV lineup. The series was released on Prime Video on July 7, 2023. Reviews were generally positive, with Machado's performance widely praised. On Rotten Tomatoes, the first season scored 79% from critics, with the consensus calling it a savory snack of a series. Joel Golby of The Guardian called it a hugely fun drama. The A.V. Club praised its combination of love, betrayal, murder, and cannibalism with commentary on mass incarceration, gentrification, and classism. Angie Han of The Hollywood Reporter praised Machado and Hernandez but noted missed potential. Cristina Escobar of rogerebert.com described it as a playful show that does not take itself too seriously. Entertainment Weekly gave a B+. Jack Seale of The Guardian gave a negative review, calling it a sloppy mess while praising Machado. Variety wrote that it earned neither scares nor laughs. Brian Lowry of CNN said it had a killer concept but failed to live up to it.
More in Television Series by Blumhouse Television
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced