Roar is an American anthology television series from Liz Flahive and Carly Mensch, the creators of GLOW. Based on the 2018 short story collection of the same name by Cecelia Ahern, the 8-episode series premiered on Apple TV+ on April 15, 2022.
| Roar | |
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| Genre | |
| Created by | |
| Based on | Roar by Cecelia Ahern |
| Composer | Isobel Waller-Bridge |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of episodes | 8 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
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| Producers |
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| Cinematography |
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| Editors |
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| Running time | 29–37 minutes |
| Production companies |
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| Original release | |
| Network | Apple TV+ |
| Release | April 15, 2022 |
Premise
editEach story in the collection is about women's experiences and how women navigate through others' perceptions of them as well as their own. Highlighting what it means to be a woman, these stories are considered "darkly comic feminist fables."[1]
Production
editDevelopment
editRoar was announced in August 2018, with the news that GLOW creators Liz Flahive and Carly Mensch were showrunning the TV series being developed based on Cecelia Ahern's short story collection Roar, published in the UK in November 2018 and in the US in April 2019. The project would be produced by Nicole Kidman and Per Saari's Blossom Films, Bruna Papandrea's Made Up Stories, and Theresa Park. Additionally, Ahern's Greenlight Go Productions and Endeavor Content were also attached to produce.[2]
On March 2, 2021, it was announced that the show will air on Apple TV+ as eight 30-minute episodes each told from a female point of view, which mark Flahive’s and Mensch's first project under their new overall deal with the streamer.[3]
Casting
editThe casting of Nicole Kidman, Cynthia Erivo, Merritt Wever, and Alison Brie was announced on March 2, 2021.[3] In August 2021, Betty Gilpin, Meera Syal, Fivel Stewart, and Kara Hayward joined the cast.[4]
Filming
editProduction for Roar began in Los Angeles, California on May 28, 2021, and concluded on August 1, 2021.[5] So Yong Kim, Rashida Jones, Quyen Tran and Anya Adams directed episodes of the series.[6]
Episodes
edit| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "The Woman Who Disappeared" | Channing Godfrey Peoples | Teleplay by : Janine Nabers | April 15, 2022 | |
| 2 | "The Woman Who Ate Photographs" | Kim Gehrig | Liz Flahive | April 15, 2022 | |
| 3 | "The Woman Who Was Kept on a Shelf" | So Yong Kim | Liz Flahive & Carly Mensch | April 15, 2022 | |
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Cast : Betty Gilpin, Daniel Dae Kim | |||||
| 4 | "The Woman Who Found Bite Marks on Her Skin" | Rashida Jones | Liz Flahive & Carly Mensch | April 15, 2022 | |
| 5 | "The Woman Who Was Fed By a Duck" | Liz Flahive | Teleplay by : Halley Feiffer | April 15, 2022 | |
| 6 | "The Woman Who Solved Her Own Murder" | Anya Adams | Liz Flahive & Carly Mensch | April 15, 2022 | |
| 7 | "The Woman Who Returned Her Husband" | Quyen Tran | Teleplay by : Vera Santamaria | April 15, 2022 | |
| 8 | "The Girl Who Loved Horses" | So Yong Kim | Carly Mensch | April 15, 2022 | |
Release
editAll 8 episodes of Roar were released on April 15, 2022.[7]
Reception
editThe review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 71% approval rating with an average rating of 6.3/10, based on 31 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "The feminist themes of Roar don't carry smoothly across some installments, but the sheer amount of talent on hand comes through loud and clear."[8] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 57 out of 100 based on 12 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[9]
Controversy
editIn May 2022, the British TV show Gogglebox featured a scene from the fifth episode "The Woman Who Was Fed By a Duck" wherein the duck performs a sex act on the woman. The broadcast of this scene resulted in over 200 complaints to the broadcasting regulator, Ofcom.[10]
References
edit- ^ Nakamura, Reid (March 2, 2021). "Nicole Kidman, Cynthia Erivo, Merritt Wever, Alison Brie to Star in Apple TV+ Anthology Series From 'GLOW' Creators". TheWrap. Archived from the original on March 30, 2023. Retrieved November 8, 2022.
- ^ Hipes, Patrick (August 21, 2018). "'Roar' TV Series In Works Based On Cecelia Ahern Short Stories; 'GLOW' Duo To Showrun, Nicole Kidman Among EPs". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on March 2, 2021. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
- ^ a b Otterson, Joe (March 2, 2021). "Nicole Kidman, Cynthia Erivo, Merritt Wever, Alison Brie to Star in Apple Series From 'GLOW' Creators". Variety. Archived from the original on March 2, 2021. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (August 16, 2021). "'Roar': Betty Gilpin, Meera Syal, Fivel Stewart & Kara Hayward Join Apple TV+ Anthology Series". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on October 19, 2022. Retrieved August 16, 2021.
- ^ "Roar - Production". Variety Insight. Archived from the original on April 12, 2021. Retrieved April 11, 2021.
- ^ Travers, Ben (April 11, 2022). "Roar Review: Apple's Spirited Episodic Anthology Is Rewarding All the Way Through". IndieWire. Archived from the original on April 12, 2022. Retrieved April 13, 2022.
- ^ Chapman, Wilson; Grantham-Philips, Wyatte (February 4, 2022). "Apple Announces Premiere Date For Nicole Kidman, Cynthia Erivo Anthology Series 'Roar' (TV News Roundup)". Variety. Archived from the original on February 18, 2022. Retrieved February 13, 2022.
- ^ "Roar: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
- ^ "Roar: Season 1". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved April 16, 2022.
- ^ Manning, Charlotte (May 4, 2022). "Gogglebox hit with more Ofcom complaints over X-rated duck scene". Metro. Archived from the original on June 7, 2022. Retrieved November 8, 2022.