''Bates Motel'' is an American

psychological horror Psychological horror is a subgenre of horror and psychological fiction with a particular focus on mental, emotional, and psychological states to frighten, disturb, or unsettle its audience. The subgenre frequently overlaps with the related subge ...

drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has b ...

television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed be ...

that aired from March 18, 2013, to April 24, 2017. It was developed by

Carlton Cuse Arthur Carlton Cuse (born March 22, 1959) is a screenwriter, showrunner, producer, and director, best known for the American television series ''Lost'', for which he made the '' Time'' list of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2010 ...

Kerry Ehrin Kerry Anne Ehrin (born October 8, 1960) is an American screenwriter, showrunner, and producer. In 1990, she was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series for her work as a producer on the ABC comedy-drama series ''The ...

, and

Anthony Cipriano Anthony S. Cipriano (born August 1, 1975) is an American-born writer and producer, currently based in Los Angeles. He is best known for creating the A&E drama-thriller series '' Bates Motel''. Cipriano is also an Independent Spirit John Cassav ...

, and is produced by

Universal Television Universal Television LLC (abbreviated as UTV) is an American television production company that is a subsidiary of Universal Studio Group, a division of Comcast's NBCUniversal. It serves as the network television production arm of NBC; a prede ...

and American Genre for the cable network A&E. A "contemporary prequel" to Alfred Hitchcock's 1960 film '' Psycho'' (based on Robert Bloch's 1959 novel of the same name), it depicts the lives of

Norman Bates Norman Bates is a fictional character created by American author Robert Bloch as the main antagonist in his 1959 thriller novel '' Psycho''. He has an alter, Mother, who takes from the form of his abusive mother, and later victim, Norma, wh ...

(

Freddie Highmore Alfred Thomas Highmore (born 14 February 1992) is an English actor. He is known for his starring roles beginning as a child, in the films '' Finding Neverland'' (2004), '' Charlie and the Chocolate Factory'' (2005), '' August Rush'' (2007), and ...

) and his mother

Norma Norma may refer to: * Norma (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name) Astronomy *Norma (constellation) *555 Norma, a minor asteroid * Cygnus Arm or Norma Arm, a spiral arm in the Milky Way galaxy Geography *Norma, Lazi ...

(

Vera Farmiga Vera Ann Farmiga ( ; born August 6, 1973) is an American actress who is best known for portraying paranormal investigator Lorraine Warren in the Conjuring Universe films '' The Conjuring'' (2013), '' The Conjuring 2'' (2016), '' Annabelle Co ...

) prior to the events portrayed in the film, albeit in a different fictional town (White Pine Bay,

Oregon Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. T ...

, as opposed to Fairvale,

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

) and in a modern-day setting. However, the final season loosely adapts the plot of ''Psycho''.

Max Thieriot Maximillion Drake Thieriot (; born October 14, 1988) is an American actor and director. He made his acting debut in the 2004 adventure comedy film ''Catch That Kid''. Thieriot has since appeared in the action comedy '' The Pacifier'' (2005), the ...

and

Olivia Cooke Olivia Kate Cooke (born 27 December 1993) is an English actress. In television, she has starred as Emma Decody in the thriller '' Bates Motel'' (2013–2017), Becky Sharp in the period drama ''Vanity Fair'' (2018), and Alicent Hightower in th ...

both starred as part of the main cast throughout the series' run. After recurring in the first season,

Néstor Carbonell Néstor Gastón Carbonell (; born December 1, 1967) is an American actor, director, and screenwriter. He came to prominence for his role as Luis Rivera in the NBC sitcom ''Suddenly Susan''. He is known for his roles as Richard Alpert in the ABC ...

was added to the main cast from season two onward. The series begins in Arizona with the death of Norma's husband, after which Norma purchases the Seafairer motel located in a coastal Oregon town so that she and Norman can start a new life. Subsequent seasons follow Norman as his mental illness becomes dangerous, and Norma as she struggles to protect her son, and those around him, from himself. The series was filmed outside

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

Aldergrove, British Columbia Aldergrove is a community in the Township of Langley within British Columbia, Canada, approximately east of Vancouver. The community is urban in nature and, although not incorporated as a town, is often referred to as one. Aldergrove is located a ...

