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The Family (2016 TV series)

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The Family
Promotional poster
Genre
Created byJenna Bans
Starring
ComposerRobert Duncan
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes12
Production
Executive producers
ProducerSean Ryerson
Running time44 minutes
Production companies
Original release
NetworkABC
ReleaseMarch 3 (2016-03-03) –
May 15, 2016 (2016-05-15)

The Family is an American thriller television series. It was created by and executive produced by Jenna Bans, former ShondaLand regular writer, for ABC. The series follows on the return of the mayor's young son, who was presumed dead after disappearing over a decade earlier. The series stars Joan Allen as Claire Warren, the ambitious and manipulative mayor of the fictional city Red Pines, Maine, and matriarch of the Warren family, who announces her candidacy for governor when her son Adam, played by Liam James, returns after having been kidnapped 10 years prior.

The series premiered on ABC on March 3, 2016, before moving to its regular Sunday night timeslot on March 6, 2016. Its last episode aired on May 15, 2016.[1] On May 12, 2016, it was announced that the series had been cancelled by ABC after one season.[2]

Cast and characters

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Main

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  • Joan Allen as Claire Warren, matriarch of the Warren family, and the Republican[3] mayor of the fictional city Red Pines, Maine, who runs for Governor of Maine over the course of the series
  • Alison Pill as Willa Warren, Claire's daughter and press coordinator
  • Margot Bingham as Sergeant Nina Meyer, who made her career after putting Hank in jail for Adam's murder. She is having an affair with John Warren
  • Liam James as Ben Murphy, who pretends to be Claire's younger son Adam Warren, who returns after previously being kidnapped 10 years ago.
  • Rupert Graves as John Warren, Claire's author husband
  • Zach Gilford as Daniel "Danny" Warren, Claire's older son
  • Andrew McCarthy as Hank Asher, a registered sex offender and the Warrens' neighbor. He spends ten years in prison for the supposed murder.
  • Floriana Lima as Bridey Cruz, a local reporter who has connection to Willa and Danny
  • Madeleine Arthur as young Willa Warren
  • Rarmian Newton as young Danny Warren

Recurring

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  • Maxwell James as young Adam Warren
  • Michael Esper as Doug Anderson, the pocked-marked man who kidnapped Adam and Ben.[4]
  • Zoe Perry as Jane, Doug Anderson's pregnant girlfriend
  • Matthew Lawler as FBI Agent Gabe Clements
  • Grant Show as Governor Charlie Lang, Claire's Democratic rival
  • Judith Ivey as Mrs. Asher
  • Felix Solis as Gus Flores
  • Luke Slattery as 'true' Adam Warren
  • Ana Maria Jomolca as Agent Lisa Davis
  • Matthew Rashid as Ryan
  • Armando Riesco as Corey Sanchez
  • Jessie Mueller as Fran, a good-natured bakeshop employee who meets Hank[5]
  • Alex Steele as young Bridey Cruz

Episodes

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No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateUS viewers
(millions)
1"Pilot"Paul McGuiganJenna BansMarch 3, 2016 (2016-03-03)5.70[6]
2"All You See Is Dark"John GrayJenna BansMarch 6, 2016 (2016-03-06)3.13[7]
3"Of Puppies and Monsters"Andrew McCarthyAlexandra CunninghamMarch 13, 2016 (2016-03-13)3.52[8]
4"Feathers or Steel"John GrayCorey MillerMarch 20, 2016 (2016-03-20)2.64[9]
5"I Win"Andrew McCarthyJeannine RenshawMarch 27, 2016 (2016-03-27)2.61[10]
6"Nowhere Man"Andrew McCarthyBill KrebsApril 3, 2016 (2016-04-03)3.13[11]
7"All the Livelong Day"Paul McGuiganElizabeth Craft & Sarah FainApril 10, 2016 (2016-04-10)3.15[12]
8"Sweet Jane"Colin BuckseyNicole PaulhusApril 17, 2016 (2016-04-17)2.98[13]
9"Betta Male"Michael OfferMark K. Turner & Davita ScarlettApril 24, 2016 (2016-04-24)2.92[14]
10"Fun Ways to Tell Boyfriend You're Pregnant"Holly DaleJeannine RenshawMay 1, 2016 (2016-05-01)2.85[15]
11"Election Day"Colin BuckseyBill Krebs & Corey MillerMay 8, 2016 (2016-05-08)2.56[16]
12"What Took so Long"Paul McGuiganStory by : Jenna Bans
Teleplay by : Elizabeth Craft & Sarah Fain
May 15, 2016 (2016-05-15)3.30[17]

