| Turn: Washington's Spies | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Historical drama |
| Based on | Washington's Spies: The Story of America's First Spy Ring byAlexander Rose |
| Developed by | Craig Silverstein |
| Starring | |
| Opening theme | "Hush" performed byJoy Williams,Matt Berninger, andCharlie Peacock |
| Composers | Marco Beltrami Brandon Roberts |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 4 |
| No. of episodes | 40(list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
|
| Producers | Larry Rapaport Mitchell Amstrad LaToya Morgan Alexander Rose |
| Production locations | Richmond, Virginia,Williamsburg, Virginia,Yorktown, Virginia,Petersburg, Virginia |
| Cinematography | Lol Crawley("Pilot") Marvin V. Rush Scott Peck |
| Editors | Andrew Seklir Harry B. Miller III David Lebowitz Ian E. Silverstein |
| Running time | 41–47 minutes 54 minutes("Washington's Spies") 64 minutes("Pilot") |
| Production companies | AMC Studios Sesfonstein Productions Josephson Entertainment |
| Original release | |
| Network | AMC |
| Release | April 6, 2014 (2014-04-06) – August 12, 2017 (2017-08-12) |
Turn: Washington's Spies (originally titledTurn and stylized asTURИ: Washington's Spies) is an Americanperiod drama television series based onAlexander Rose's bookWashington's Spies: The Story of America's First Spy Ring (2007),[3] a history of theCulper Ring.[4] The series originally aired on theAMC network for four seasons, from April 6, 2014, to August 12, 2017.[5]
The story covers events from 1776 to 1781 and features a farmer fromSetauket, New York and his childhood friends. They form an unlikely group of spies called theCulper Ring, which eventually helps to turn the tide during theAmerican Revolutionary War.[3] The series begins in October 1776, shortly after British victories,recapturing of Long Island and thePort of New York for the Crown, leaving GeneralGeorge Washington's army in dire straits. The first episode opens with the following introductory text:
Autumn 1776. Insurgents have declared war against the Crown. Following a successful naval landing, His Majesty's Army has forced Washington's rebels into the wilderness.New York City serves as a military base of operations for the British. TheLoyalists of nearbyLong Island keep vigilant watch out for sympathizers and spies.
| Season | Episodes | Originally released | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First released | Last released | |||
| 1 | 10 | April 6, 2014 (2014-04-06) | June 8, 2014 (2014-06-08) | |
| 2 | 10 | April 13, 2015 (2015-04-13) | June 8, 2015 (2015-06-08) | |
| 3 | 10 | April 25, 2016 (2016-04-25) | June 27, 2016 (2016-06-27) | |
| 4 | 10 | June 17, 2017 (2017-06-17) | August 12, 2017 (2017-08-12) | |
Turn: Washington's Spies was renewed for a second 10-episode season on June 23, 2014,[8] which premiered on April 13, 2015,[9] and for a third 10-episode season on July 15, 2015, which premiered on April 25, 2016.[10][11] On July 26, 2016,Turn: Washington's Spies was renewed for a fourth and final 10-episode season, which had a two-hour premiere on June 17, 2017.[12][13]
| Season | Rotten Tomatoes | Metacritic |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 54% (39 reviews) | 62 (35 reviews) |
| 2 | 90% (10 reviews) | 68 (4 reviews) |
| 3 | 100% (5 reviews) | — |
| 4 | 80% (5 reviews) | — |
The first season ofTurn: Washington's Spies received mixed reviews. Review aggregatorRotten Tomatoes rated the season 54%, based on 39 reviews, with an average rating of 6.30/10. The site's consensus reads, "Turn's uneven treatment of the American Revolution is more frustrating than exciting and memorable."[14] OnMetacritic, the first season scored 62 out of 100, based on reviews from 35 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[15]
The second season received positive reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes, the season has an approval rating of 90%, based on 10 reviews, with an average rating of 7.40/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "The revolution gains steam in an improved second season that delivers on the series' promise of espionage thrills along with an expanded historical grandeur."[16] On Metacritic, the season has a weighted average score of 68 out of 100, based on reviews from 4 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[17]
On Rotten Tomatoes, the third season has a rating of 100%, based on 5 reviews, with an average rating of 8.00/10[18] and the fourth season has a rating of 80% based on 5 reviews, with an average rating of 7.60/10.[19]
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The first season ofTURN: Washington's Spies was awarded the 2014 Media & Entertainment Award by theDaughters of the American Revolution.[20]
| Year | Award | Category | Recipient(s) | Episode(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Media & Entertainment Award | — | — | — | Won |
| 2015 | Location Managers Guild Awards | Outstanding Locations in Period Television | Tom Trigo and Becky Beckstoffer | — | Nominated |
| 2016 | Golden Reel Award | Best Sound Editing - Short Form Sound Effects and Foley in Television | George Haddad, Chad J. Hughes, Angelo Palazzo, Darrin Mann, Gregg Baxter, Catherine Harper, and Matthew Thomas Hall | "Gunpowder, Treason and Plot" | Nominated |
| NAACP Image Award | Outstanding Writing in a Dramatic Series | LaToya Morgan | "False Flag" | Nominated | |
| SXSW Film Festival | Excellence in Title Design | Michael Riley, Bob Swensen, Aaron Bjork, and Eddie Moreno | — | Nominated | |
| 2017 | NAACP Image Award | Outstanding Writing in a Dramatic Series | LaToya Morgan | "Benediction" | Nominated |
The first season ofTURN: Washington's Spies was released on DVD and Blu-ray on March 17, 2015 byStarz Entertainment;[21] it became available onNetflix on March 25, 2015. The second season was released on DVD on March 22, 2016[22] and became available on Netflix on April 11, 2016. The third season was released on DVD on November 8, 2016.[23] and became available on Netflix on June 4, 2017. The fourth season became available on Netflix on December 1, 2017. The series departed Netflix after four years in December 2021.[24] The fourth season still has not been released on DVD and Blu-ray. A Complete Series (Season 1-4) box set has yet to be released in the US.
On March 26, 2014, AMC released thedigital comicTURN: Origins, illustrated bySteve Ellis, that portrays childhood and adulthood events from the lives of several of the series' main characters, including Abraham Woodhull, Benjamin Tallmadge, Anna Strong, and Caleb Brewster.[4][25]
On April 10 and April 15, 2015, AMC released the first and second chapters, respectively, of a second digital comic,TURN: Rivals, that portrays the past rivalry of George Washington and Robert Rogers.[26][27]
