''Mr. Mercedes'' is an American

crime drama Crime films, in the broadest sense, is a film genre inspired by and analogous to the crime fiction literary genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and its detection. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and comb ...

television series based on the Bill Hodges novel trilogy by

Stephen King Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author of horror, supernatural fiction, suspense, crime, science-fiction, and fantasy novels. Described as the "King of Horror", a play on his surname and a reference to his high s ...

, which consists of ''

Mr. Mercedes ''Mr. Mercedes'' is a novel by American writer Stephen King. He calls it his first hard-boiled detective book. It was published on June 3, 2014. It is the first volume in a trilogy, followed in 2015 by '' Finders Keepers'', the first draft of wh ...

'', '' Finders Keepers'', and '' End of Watch''. The series premiered on

Audience An audience is a group of people who participate in a show or encounter a work of art, literature (in which they are called "readers"), theatre, music (in which they are called "listeners"), video games (in which they are called "players"), o ...

on August 9, 2017. It was developed by David E. Kelley and stars Brendan Gleeson and Harry Treadaway. In November 2018, it was announced that Audience had renewed the series for a ten-episode third season, which premiered on September 10, 2019. In May 2020, Audience was discontinued, with no indication of whether the show had been officially canceled or that it would return for a fourth season. Its existing three seasons were later picked up in September 2020 by streaming service

Peacock Peafowl is a common name for three bird species in the genera '' Pavo'' and '' Afropavo'' within the tribe Pavonini of the family Phasianidae, the pheasants and their allies. Male peafowl are referred to as peacocks, and female peafowl are r ...

Premise

Retired detective Bill Hodges is still haunted by the unsolved case of "Mr. Mercedes", who claimed 16 lives when he drove a stolen Mercedes through a line of job-seekers at a local job fair. Meanwhile, brilliant young psychopath Brady Hartsfield emerges to focus his attention on Hodges. What begins as an online cat-and-mouse game soon has deadly real-life consequences as an increasingly desperate Hartsfield becomes bent on leaving his mark on the world.

Cast and characters

Main

Actors are credited among main cast only in the episodes in which they appear. * Brendan Gleeson as Bill Hodges, a retired detective * Harry Treadaway as Brady Hartsfield (seasons 1–2) *

Holland Taylor Holland Virginia Taylor (born January 14, 1943) is an American actress. She won the 1999 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for her role as Judge Roberta Kittleson on ABC's ''The Practice'' (1998–2003). ...

as Ida Silver * Justine Lupe as

Holly Gibney Holly Gibney is a fictional character created by American author Stephen King. Originally appearing in the Bill Hodges trilogy of novels ('' Mr. Mercedes'', '' Finders Keepers'' and ''End of Watch''), she later appears as a major supporting charac ...

Jharrel Jerome Jharrel Jerome (born October 9, 1997) is an American actor and rapper who is best known for appearing in Barry Jenkins's acclaimed drama film ''Moonlight'' (2016), and for portraying Korey Wise in Ava DuVernay's Netflix miniseries '' When They ...

as Jerome Robinson *

Breeda Wool Breeda Wool is an American actress, writer and producer. She is best known for her roles as Lou Linklatter in the Audience crime drama series '' Mr. Mercedes'' (2017–2019) and Faith Deluth in the Lifetime/Hulu drama series ''UnREAL'' (2015� ...

as Lou Linklatter *

Scott Lawrence Scott Lawrence (born September 27, 1963) is an American actor best known for his role as Cmdr. Sturgis Turner on the CBS series '' JAG''. Lawrence played the role from 2001 until 2005, when the series ended. He is also known for being the maj ...

as Peter Dixon (seasons 1–2), a detective * Robert Stanton as Anthony "Robi" Frobisher (season 1) * Kelly Lynch as Deborah Hartsfield (season 1) * Mary-Louise Parker as Janey Patterson (season 1) * Maximiliano Hernández as Antonio Montez (seasons 2–3), an assistant district attorney *

Jack Huston Jack Alexander Huston (born 7 December 1982) is a British actor. He appeared as Richard Harrow in the HBO television drama series ''Boardwalk Empire''. He also had a supporting role in the 2013 film ''American Hustle'', portrayed the eponymous ...

as Felix Babineau (season 2), a doctor and Cora Babineau's husband *

Tessa Ferrer Tessa Rosiola Ferrer (born March 30, 1986) is an American actress. She is known for playing Dr. Leah Murphy, a surgical intern then resident, in ''Grey's Anatomy''. She is the daughter of singer Debby Boone and Gabriel Ferrer. Career In 2012, S ...

as Cora Babineau (season 2), head of marketing at a major pharmaceutical corporation and Felix Babineau's wife *Rarmian Newton as Pete Saubers (season 3), a high school student whose father was disabled during Hartsfield's massacre * Gabriel Ebert as Morris Bellamy (season 3), a highly intelligent, but violently deranged literature fan

Recurring

* Nancy Travis as Donna Hodges (seasons 1–2), Bill's ex-wife * Maddie Hasson as Allie Hodges (seasons 1 and 3), Bill's daughter *Neko Parham as Lawrence Robinson (seasons 1–2), Jerome's father *Makayla Lysiak as Barbara Robinson (seasons 1–2), Jerome's sister *