, along with other locations within the

Fraser Valley The Fraser Valley is a geographical region in southwestern British Columbia, Canada and northwestern Washington State. It starts just west of Hope in a narrow valley encompassing the Fraser River and ends at the Pacific Ocean stretching from the ...

of British Columbia. A&E chose to skip a pilot of the series, opting to go straight-to-series by ordering a 10-episode first season. ''Bates Motel'' is the longest-running original scripted drama series in the channel's history. The series' lead actors, Vera Farmiga and Freddie Highmore, received particular praise for their performances in the series, with the former receiving a Primetime Emmy Award nomination and winning a

Saturn Award for Best Actress on Television The following is a list of Saturn Award winners for Best Actress on Television. The award is presented annually by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films, honoring the work of actresses in science fiction, fantasy, and horror f ...

. ''Bates Motel'' also won three

People's Choice Awards The People's Choice Awards is an American awards show, recognizing people in entertainment, voted online by the general public and fans. The show has been held annually since 1975, with the winners originally determined using Gallup Polls until ...

for Favorite Cable TV Drama, and for Favorite Cable TV Actress (Farmiga) and Actor (Highmore).

Series overview

Season 1

The first season follows Norma and Norman Bates as they buy a motel after Norman's father dies. On one of the first nights of the two owning the motel, the former owner breaks in and rapes Norma. Norman knocks the attacker out, and Norma stabs him to death. She decides it is best not to call the police and to cover up the murder. She and Norman dispose of the body. He complicates the cover-up by keeping a belt that belonged to the victim. When the town sheriff and his deputy notice that a man has gone missing, Norma and Norman must keep them from digging too far.

Season 2

The second season follows the aftermath of Norman's teacher's murder, as her mysterious past comes to light. Meanwhile, Norma finds herself making dangerous decisions in order to keep the motel running and preventing the impending bypass. Bradley's search for her father's killer leads to the extremes, and Dylan learns the disturbing truth about his parentage.

Season 3

The third season focuses on Norman's waning deniability about what is happening to him, and the lengths he will go to, to gain control of his fragile psyche. The dramatic events of last season leave Norma more aware of her son's mental fragility and fearful of what he is capable of. Meanwhile, Sheriff Romero begins to distance himself from the Bates family after he suspects Norma is lying to him about her husband's death.

Season 4

The fourth season follows Norma as she becomes increasingly fearful of Norman, going to great lengths to find him the professional help he needs. This complicates their once unbreakable trust as Norman struggles to maintain his grip on reality. Meanwhile, Sheriff Romero once again finds himself drawn into Norma and Norman's lives. He agrees to marry Norma because his insurance will enable her to place Norman in an expensive psychiatric hospital.

Season 5

The fifth season begins two years after the death of Norma. Publicly happy and well-adjusted, Norman struggles at home, where his blackouts are increasing and "Mother" threatens to take him over completely. Meanwhile, Dylan and Emma find themselves drawn back into Norman's world, and Romero hungers for revenge against his stepson.

Cast and characters

as Norma Louise Bates *

as Dylan Massett *

as Emma Decody *

Nicola Peltz Nicola Anne Peltz Beckham (born January 9, 1995) is an American actress. Primarily known for her roles in dramatic film and television, she has performed in some blockbuster adaptations and has since been nominated for a Young Hollywood Award. ...

as Bradley Martin (seasons 1–2; guest season 3) *

Nestor Carbonell Nestor may refer to: * Nestor (mythology), King of Pylos in Greek mythology Arts and entertainment * "Nestor" (''Ulysses'' episode) an episode in James Joyce's novel ''Ulysses'' * Nestor Studios, first-ever motion picture studio in Hollywood, ...

as Sheriff Alex Romero (seasons 2–5; recurring season 1) *

Kenny Johnson Kenneth Allen Johnson (born July 13, 1963) is an American actor, producer, and model. He is known for his roles as Detective Curtis Lemansky in ''The Shield'', Butch "Burner" Barnes in '' Pensacola: Wings of Gold'', Detective Ham Dewey in '' Sa ...