Production

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Development and filming

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On September 24, 2014, it was announced that ABC bought the original concept of the untitled mystery drama from Grey's Anatomy and Scandal regular writer Jenna Bans.[18][19] The series is produced by ABC Studios and Mandeville Television; Bans serves as executive producer with David Hoberman, Todd Lieberman and Laurie Zaks. ABC greenlighted the pilot on January 28, 2015.[20]

The pilot episode, directed by Paul McGuigan, began filming on March 12, 2015, in Vancouver, British Columbia.[21][22][23] Later episodes began filming in New York City in September 2015.[24]

Casting

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Casting advertisement began in February 2015. On February 13, Zach Gilford was the first to be announced as a regular cast member, playing the role of the older brother.[25] On February 19 Liam James was cast in the key role of the young son who was presumed dead.[26] On February 25, it was announced that Margot Bingham was cast as one of the female lead roles, playing a police sergeant.[27] On February 25, it was announced that three-time Oscar nominee Joan Allen will play the leading role of mayor and Warren family matriarch.[28] The show would be her first broadcast series regular role after many years starring in movies.[28][29][30] On the same day Alison Pill was cast as the mayor's daughter and campaign manager.[31][32] Floriana Lima was cast as a young reporter.[30] On March 10 it was announced that Andrew McCarthy will play Warren's former neighbor who spent 10 years in prison for Adam's murder.[33] On March 16, it was announced that Rupert Graves was cast in the final series regular role as Claire Warren's husband.[34]

On October 2, 2015, Grant Show joined the series in the major recurring role as the Democratic governor and Claire's rival.[35][36]

Reception

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Critical response

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The Family has received mixed reviews from critics. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 61% of 33 critics' reviews are positive. The website's consensus reads, "The Family takes a confusing, convoluted course to solve its central mystery that few will want to follow, despite a game performance from Joan Allen."[37] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 58 out of 100, based on 22 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[38]

The performances of McCarthy, Pill, and Allen were praised by critics. Stacey Ritzen of Uproxx wrote that "the cast all bring their A game, particularly Allen as the ball-busting matriarch and McCarthy, who lends genuine creepiness and dread to the role."[39] Dominic Patten of Deadline Hollywood praised Allen's and Pill's performances, and wrote that Pill "delivers a rooted multi-level performance that is pretty big league unto itself".[40] Ellen Gray of Philadelphia Daily News praised McCarthy's performance, writing that "while we're waiting to be further mystified, there's plenty to see, including McCarthy's scene-stealing performance as a character who might be as misunderstood as Boo Radley, or might truly be the bogeyman of our worst nightmares."[41]

Other critics slammed the writing and casting. Tim Goodman of The Hollywood Reporter called the show, "Poorly written and completely ridiculous."[42] Jeff Jensen of Entertainment Weekly gave it a C−, summarizing it as a "sour, formulaic expression of ABC's penchant for buzzy, 'sticky' potboilers." He wrote that the show delivered a "shallow treatment of material that deserves more maturity, more empathy, more savvy about American culture. It shows capacity for interesting ideas but has only meager, cliché imagination for them."[43]

Ratings

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No. Title Air date Rating/share
(18–49)
Viewers
(millions)
DVR
(18–49)
DVR viewers
(millions)
Total
(18–49)
Total viewers
(millions)
1 "Pilot" March 3, 2016 (2016-03-03) 1.5/5[6] 5.70[6] TBA TBA TBA TBA
2 "All You See Is Dark" March 6, 2016 (2016-03-06) 0.8/2[7] 3.13[7] 0.7 2.30 1.5 5.43[44]
3 "Of Puppies and Monsters" March 13, 2016 (2016-03-13) 0.8/3[8] 3.52[8] 0.8 2.11 1.6 5.63[45]
4 "Feathers or Steel" March 20, 2016 (2016-03-20) 0.7/2[9] 2.64[9] 0.6 1.96 1.3 4.60[46]
5 "I Win" March 27, 2016 (2016-03-27) 0.6/2[10] 2.61[10] 0.7 TBA 1.3[47] TBA
6 "Nowhere Man" April 3, 2016 (2016-04-03) 0.7/2[11] 3.13[11] 0.6 1.79 1.3 4.91[48]
7 "All the Livelong Day" April 10, 2016 (2016-04-10) 0.8/2[12] 3.15[12] 0.6 1.84 1.4 4.99[49]
8 "Sweet Jane" April 17, 2016 (2016-04-17) 0.8/2[13] 2.98[13] 0.6 1.79 1.4 4.76[50]
9 "Betta Male" April 24, 2016 (2016-04-24) 0.8/2[14] 2.92[14] 0.7 1.90 1.5 4.82[51]
10 "Fun Ways to Tell Boyfriend You're Pregnant" May 1, 2016 (2016-05-01) 0.8/2[15] 2.85[15] 0.5 1.60 1.3 4.45[52]
11 "Election Day" May 8, 2016 (2016-05-08) 0.7/2[16] 2.56[16] 0.6 1.76 1.3 4.31[53]
12 "What Took so Long" May 15, 2016 (2016-05-15) 0.8/3[17] 3.30[17] 0.6 1.71 1.4 5.01[54]