Ann Cusack Ann Cusack (born May 22, 1961) is an American actress. She had minor roles in '' Multiplicity'' (1996), ''A League of Their Own'' (1992), and '' The Informant!'' (2009). Additionally, she has made guest appearances in a number of television serie ...

as Olivia Trelawney (season 1) *

Katharine Houghton Katharine Houghton (born Katharine Houghton Grant; March 10, 1945) is an American actress and playwright. She portrayed Joanna "Joey" Drayton, a white woman who brings home her black fiancé to meet her parents, in the 1967 film '' Guess Who's ...

as Elizabeth Wharton (season 1), Olivia and Janey's mother * Laila Robins as Charlotte Gibney (season 1), Holly's mother *Nicole Barré as Izzy Torres (season 1), a detective *

David Furr David Furr is an American theatre, film, and television actor. He received a Tony Award nomination for his role in Roundabout Theatre Company's Broadway revival of ''Noises Off ''Noises Off'' is a 1982 play by the English playwright Michae ...

as Josh (season 1) *Tammy Arnold as Nurse Wilmer (season 2) *

Virginia Kull Virginia Kull is an American actress who has appeared in ''Big Little Lies'', ''NOS4A2'', ''The Looming Tower'', and others. In addition to her roles in film and television, she has appeared in various Broadway productions. Early life and ed ...

as Sadie MacDonald (season 2), a nurse who cares for Brady who suffers from mild epilepsy * Mike Starr as Library Al (season 2), a hospital employee who distributes books to patients and, like Sadie McDonald, suffers from mild epilepsy *Adam Stephenson as Jonathan Pettimore (season 2), a hospital administrator * Kate Burton as Mrs. MacDonald (season 2), Sadie's mother *

Brett Gelman Brett Clifford Gelman (born October 6, 1976) is an American actor and comedian. He is best known for his role as Murray Bauman in Netflix's horror-supernatural series '' Stranger Things'' and as Martin on the BBC comedy '' Fleabag''. Gelman be ...

as Roland Finklestein (season 3), a smart and passionate defense attorney who represents Lou Linklatter in her murder trial *

Natalie Paul Natalie Paul is an American actress. She has acted in several television shows such as '' The Deuce'', '' Smash'', '' The Sinner'', and ''Power''. She is best known for playing Doreen Henderson on ''Show Me a Hero'' and for her role as Antoinette ...

as Sarah Pace (season 3), an assistant district attorney prosecuting Lou's case who believes in pursuing justice *

Glynn Turman Glynn Russell Turman (born January 31, 1947) is an American actor, writer, director, and producer. Turman is known for his roles as Lew Miles on the prime-time soap opera '' Peyton Place'' (1968–1969), high school student Leroy "Preach" Jackson ...

as Judge Bernard Raines (season 3), a no nonsense district judge presiding over Lou Linklatter's murder trial *

Bruce Dern Bruce MacLeish Dern (born June 4, 1936) is an American actor. He has often played supporting villainous characters of unstable natures. He has received several accolades, including the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor and the Silver ...

as John Rothstein (season 3), a reclusive bestselling author living on the fringes of Bridgton, Ohio * Kate Mulgrew as Alma Lane (season 3), a resident at Bridgton and a "compelling force" in Morris' life since he was a child *Josh Daugherty as Tom Saubers (season 3), Pete's father *Claire Bronson as Marjorie Saubers (season 3), Pete's mother * Meg Steedle as Danielle Sweeney (season 3), Morris' girlfriend *Patch Darragh as Andrew Halliday (season 3), a former friend to Morris Bellamy, who runs his own scheme with John Rothstein's manuscripts from his bookstore in town

Episodes

Season 1 (2017)

Season 2 (2018)

Season 3 (2019)

Production

Development

In 2015, Sonar Entertainment optioned the screen rights to

's novel ''

'' with the intent of developing into a limited series. David E. Kelley was set to write the series while

Jack Bender Jack Bender (born September 25, 1949) is an American television and film director, television producer and former actor best known for his work as a director on ''Lost'', ''The Sopranos'' and '' Game of Thrones''. Biography Bender grew up in ...

would direct. Executive producers were expected to include Kelley, Bender, Marty Bowen, Wyck Godfrey, and Gene Stein. Production companies involved with the series were to include Temple Hill Entertainment and Sonar Entertainment. On May 25, 2016, it was announced that

had given the production a series order for a first season consisting of ten episodes. The previously announced creative team was still expected to be involved. In addition to writing and executive producing, David E. Kelley was also announced to be serving as the series' showrunner. Additional executive producers announced included Christopher Long, Bart Peters, Jenna Glazier, and Tom Patricia. On May 11, 2017, it was announced that the series would premiere on August 9, 2017. On October 10, 2017, the Audience Network renewed the series for a second season consisting of ten episodes. It will be based on the three novels in the Bill Hodges trilogy, ''

'', '' Finders Keepers'' and '' End of Watch''. On April 15, 2018, it was announced that the second season would premiere on August 22, 2018. On November 19, 2018, it was announced that Audience had renewed the series for a third season consisting of ten episodes, which premiered on September 10, 2019. In May 2020, Audience was discontinued, with no indication of whether the show had been officially canceled or that it would return for a fourth season.

