''Lovecraft Country'' is an American

black horror Black horror (also known as racial horror and horror noir) is a Horror fiction, horror subgenre that focuses on African-American characters and narratives. This genre typically has Black creators who often use social and political commentary to e ...

historical fantasy Historical fantasy is a category of fantasy and genre of historical fiction that incorporates fantastic elements (such as magic (fantasy), magic) into a more "realistic" narrative. There is much crossover with other subgenres of fantasy; those c ...

drama Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...

television series developed by Misha Green based on and serving as a continuation of the 2016 novel by Matt Ruff. Starring

Jurnee Smollett Jurnee Diana Smollett (born October 1, 1986) is an American actress. She began her career as a child actress appearing on television sitcoms, including '' On Our Own'' (1994–1995) and ''Full House'' (1992–1994). She gained greater recognition ...

and

Jonathan Majors Jonathan Michael Majors (born September 7, 1989)Majors in is an American actor. A graduate of the Yale School of Drama, Majors rose to prominence for starring in the drama films ''The Last Black Man in San Francisco'' (2019) and '' Da 5 Blood ...

, it premiered on August 16, 2020, on

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...

. The series is produced by

Monkeypaw Productions Monkeypaw Productions is an American film and television production company founded by Jordan Peele in 2012. It is known for producing horror films, such as ''Get Out'', '' Us'', '' Candyman'', '' Nope'', and '' Wendell & Wild'', as well as oth ...

Bad Robot Bad Robot is an American film and television production company founded on May 27, 1999, and led by Katie McGrath and J. J. Abrams as Co-CEO. Under its Bad Robot Productions division, the company is responsible for the television series '' Alia ...

, and

Warner Bros. Television Warner Bros. Television Studios, operating under the name Warner Bros. Television (abbreviated as WBTV; formerly known as Warner Bros. Television Division), is an American television production and distribution studio and the flagship studio o ...

. The series is about a young black man who travels across the segregated United States in the 1950s in search of his missing father, learning of dark secrets plaguing a town on which famous horror writer

H. P. Lovecraft Howard Phillips Lovecraft (, ; August 20, 1890 – March 15, 1937) was an American writer of Weird fiction, weird, Science fiction, science, fantasy, and horror fiction. He is best known for his creation of the Cthulhu Mythos. Born in Provi ...

supposedly based the location of many of his fictional tales. In 2021, while a second season, ''Lovecraft Country: Supremacy'', was in development, HBO cancelled the series.

Premise

''Lovecraft Country'' follows "Atticus Freeman as he joins up with his friend Letitia and his Uncle George to embark on a road trip across 1950s

Jim Crow The Jim Crow laws were state and local laws introduced in the Southern United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries that enforced racial segregation, " Jim Crow" being a pejorative term for an African American. The last of the ...

America in search of his missing father. This begins a struggle to survive and overcome both the

racist Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one Race (human categorization), race or ethnicity over another. It may also me ...

terrors of

white America White Americans (sometimes also called Caucasian Americans) are Americans who identify as white people. In a more official sense, the United States Census Bureau, which collects demographic data on Americans, defines "white" as " person having ...

and the terrifying monsters that could be ripped from a Lovecraft paperback". The episodes " I Am." and " Jig-a-Bobo" establish that the ''Lovecraft Country'' novel exists in the continuity of the series as a novel written by George Freeman II, fictionalizing the events of the series which are retrieved from the future by his father, Atticus Freeman, in an attempt to change the story's narrative conclusion.

Cast and characters

Main

as Letitia "Leti" Lewis, an old friend and love interest of Atticus, who is a skilled photographer *

as Atticus "Tic" Freeman, a young man who served in the Korean War. Majors also portrays George Freeman II, Tic's future son, in photographs. *

Aunjanue Ellis Aunjanue L. Ellis-Taylor (; Ellis; born February 21, 1969) is an American actress. She has received List of awards and nominations received by Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, several accolades, including nominations for an Academy Award, a Golden Globe ...

as Hippolyta Freeman, Atticus's aunt and a star-gazer with an itch for adventure * Courtney B. Vance as George Freeman, Atticus's warm, funny and well-read uncle. Vance also portrays another George from an

alternate timeline Alternate history (also referred to as alternative history, allohistory, althist, or simply A.H.) is a subgenre of speculative fiction in which one or more historical events have occurred but are resolved differently than in actual history. As ...