References

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  1. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (November 16, 2015). "ABC Sets Midseason Schedule & Return Dates, No 'Secrets & Lies' Or 'Uncle Buck'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 16, 2015.
  2. ^ Swift, Andy (May 12, 2016). "The Family Cancelled at ABC". TVLine. Retrieved May 12, 2016.
  3. ^ Redford, Daniel (February 16, 2016). "Preview: The Family (ABC) - Even her missing son is less important than her political career". TV Watch U.S. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
  4. ^ "Michael Esper". IMDb.
  5. ^ Petski, Denise (October 23, 2015). "Jessie Mueller Joins 'The Family'; Darius McCrary in 'Minority Report'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
  6. ^ a b c Porter, Rick (March 4, 2016). "Thursday final ratings: 'American Idol' adjusts up". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved March 4, 2016.
  7. ^ a b c Porter, Rick (March 8, 2016). "Sunday final ratings: 'Madam Secretary' adjusts down". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on March 9, 2016. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
  8. ^ a b c Porter, Rick (March 15, 2016). "Sunday final ratings: '60 Minutes' adjusts up, 'Carmichael Show' and 'Hollywood Game Night' adjust down". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on March 16, 2016. Retrieved March 15, 2016.
  9. ^ a b c Porter, Rick (March 22, 2016). "Sunday final ratings: 'Madam Secretary', 'Carmichael Show' and '60 Minutes' adjust down". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on March 25, 2016. Retrieved March 22, 2016.
  10. ^ a b c Porter, Rick (March 29, 2016). "Sunday final ratings: '60 Minutes' adjusts up, everything else holds". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on March 31, 2016. Retrieved March 29, 2016.
  11. ^ a b c Porter, Rick (April 5, 2016). "Sunday final ratings: ACM Awards and all scripted shows hold". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on April 6, 2016. Retrieved April 5, 2016.
  12. ^ a b c Porter, Rick (April 12, 2016). "Sunday final ratings: 'Once Upon a Time', 'Simpsons', 'Quantico', adjust up; 'Carmichael' and 'Crowded' adjust down". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on April 13, 2016. Retrieved April 12, 2016.
  13. ^ a b c Porter, Rick (April 19, 2016). "Sunday final ratings: 'Once Upon a Time', 'The Good Wife' adjust up; 'Little Big Shots' and 'Crowded' adjust down". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on April 19, 2016. Retrieved April 19, 2016.
  14. ^ a b c Porter, Rick (April 26, 2016). "Sunday final ratings: 'Once Upon a Time', 'Simpsons' and all others hold". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on April 26, 2016. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
  15. ^ a b c Porter, Rick (May 3, 2016). "Sunday final ratings: 'Little Big Shots' adjusts up, 'Carmichael', 'Crowded' and ACC Awards adjust down". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on May 3, 2016. Retrieved May 3, 2016.
  16. ^ a b c Porter, Rick (May 10, 2016). "Sunday final ratings: 'Good Wife' finale adjusts up, 'Once Upon a Time' and 'Carmichael Show' adjust down". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on May 11, 2016. Retrieved May 10, 2016.
  17. ^ a b c Porter, Rick (May 17, 2016). "Sunday final ratings: 'Once Upon a Time' finale, everything else hold". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on May 18, 2016. Retrieved May 17, 2016.
  18. ^ Lesley Goldberg (September 26, 2014). "'Scandal's' Jenna Bans Sells Political Thriller to ABC". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
  19. ^ Nellie Andreeva (September 26, 2014). "ABC Buys Mystery Drama From Jenna Bans & Mandeville". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
  20. ^ Nellie Andreeva (January 29, 2015). "'Flesh & Blood' Mystery Drama From Jenna Bans Gets ABC Pilot Order". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
  21. ^ "Untitled Jenna Bans Project". Retrieved March 1, 2015.