as Caleb Calhoun (season 3; recurring seasons 2, 5; guest season 4)

Production

Development

In 2012, A&E was developing a television series titled ''Bates Motel'' that would serve as a "contemporary prequel" to the Alfred Hitchcock film '' Psycho''. The first script was written by

and

joined the project in March as executive producers and head writers. Cuse has cited the drama series ''

Twin Peaks ''Twin Peaks'' is an American mystery serial drama television series created by Mark Frost and David Lynch. It premiered on ABC on April 8, 1990, and originally ran for two seasons until its cancellation in 1991. The show returned in 2017 for ...

'' as a key inspiration for ''Bates Motel'': "We pretty much ripped off ''Twin Peaks''... If you wanted to get that confession, the answer is yes. I loved that show. They only did 30 episodes. Kerry hrinand I thought we'd do the 70 that are missing". A&E gave ''Bates Motel'' a straight-to-series order in July. Chris Bacon was hired to score the music for the series in January 2013.

Casting

The casting for the series started in August 2012.

was the first to be cast in the leading role of Norma Louise Bates.

was cast as Norman Bates in September. The same month,

was cast as Norman's half-brother, Dylan Massett. Shortly after,

was cast as Bradley Martin, a possible love interest for Norman.

was the final main cast member to join the series, in the role of Emma Decody, Norman's best friend.

was cast in a recurring role as Sheriff Alex Romero in the first season, but was upgraded to the main cast at the beginning of the second season.

, who recurred as Norma's brother Caleb Calhoun in the second season, was promoted to a series regular for the third season. Rihanna later appeared in the iconic role of

Marion Crane Marion Crane (known in the original novel as Mary Crane), also under the alias Marie Samuels, is a fictional character created by American author Robert Bloch in his 1959 thriller novel '' Psycho''. She is portrayed by Janet Leigh in the 1960 ...

for the fifth and final season.

Filming

A replica of the original Bates Motel set from the film ''Psycho'' was built on location at approximately 1054 272nd Street in

, where portions of the series were filmed. The original house and motel are located in

Universal Studios Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Americ ...

, Hollywood,

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

. Additional filming for the series took place in multiple areas in

Metro Vancouver The Metro Vancouver Regional District (MVRD), or simply Metro Vancouver, is a Canadian political subdivision and corporate entity representing the metropolitan area of Greater Vancouver, designated by provincial legislation as one of the 28 ...

, including Steveston,

Coquitlam Coquitlam ( ) is a city in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, Canada. Mainly suburban, Coquitlam is the sixth-largest city in the province, with a population of 148,625 in 2021, and one of the 21 municipalities comprising Metro Vancouver. ...

Horseshoe Bay, West Vancouver Horseshoe Bay (Sḵwx̱wú7mesh: Ch'ax̱áy̓, ) is a community of about 1,000 permanent residents, located in West Vancouver, in the Canadian province of British Columbia. Situated on the western tip of West Vancouver at the entrance to Howe ...

and

Fort Langley Fort Langley is a village community in Township of Langley, British Columbia, Canada. It has a population of approximately 3,400 people. It is the home of Fort Langley National Historic Site, a former fur trade post of the Hudson's Bay Company ...

. In February 2017, after filming was completed for the series, the Bates Motel exterior set in Aldergrove was demolished.

Reception

Critical response

The first season received positive reviews from critics. On

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...

, the season holds a score of 66 out of 100, based on 34 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". On the review aggregator

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

, the season has an 84% "certified fresh" rating with an average score of 7.11/10, based on 43 reviews. The site's critical consensus reads, "''Bates Motel'' utilizes mind manipulation and suspenseful fear tactics, on top of consistently sharp character work and wonderfully uncomfortable familial relationships". The second season also received positive reviews from critics. On Metacritic the season had a score of 67 out of 100, based on 11 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". On Rotten Tomatoes, the season has a 90% "certified fresh" rating with an average score of 8.02/10, based on 21 reviews. The site's consensus reads, "''Bates Motel'' reinvents a classic thriller with believable performances and distinguished writing". The third season of ''Bates Motel'' received a score of 72 out of 100 on Metacritic, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Rotten Tomatoes reported a 95% rating from 21 reviews. The site's consensus reads, "''Bates Motel'' further blurs lines around TV's creepiest taboo mother/son relationship, uncomfortably darkening its already fascinating tone". The fourth season of ''Bates Motel'' was met with critical acclaim. Rotten Tomatoes reported a 100% positive rating from 17 reviews. The site's consensus reads, "''Bates Motel'' fulfills its menacing potential in a fourth season that confidently careens toward the mother-son duo's ghastly destiny".