in " I Am.". *

Wunmi Mosaku Oluwunmi Mosaku (; born July 31, 1986) is a Nigerian-born British actress. She is known for her roles as Joy in the BBC Two miniseries '' Moses Jones'' (2009) and Holly Lawson in the ITV series ''Vera'' (2011–2012). She won the BAFTA TV Award ...

as Ruby Baptiste, Leti's estranged older half-sister. Mosaku also portrays Christina Braithwhite having taken Ruby's form. * Abbey Lee as Christina Braithwhite, the sole daughter of the leader of the secret society known as the Order of the Ancient Dawn *

Jamie Chung Jamie Jilynn Chung (born April 10, 1983) is an American actress and former reality television personality. She began her career in 2004 as a cast member on the MTV reality series '' The Real World: San Diego'' and subsequently through her appea ...

as Ji-Ah, a seemingly naïve Korean nursing student whom Atticus had an affair with. She is also possessed by a kumiho. * Jada Harris as Diana Freeman, George and Hippolyta's daughter as well as Atticus's younger cousin and Montrose's niece *

Michael K. Williams Michael Kenneth Williams (November 22, 1966 – September 6, 2021) was an American actor. He rose to fame for his acclaimed portrayals of Omar Little on the HBO drama series ''The Wire'' (2002–2008) and List of Boardwalk Empire characters, Alb ...

as Montrose Freeman, Atticus's hard-headed and secretive father

Recurring

* Jordan Patrick Smith as William, Christina's former henchman and lover, whose form she assumes * Joaquina Kalukango as Hanna, Atticus's slave ancestor, a former cleaning woman in Titus Braithwhite's mansion * Jamie Neumann as Dell / Hillary, whose form Ruby assumes *

Erica Tazel Erica Tazel (born 1977) is an American theatre and television actress best known for the role of US Deputy Marshal Rachel Brooks in the FX television series '' Justified'' (2010–2015). Life and career Tazel holds a B.A. from Spelman College an ...

as Dora Freeman, Atticus's mother, Montrose's wife and George's lover / sister-in-law * Mac Brandt as Seamus Lancaster, an Order of the Ancient Dawn leader and Chicago police captain * Deron J. Powell as Tree, a man who attended high school with Leti and Atticus * Lucius Baston as Phil Hodges, the locksmith *

Regina Taylor Regina Taylor (born August 22, 1960) is an American actress and playwright. She has won several awards throughout her career, including a Golden Globe Award and NAACP Image Award. In July 2017, Taylor was announced as the new Denzel Washington En ...

as Hattie * Rhyan Hill as Emmett "Bobo" Till * Sibongile Mlambo as Tamara * Jonathan Pawlowski as Burke

Guest

* Jamie Harris as Eustice Hunt, the sheriff of Devon County * Demetrius Grosse as Marvin Baptiste, Leti's half-brother *

Tony Goldwyn Anthony Howard Goldwyn (born May 20, 1960) is an American actor, singer, producer, director, and political activist. He made his debut appearing as Darren in the slasher film '' Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives'' (1986), and had his breakthr ...

as Samuel Braithwhite, the arrogant leader of a secret society * Shangela as

Lena Horne Lena Mary Calhoun Horne (June 30, 1917 – May 9, 2010) was an American singer, actress, dancer and civil rights activist. Horne's career spanned more than seventy years and covered film, television and theatre. Horne joined the chorus of the C ...

* Monét X Change as

Dinah Washington Dinah Washington (; born Ruth Lee Jones; August 29, 1924 – December 14, 1963) was an American singer and pianist, one of the most popular black female recording artists of the 1950s. Primarily a jazz vocalist, she performed and recorded in a ...

* Darryl Stephens as

Billie Holiday Billie Holiday (born Eleanora Fagan; April 7, 1915 – July 17, 1959) was an American jazz and swing music singer. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and music partner, Lester Young, Holiday made significant contributions to jazz music and pop ...

* James Kyson as Byung-Ho * Monique Candelaria as Yahima, two-spirit * Matthew Alan as Deputy Eastchurch * Michael Rose as Titus Braithwhite

Episodes

Production

Development

On May 16, 2017, it was announced that

had given a series order to ''Lovecraft Country''. Executive producers include Misha Green,

Jordan Peele Jordan Haworth Peele (born February 21, 1979) is an American actor, comedian and filmmaker. He is known for his film and television work in the Comedy film, comedy and Horror film, horror genres. He has received List of awards and nominations r ...