  22. ^ Lesley Goldberg (January 19, 2015). "TV Pilots 2015: The Complete Guide". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
  23. ^ "SHOOT: ABC's Untitled Pilot with Joan Allen in Hornby Plaza Downtown - yvrshoots". Retrieved March 17, 2015.
  24. ^ "Laurie Zaks". Twitter. Retrieved October 3, 2015.
  25. ^ Nellie Andreeva (February 14, 2015). "Zach Gilford Cast In Jenna Bans ABC Pilot, Ed Oxenbould In 'Chev & Bev'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
  26. ^ Nellie Andreeva (February 19, 2015). "Liam James Cast In ABC Jenna Bans Pilot". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
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  28. ^ a b Lesley Goldberg (February 26, 2015). "Oscar Nominee Joan Allen to Star in ABC's Jenna Bans Drama". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
  29. ^ "Joan Allen cast on ABC's Jenna Bans pilot". Entertainment Weekly's EW.com. Retrieved March 11, 2015.
  30. ^ a b Nellie Andreeva (February 26, 2015). "Joan Allen To Star In Jenna Bans ABC Pilot". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
  31. ^ Nellie Andreeva (February 27, 2015). "Alison Pill Cast In Jenna Bans ABC Pilot". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
  32. ^ Lesley Goldberg (February 26, 2015). "'Newsroom's' Alison Pill Boards ABC's Jenna Bans Thriller". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
  33. ^ Denise Petski (March 10, 2015). "Christine Taylor Joins NBC's 'Sharing'; Andrew McCarthy In Jenna Bans' ABC Pilot". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 11, 2015.
  34. ^ Denise Petski (March 16, 2015). "Rupert Graves To Co-Star In ABC's Jenna Bans Pilot, James Floyd Joins 'Of Kings And Prophets'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 17, 2015.
  35. ^ Denise Petski (October 2, 2015). "Grant Show Cast In ABC Drama Series 'The Family' - Deadline". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 3, 2015.
  36. ^ Matt Webb Mitovich (October 3, 2015). "Devious Maids' Grant Show Joins ABC's Midseason Thriller The Family - TVLine". TVLine. Retrieved October 3, 2015.
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  40. ^ Patten, Dominic (February 25, 2016). "'The Family' Review: Joan Allen Drama From 'Scandal' Co-EP Full Of Twists". Retrieved March 4, 2016.
  41. ^ Gray, Ellen (March 1, 2016). "'The Real O'Neals' & 'The Family': It's all relatives on ABC". Philly.com. Retrieved March 4, 2016.
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  43. ^ Jensen, Jeff (March 2, 2016). "'The Family': EW review". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved May 21, 2016.
  44. ^ Porter, Rick (March 21, 2016). "Broadcast Live +7 ratings: 'Grey's Anatomy,' 'Blindspot,' 'Jane' and 'Quantico' top week 24". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on March 24, 2016. Retrieved March 21, 2016.
  45. ^ Porter, Rick (March 28, 2016). "Broadcast Live +7 ratings: 'The Big Bang Theory' and 'Quantico' lead week 25". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on March 31, 2016. Retrieved March 28, 2016.
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  47. ^ Porter, Rick (April 11, 2016). "Broadcast Live +7 ratings: 'Modern Family' tops the week of March 21–27, 6 shows double [Updated]". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on April 12, 2016. Retrieved May 17, 2016.
  48. ^ Porter, Rick (April 18, 2016). "Broadcast Live +7 ratings: 'The Big Bang Theory' and 'Empire' lead the week of March 28-April 3". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on April 19, 2016. Retrieved May 8, 2016.
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  53. ^ Porter, Rick (May 23, 2016). "Broadcast Live +7 ratings: 'Big Bang Theory' tops total gains, 'Vampire Diaries' and 9 others double in 18-49". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on May 26, 2016. Retrieved May 29, 2016.
  54. ^ Porter, Rick (May 31, 2016). "Broadcast Live +7 ratings: 'Big Bang Theory' finale and 'Empire' share lead for May 9–15". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on June 1, 2016. Retrieved June 1, 2016.
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