| Little America | |
|---|---|
| Genre | |
| Based on | Little America by Epic Magazine |
| Developed by | Lee Eisenberg &Emily V. Gordon &Kumail Nanjiani |
| Starring |
|
| Composer | Michael Brook |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 16 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
|
| Camera setup | Single-camera |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Production companies |
|
| Original release | |
| Network | Apple TV+ |
| Release | January 17, 2020 (2020-01-17) – December 9, 2022 (2022-12-09) |
Little America is an Americananthology television series produced forApple TV+. It premiered on January 17, 2020.[1] The series was renewed for a second season, which premiered on December 9, 2022.
Little America looks to "go beyond the headlines to look at the funny, romantic, heartfelt, inspiring and unexpected lives of immigrants in America, at a time when their stories are more relevant than ever."[2]
| Season | Episodes | Originally released | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8 | January 17, 2020 (2020-01-17) | ||
| 2 | 8 | December 9, 2022 (2022-12-09) | ||
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Teleplay by | Original release date [5] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "The Manager" | Deepa Mehta | Rajiv Joseph | January 17, 2020 (2020-01-17) |
| 2 | 2 | "The Jaguar" | Aurora Guerrero | Dan LeFranc | January 17, 2020 (2020-01-17) |
| 3 | 3 | "The Cowboy" | Bharat Nalluri | Story by :Janicza Bravo &Brian Savelson Teleplay by :Brian Savelson &Mfoniso Udofia | January 17, 2020 (2020-01-17) |
| 4 | 4 | "The Silence" | Sian Heder | Sian Heder | January 17, 2020 (2020-01-17) |
| 5 | 5 | "The Baker" | Chioke Nassor | Casallina Kisakye | January 17, 2020 (2020-01-17) |
| 6 | 6 | "The Grand Prize Expo Winners" | Tze Chun | Tze Chun | January 17, 2020 (2020-01-17) |
| 7 | 7 | "The Rock" | Nima Nourizadeh | Lee Eisenberg &Emily V. Gordon &Kumail Nanjiani | January 17, 2020 (2020-01-17) |
| 8 | 8 | "The Son" | Stephen Dunn | Amrou Al-Kadhi & Stephen Dunn | January 17, 2020 (2020-01-17) |
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Teleplay by | Original release date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | 1 | "Mr. Song" | Deepa Mehta | Teleplay by : Sian Heder &Alan Yang Story by :Jenny Zhang &Sian Heder | December 9, 2022 (2022-12-09) |
| 10 | 2 | "The Bra Whisperer" | Tara Miele | Mfoniso Udofia | December 9, 2022 (2022-12-09) |
| 11 | 3 | "The 9th Caller" | Tinge Krishnan | Emily V. Gordon &Kumail Nanjiani | December 9, 2022 (2022-12-09) |
| 12 | 4 | "Camel on a Stick" | Sunu Gonera | Lee Eisenberg &Idil Ibrahim | December 9, 2022 (2022-12-09) |
| 13 | 5 | "Space Door" | Darya Zhuk | Darya Zhuk & Erika Sheffer | December 9, 2022 (2022-12-09) |
| 14 | 6 | "Columbus Starlings LLC" | Diane Paragas | Naomi Brodkin &Ali Liebegott | December 9, 2022 (2022-12-09) |
| 15 | 7 | "Paper Piano" | Aron Gaudet &Gita Pullapilly | Brian Savelson | December 9, 2022 (2022-12-09) |
| 16 | 8 | "The Indoor Arm" | Patricia Riggen | Joe Hortua | December 9, 2022 (2022-12-09) |
On February 8, 2018, it was announced that Apple was developing a television series based on the true stories collection "Little America" featured inEpic Magazine. The show was set to be written byLee Eisenberg,Kumail Nanjiani, andEmily V. Gordon, all of whom also executive produced alongsideSian Heder,Alan Yang,Joshuah Bearman, andJoshua Davis. Arthur Spector acted as co-executive producer. The series was showrun by Lee Eisenberg and Sian Heder. Production companies involved with the series includeUniversal Television.[2][6][7][8] On June 19, 2018, it was announced that Apple had given the production a series order.[9][10][11] The show began filming inNew Jersey in early 2019;[12] however, the eighth episode of the first season, "The Son" (which is about a gay asylum seeker fromSyria), was shot in the Canadian province ofQuebec because the AmericanExecutive Order 13780 prevented some of its actors from being able to enter the United States for filming.[13]
The series was renewed for a second season in December 2019, prior to the series premiere.[1] The second season premiered on December 9, 2022, with an eight episode season.[14]
OnRotten Tomatoes, the first season has an approval rating of 95% based on 37 reviews, with an average rating of 8.92/10. The site's critics' consensus is, "Joyous, heartfelt, and very human,Little America's thoughtful collection of immigrant tales is as inspirational as it is relatable."[15] The second season has an approval rating of 100% based on 10 reviews.[15] OnMetacritic, the series has a score of 85 out of 100 based on 26 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[16]
The Atlantic's Hannah Giorgis wrote of the first season, "Its ambitions aren't flashy, butLittle America leads with a clear investment in the kinds of people often relegated to the background of other shows. It's a smart, empathetic choice—one that benefits both Apple and viewers."[17] Brian Lowry ofCNN said, "The subjects vary, but almost without exception the stories are quirky yet resonant, emotional and relatable, with a sweet (or occasionally slightly bittersweet) payoff."[18]
Reviewing the second season, Craig Matheson ofThe Sydney Morning Herald wrote, "Just over a half hour in length, these new episodes have a modest but enduring insight and empathy".[19]RogerEbert.com's Clint Worthington wrote, "in its unassuming nature and casual confidence, not to mention the heartwarming humanism of its stories, it might be one of the streamer's greatest secret weapons."[4]
| Year | Award | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2020 | Imagen Foundation Awards | Best Primetime Program – Comedy | Little America | Nominated | [20] |
| Best Director – Television | Aurora Guerrero | Nominated | |||
| Best Actress – Television | Jearnest Corchado | Won | |||
| Best Supporting Actor – Television | John Ortiz | Won | |||
| Location Managers Guild Awards | Outstanding Locations in a Limited Anthology Television Series | Michael Hartel, Rocco Nisivoccia andAdrian Knight | Won | [21] | |
2021 | British Academy Television Awards | Best International Programme | Little America | Nominated | [22] |
| GLAAD Media Awards | Special Recognition | “The Son” | Won | [23] | |
| Independent Spirit Awards | Best New Scripted Series | Little America | Nominated | [24] | |
| Best Male Performance in a New Scripted Series | Conphidance | Nominated | |||
| Adam Ali | Nominated | ||||
| NAACP Image Awards | Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series | Lee Eisenberg,Kumail Nanjiani andEmily V, Gordon(for "The Rock") | Nominated | [25] | |
| Rajiv Joseph(for "The Manager") | Nominated | ||||
| Outstanding Directing in a Comedy Series | Aurora Guerrero(for "The Jaguar") | Nominated |