, J. J. Abrams, and

Ben Stephenson Benjamin Stephenson is a television executive, formerly controller of drama at the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and currently Head of Television at Bad Robot in the United States. Education Stephenson attended The Hewett School in ...

. Additionally, Green serves as the series'

showrunner A showrunner is the top-level executive producer of a television series. The position outranks other creative and management personnel, including episode directors, in contrast to feature films, in which the director has creative control over th ...

and wrote the pilot episode. Production companies involved in the series include

, and

. It was reported that Peele originally brought the project to Bad Robot and enlisted Green to develop the show. On March 5, 2018, it was announced that

Yann Demange Yann Demange (born 1977) is a French film and television director of French and Algerian descent, who grew up in London. After directing the well-received television series '' Dead Set'' (2008) and ''Top Boy'' (2011), he made his directorial film ...

would direct and executive produce the pilot episode.

Casting

On April 26, 2018, it was announced that

had been cast as the series' female lead. On May 2, 2018, it was reported that

had joined the main cast as the series' male lead. A day later, it was reported that

had also been cast as a series regular. On June 19, 2018, it was announced that

and

Elizabeth Debicki Elizabeth Debicki (born 24 August 1990) is an Australian actress. Born in Paris and raised in Melbourne, she studied acting at the University of Melbourne. Her accolades include a Primetime Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Screen Actors ...

had been cast as series regulars and that Courtney B. Vance had joined the series in a recurring capacity. On October 10, 2018, it was reported that Michael Kenneth Williams had been cast in a leading role. On June 14, 2019, it was reported that Abbey Lee had replaced Debicki in the role of Christina Braithwaite, while

and Jordan Patrick Smith had been cast in recurring roles. On June 20, 2019, it was announced that Jamie Neumann,

, and Mac Brandt had been cast in recurring capacities. In July 2019,

joined the cast.

Filming

Principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as the ...

for the series began on July 16, 2018 in

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

. Filming also reportedly took place at the Chicago Cinespace Film Studios in

Elburn, Illinois Elburn is a village in Kane County, Illinois, United States. The population was 5,602 as of the 2010 census, up from 2,756 at the 2000 census. It is located at the intersection of Illinois Route 38 and Route 47. Elburn is a town situated we ...

and White Pines State Park in

Mount Morris, Illinois Mount Morris is a village in Mount Morris Township, Ogle County, Illinois, United States. The population was 2,998 at the 2010 census, down from 3,013 in 2000. Geography Mount Morris is located at (42.047614, -89.433972). According to the 20 ...

, at Blackhall Studios in Atlanta, Georgia and

Macon, Georgia Macon ( ), officially Macon–Bibb County, is a consolidated city-county in Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States. Situated near the Atlantic Seaboard fall line, fall line of the Ocmulgee River, it is southeast of Atlanta and near the ...

Music

Laura Karpman Laura Anne Karpman (born March 1, 1959) is an American composer, whose work has included music for film, television, video games, theater, and the concert hall. She has won five Emmy Awards for her work. Karpman was trained at the Juilliard Schoo ...

composed the music for the show. Due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, Karpman and her composing team had to score the show individually from their residences in eastern Europe, with Karpman adding some music tracks of her playing piano, keyboards, and other instruments. Karpman reflected on how difficult it was composing the show with the pandemic's restrictions, due to not being able to have immediate interaction with the musicians. She felt satisfied with the finished result.

Cancellation

While a second season had yet to be officially greenlit for production, by February 2021, HBO's president of programming Casey Bloys announced that Misha Green had begun writing and was in early planning stages. On July 2, 2021, HBO announced that the series would not be returning for a second season. In James Andrew Miller's book ''Tinderbox: HBO's Ruthless Pursuit of New Frontiers'', several writers of the show alleged that the cancellation was due to Green's creation of a hostile work environment.

Release

''Lovecraft Country'' premiered on August 16, 2020, on HBO and

HBO Max Max (known in other countries as, and soon to be reverted globally to HBO Max) is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. It is a proprietary unit of Warner Bros. Discovery Streaming on behalf of Home Box Of ...