Casting

Alongside the series order announcement, it was confirmed that Brendan Gleeson and

Anton Yelchin Anton Viktorovich Yelchin ( rus, Антон Викторович Ельчин, p=ɐnˈton ˈvʲiktərəvʲɪtɕ ˈjelʲtɕɪn; March 11, 1989 – June 19, 2016) was an American actor. Born in the Soviet Union to a Russian Jewish family, he emigr ...

had been cast in the series' two lead roles. Following Yelchin's death in June 2016, it was announced that his role had been recast with Harry Treadaway assuming the part. In December 2016, it was announced that Kelly Lynch and

Ann-Margret Ann-Margret Olsson (born April 28, 1941) is a Swedish–American actress, singer, and dancer. As an actress and singer, she is credited as Ann-Margret. She is known for her roles in '' Pocketful of Miracles'' (1961), ''State Fair'' (1962), '' ...

had been cast in the series. In January 2017, it was reported that

, Justine Lupe, and

, Robert Stanton, and

had joined the main cast, that Mary-Louise Parker was cast a recurring character, and that Ann-Margret's role had been recast with

following an illness in Ann-Margret's family. On April 25, 2017, it was reported that

would have a cameo in the series. In January 2018, it was announced that

, Maximiliano Hernandez, and

had been cast as series regulars in season two. In March 2019, Kate Mulgrew,

, and

joined the series for the third season. On April 25, 2019, Meg Steedle had been cast in a recurring role for the third season.

Filming

In February 2017, principal photography for the first season began in

Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina, the county seat of Charleston County, and the principal city in the Charleston–North Charleston metropolitan area. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint o ...

. That month, filming took place in the Wagener Terrace area of the city as well as at the Upper King Street restaurant Little Jack's Tavern. Filming concluded for the first season by the end of May 2017. In January 2018, Audience announced production for season two would commence the following month in South Carolina. During filming on March 2, 2019, special effects technician Mike Wilks survived a near-electrocution on set.

Release

Marketing

On May 8, 2017, Audience released a series of "first look" images from the series. On June 5, 2017, Audience released a "behind-the-scenes" video for the series featuring interviews with the cast and crew. The following day, the first teaser trailer for the series was released. By the end of the month, Audience released a set of promotional photographs featuring the series' main cast. On July 19, 2018, the series held a panel at

San Diego Comic-Con San Diego Comic-Con International is a comic book convention and nonprofit multi-genre entertainment event held annually in San Diego, California since 1970. The name, as given on its website, is Comic-Con International: San Diego; but it is ...

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United States ...

, California to promote season two. The panel featured executive producer and director

as well as series stars

, Max Hernandez,

, Justine Lupe, and Nancy Travis. On July 30, 2018, the official trailer for season two was released.

Distribution

The series airs on RTÉ1 in Ireland, on

Canal+ Canals or artificial waterways are waterways or engineered channels built for drainage management (e.g. flood control and irrigation) or for conveyancing water transport vehicles (e.g. water taxi). They carry free, calm surface flo ...

in Poland, and on

Starz Starz (stylized as STARZ since 2016; pronounced "stars") is an American premium cable and satellite television network owned by Lions Gate Entertainment, and is the flagship property of parent subsidiary Starz Inc. Programming on Starz cons ...

play in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...

. The first three seasons of ''Mr. Mercedes'' were picked up in September 2020 by streaming service

Reception

Critical response

The first season of ''Mr. Mercedes'' has been met with a positive response from critics. On the review aggregation website

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 Wan ...

, the first season holds an 83% approval rating with an average rating of 6.42 out of 10 based on 29 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, "''Mr. Mercedes'' propels its tense, creepy narrative with quick-witted dialogue, strong characters, and terrifying surprises."

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 ...

, which uses a weighted average, assigned the season a score of 71 out of 100 based on 17 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". The second season also received a positive response from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the second season holds a 100% approval rating with an average rating of 7 out of 10 based on 11 reviews, with the critical consensus reading, "''Mr. Mercedes'' gains a new, supernatural dimension in a rollicking second season that pits the talents of Brendan Gleeson and Harry Treadaway against each other, generating enough sparks to dazzle mystery aficionados and horror buffs alike." Metacritic assigned the season a score of 76 out of 100 based on 4 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

Awards and nominations

Related series

The character of Holly Gibney that was first introduced in the Bill Hodges trilogy was one of the main characters in King's 2018 novel '' The Outsider''. That novel was adapted for the 2020 miniseries by HBO, with the Gibney character portrayed by Cynthia Erivo.

Notes

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mister Mercedes (TV series) 2010s American crime drama television series 2010s American horror television series 2010s American mystery television series 2010s American science fiction television series 2017 American television series debuts 2019 American television series endings American thriller television series Audience (TV network) original programming Fictional rivalries English-language television shows Television series created by David E. Kelley Television shows based on works by Stephen King Television shows filmed in South Carolina Television shows set in Cleveland