| Normal People | |
|---|---|
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| Genre | |
| Created by | Catherine Magee |
| Based on | Normal People bySally Rooney |
| Written by |
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| Directed by | |
| Starring | |
| Composer | Stephen Rennicks |
| Country of origin |
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| Original language | English |
| No. of episodes | 12 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
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| Producer | Catherine Magee |
| Production locations |
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| Cinematography |
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| Editors |
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| Running time | 23–34 minutes |
| Production companies | |
| Original release | |
| Network | BBC Three |
| Release | 26 April 2020 (2020-04-26) |
| Network | Hulu |
| Release | 29 April 2020 (2020-04-29) |
| Network | RTÉ One |
| Release | 28 April (2020-04-28) – 2 June 2020 (2020-06-02) |
Normal People is aromantic dramalimited series based on the 2018 novelof the same name bySally Rooney. It was written by Rooney,Alice Birch andMark O'Rowe, and directed byLenny Abrahamson andHettie Macdonald.[1] The series follows the relationship between Marianne Sheridan (Daisy Edgar-Jones) and Connell Waldron (Paul Mescal), who attend the same secondary school and the same university.
The series was greenlit in 2019, with Edgar-Jones and Mescal announced to star.[2] The remaining cast was rounded out soon after Rooney was confirmed as one of the series' writers, alongside Birch and O'Rowe.Macdonald was then announced as a director with Abrahamson, continuing his long-standing relationship with the series' producers,Element Pictures.[3]Principal photography began in May 2019 and concluded in February 2020, with filming locations includingCounty Sligo,Dublin,Sant'Oreste, andLuleå.
Normal People first premiered in the United Kingdom on 26 April 2020, onBBC Three. Its episodes began airing weekly onRTÉ One in Ireland from 28 April until June 2, and it premiered in the United States onHulu on 29 April. The series received positive reviews, primarily for its cast performances: Mescal was nominated forOutstanding Lead Actor at the72nd Primetime Emmy Awards and won forBest Actor at the67th British Academy Television Awards.[4]
The series follows Marianne Sheridan, an affluent and isolated social outcast, and Connell Waldron, a popular, high-achieving student with anxiety, as they begin a secretive relationship during their final days of secondary school inCounty Sligo. Connell's mother, Lorraine, is employed by Marianne's mother, Denise, as a cleaner.[5] Connell and Marianne's relationship becomes strained as their lives begin to change when they go on to attendTrinity College inDublin.[6]
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | UK release date | US release date | Ireland air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Episode 1 | Lenny Abrahamson | Sally Rooney andAlice Birch | 26 April 2020 (2020-04-26) | 29 April 2020 | 28 April 2020 | |
In secondary school, popular athlete Connell and social outcast Marianne begin a relationship. Marianne confronts Connell about her feelings for him but he requests their relationship is kept a secret, fearing social rejection from his friends. | |||||||
| 2 | Episode 2 | Lenny Abrahamson | Sally Rooney and Alice Birch | 26 April 2020 (2020-04-26) | 29 April 2020 | 28 April 2020 | |
Connell and Marianne's romance blossoms but Connell's request of secrecy puts their relationship under strain. | |||||||
| 3 | Episode 3 | Lenny Abrahamson | Sally Rooney and Alice Birch | 26 April 2020 (2020-04-26) | 29 April 2020 | 5 May 2020 | |
Marianne is assaulted at a fundraiser for thedebs, and goes home with Connell. However, she breaks up with him after he asks his ex-girlfriend, Rachel, to the debs. Lorraine argues with Connell after he refuses to publicly acknowledge Marianne. During the debs, Connell's friend Eric reveals all of his friends knew of his relationship with Marianne, and that they wouldn't have rejected him. Later that night, Connell breaks down crying. | |||||||
| 4 | Episode 4 | Lenny Abrahamson | Sally Rooney and Alice Birch | 26 April 2020 (2020-04-26) | 29 April 2020 | 5 May 2020 | |
Months later, Connell reunites with Marianne at Trinity College through Gareth, a classmate of his whom she is dating. While Connell struggles to fit into the new environment, Marianne has made several friends, in contrast to her time in school. After meeting again at a party, Connell and Marianne decide to be friends. | |||||||
| 5 | Episode 5 | Lenny Abrahamson | Sally Rooney and Alice Birch | 26 April 2020 (2020-04-26) | 29 April 2020 | 12 May 2020 | |
Marianne and Connell grow closer and they confront Connell's treatment of her in school. Marianne then breaks up with Gareth and attempt to restart her relationship with Connell. However, another member of their friend group, Jamie, has a crush on Marianne. | |||||||
| 6 | Episode 6 | Lenny Abrahamson | Sally Rooney and Alice Birch | 26 April 2020 (2020-04-26) | 29 April 2020 | 12 May 2020 | |