, and consists of ten episodes.

Home media

The complete series was released on February 16, 2021, on

Blu-ray Blu-ray (Blu-ray Disc or BD) is a digital optical disc data storage format designed to supersede the DVD format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released worldwide on June 20, 2006, capable of storing several hours of high-defin ...

and

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for digital video disc or digital versatile disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any ki ...

Reception

Critical response

''Lovecraft Country'' has received positive reviews. On

review aggregator A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews and ratings of products and services, such as films, books, video games, music, software, hardware, or cars. This system then stores the reviews to be used for supporting a website where user ...

website

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, 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 ...

, the series holds an approval rating of 88% based on 367 reviews, with an average rating of 8.05/10. The site's critics consensus reads: "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 Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...

, the series has a

weighted average The weighted arithmetic mean is similar to an ordinary arithmetic mean (the most common type of average), except that instead of each of the data points contributing equally to the final average, some data points contribute more than others. The ...

score of 79 out of 100, based on 42 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Writing for ''

The A.V. Club ''The A.V. Club'' is an online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was created in ...

'', Shannon Miller lauded the show's ability to balance Lovecraft's more problematic political views with "an appreciation for isunparalleled vision". Brian Tallerico of '' RogerEbert.com'' pointed to the show's use of genre storytelling "to peel back layers of American history to reveal the systemic problems underneath it", while also describing it as "marvelously entertaining". Hugo Rifkind of ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...

'' described the show as "brutal and righteously furious". The ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is an American daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1847, it was formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper", a slogan from which its once integrated WGN (AM), WGN radio and ...

''s Michael Phillips, in reference to earlier, less successful attempts at adaptation of Lovecraft's works, said the show "succeeds where others have not" and commended the show on its themes, despite calling the five episodes available for early review "uneven". ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

''s Mike Hale credited Green's "impressively seamless job... in wielding the cultural metaphors" as part of the show's strength. In a review for ''

The Dispatch ''The Dispatch'' is an American center-right subscription-based online magazine founded by Jonah Goldberg, Stephen F. Hayes, and Toby Stock. Several of ''The Dispatchs staff (including Hayes) are alumni of '' The Weekly Standard'', whi ...

'', Alec Dent praised the show's success at "examin ngracism in America's past through an unexpected genre", calling it a good reminder that "oftentimes true evil takes a normal guise". In a more critical review, Daniel D'Addario of ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' wrote that "the violence of

Lovecraftian horror Lovecraftian horror, also called cosmic horror or eldritch horror, is a subgenre of horror, fantasy fiction and weird fiction that emphasizes the horror of the unknowable and incomprehensible more than gore or other elements of shock. It is na ...

is so extreme ..that even the most evil impulses of humanity seem an inadequate counterweight". In an analysis of the series, Maya Phillips of ''The New York Times'' criticized it for "exploiting he pastfor the purposes of its convoluted fiction", despite a promising premise. She accused the show's creators of using historical events purely "to get points for relevance", notable examples of this being the funeral of

Emmett Till Emmett Louis Till (July 25, 1941 – August 28, 1955) was an African American youth, who was 14 years old when he was abducted and Lynching in the United States, lynched in Mississippi in 1955 after being accused of offending a white woman, ...

and the

Tulsa race massacre The Tulsa race massacre was a two-day-long white supremacist terrorist massacre that took place in the Greenwood District in Tulsa, Oklahoma, between May 31 and June 1, 1921, when mobs of white residents, some of whom had been appointed as ...

, both of which are featured in the show.

Awards and nominations

Notes

References

External links

* * {{HBONetwork Shows 2020 American television series debuts 2020 American television series endings 2020s American black television series 2020s American drama television series 2020s American horror television series 2020s American LGBTQ-related drama television series 2020s American supernatural television series American horror fiction television series American English-language television shows HBO television dramas Horror drama television series Television shows about racism Fiction about secret societies Television series about monsters Television series about parallel universes Television series by Bad Robot Productions Television series by Warner Bros. Television Studios Television series set in 1955 Television series set in the 1920s Television series set in the 1950s Television shows based on American novels Television shows filmed in Atlanta Television shows filmed in Illinois Television shows set in Chicago Television shows set in Massachusetts Works about the Tulsa race massacre