Alan Sepinwall Alan Sepinwall (born October 19, 1973) is an American television reviewer and writer. He spent 14 years as a columnist with ''The Star-Ledger'' in Newark until leaving the newspaper in 2010 to work for the entertainment news website HitFix. He ...

Uproxx ''Uproxx'' (stylized in all caps) is an entertainment and popular culture news website. It was founded in 2008 by Jarret Myer and Brian Brater, and acquired by Woven Digital (later renamed Uproxx Media Group) in 2014. The site's target audience ...

considered ''Bates Motel'' to have only become a good series midway through season four due to obtaining a better narrative purpose and "tragic grandeur" with the season's latter episodes. The fifth and final season of ''Bates Motel'' received a score of 81 out of 100 on Metacritic, indicating "universal acclaim". Rotten Tomatoes reported a 100% rating from 21 reviews. The site's consensus reads, "''Bates Motels final season brings the franchise full circle, with a satisfyingly creepy conclusion to the trials and tribulations of Norman Bates".

Ratings

Awards and nominations

Home media

International broadcast

In Canada, the series airs only on the U.S. network A&E, which is available through most Canadian cable and satellite companies. In Australia, the series premiered on Fox8 on May 26, 2013. In the UK and Ireland, it premiered on

Universal Channel Universal TV, formerly Universal Channel, is an international pay television network specializing in movies and television series in the thriller, drama, comedy, horror, crime and investigation genres, owned by NBCUniversal International Netwo ...

on April 2, 2014 and then on

BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, ...

on February 23, 2021. In Jamaica, it premiered on CVM TV on August 11, 2014. In the Middle East, it premiered on OSN First HD in mid-2014. The second season premiered on January 5, 2015. In the Philippines, ''Bates Motel'' began airing on

Jack TV Jack TV (stylised as JACK TV) is an online web portal owned by Solar Entertainment Corporation and based in Mandaluyong, Metro Manila. It was known as a Philippine pay television network mainly offering multi-genre programming from the United ...

on August 12, 2013. In South Africa, the series premiered on

MNet M-Net (an abbreviation of Electronic Media Network) is a South African pay television channel established by Naspers in 1986. The channel broadcasts both local and international programming, including general entertainment, children's series, ...

on June 21, 2013. The series premiered in India on

Colors Infinity Colors Infinity is an Indian pay television channel owned by Viacom18. It primarily airs popular shows from the United States and the United Kingdom along with a few original shows to appeal to the English-speaking population of India and a f ...

on November 6, 2015. As of May 2019

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fi ...

has licensed worldwide distribution for at least 30 countries.

Merchandising

NBCUniversal NBCUniversal Media, LLC is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate corporation owned by Comcast and headquartered at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, United States. NBCUniversal is primaril ...

partnered with

Hot Topic Hot Topic, Inc. (stylized as HOT TOPIC) is an American retail chain specializing in counterculture-related clothing and accessories, as well as licensed music. The stores are aimed towards an audience interested in rock music and video gaming ...

, the American

retailer Retail is the sale of goods and Service (economics), services to consumers, in contrast to wholesaling, which is sale to business or institutional customers. A retailer purchases goods in large quantities from manufacturing, manufacturers, dire ...

of pop culture merchandise, to introduce a collection of clothing and accessories inspired by ''Bates Motel''. The merchandise, including items such as bathrobes and bloody shower curtains, became available at Hot Topic's website and select stores on March 18, 2014. As of 2018, the merchandise is no longer available through Hot Topic.

References

External links

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