Connell and Marianne's renewed relationship blossoms. During a return trip home, Marianne is physically assaulted by her brother. Connell is unable to pay rent for his accommodation in Dublin after being made redundant: unable to bring himself to ask Marianne to stay with her, he abruptly moves back to Sligo, causing them to break up. | |||||||
| 7 | Episode 7 | Hettie Macdonald | Alice Birch | 26 April 2020 (2020-04-26) | 29 April 2020 | 19 May 2020 | |
Connell spends the summer partying with his school friends while Marianne begins a relationship with Jamie. She reveals to Connell that Jamie engages insadomasochism in their relationship. In the following semester, Connell and Marianne are accepted into theSchols program. Connell arrives to Marianne's house later that night, injured after a mugging. Marianne and Connell realize their breakup was due to a misunderstanding over Connell's financial situation, but he leaves after he tells her of his new girlfriend, Helen. | |||||||
| 8 | Episode 8 | Hettie Macdonald | Alice Birch | 26 April 2020 (2020-04-26) | 29 April 2020 | 19 May 2020 | |
After a summer backpacking in Europe, Connell and Niall visit Marianne's Italian vacation home, and meet Jamie and Peggy. During dinner, Jamie's controlling and abusive attitude leads to an argument with Marianne. She decides to stay with Connell but declines to have sex with him. | |||||||
| 9 | Episode 9 | Hettie Macdonald | Alice Birch | 26 April 2020 (2020-04-26) | 29 April 2020 | 26 May 2020 | |
During herErasmus exchange in Sweden, Marianne begins an intense sadomasochistic relationship with a student photographer, Lukas. Connell remains in regular contact with Marianne, which upsets Helen. Lukas initiatesbondage with Marianne during a photography shoot, causing her to break up with him. | |||||||
| 10 | Episode 10 | Hettie Macdonald | Alice Birch | 26 April 2020 (2020-04-26) | 29 April 2020 | 26 May 2020 | |
Connell's mental health suffers after Rob commits suicide on New Year's Eve. While in Sligo for the funeral, he becomes more distant from Helen, causing her to break up with him. Connell begins seeing a counselor at university who helps him process his emotions, leading him to seek out to rekindle his relationship with Marianne. | |||||||
| 11 | Episode 11 | Hettie Macdonald | Mark O'Rowe | 26 April 2020 (2020-04-26) | 29 April 2020 | 2 June 2020 | |
Marianne and Connell reconnect when they return to Sligo. Marianne asks Connell to hit her during sex, unsettling him and causing Marianne to abruptly leave in shame. Marianne's brother, Alan, who disapproves of her relationship with Connell, attacks her and breaks her nose. Connell threatens Alan and leaves with Marianne. | |||||||
| 12 | Episode 12 | Hettie Macdonald | Alice Birch | 26 April 2020 (2020-04-26) | 29 April 2020 | 2 June 2020 | |
Marianne spends Christmas with Connell's family, finding comfort in a healthy family dynamic. Her mother refuses to speak to her. Connell is offered a place on a year-longMFA writing program in New York: Marianne pushes for him to attend, feeling content with her life and her relationship with Connell. | |||||||
In May 2019, it was announced thatBBC Three andHulu would adapt Rooney's novel into a limited series which will premiere in 2020.Paul Mescal andDaisy Edgar-Jones were also announced to star as Connell and Marianne, respectively.[8] The remainder of the cast, includingAislín McGuckin andSarah Greene, was rounded out soon after.[9] Rooney was hired to adapt her novel alongsideAlice Birch andMark O'Rowe.Lenny Abrahamson andHettie Macdonald were then confirmed as directors, with the Irish companyElement Pictures acting as the series' lead producers.[10][11]
Principal photography beganon location inCounty Sligo andDublin in May 2019.[12]Tubbercurry primarily made up the fictional town of Carricklea, with Streedagh Point alongWild Atlantic Way used for beach scenes, Knockmore House inEnniskerry for the Sheridans' residence, and a terraced home inShankill for the Waldrons' residence.
Hartstown Community School inClonsilla was used to depict the secondary school scenes, which featured real students as extras.[13] Students fromTrinity College Dublin were also used as extras during filming at the university.[14][15] Scenes at Marianne's Dublin flat were shot on Wellington Road inBallsbridge.
Although set inTrieste in the novel, filming took place inCentral Italy, primarily in and aroundSant'Oreste,Stimigliano, and the villaIl Casale on Tenuta di Verzano, inLazio. Scenes set inLuleå were filmed in February 2020 to ensure adequate snowfall and for theBaltic Sea to be frozen over for a scene depicting Marianne walking.[11]
The series also featured music fromThe Young Will Eat The Old, the debut album from Irishhip hop duoTebi Rex.[17]
The first look pictures came out on 1 November 2019. BBC Three and Hulu released their own teasers on 17 January 2020, followed by official trailers on 31 March.[18]
The series' 12 episodes became available as aBBC Three box set onBBC iPlayer on 26 April, followed by aBBC One airing on 27 April. The series became available onStan in Australia on 27 April and began airing onRTÉ One in Ireland on 28 April.[19][20] The series premiered in the US onHulu on 29 April.[21] The series has been sold to over 20 broadcasters worldwide.[22]
In June 2020, Abrahamson directed Edgar-Jones and Mescal in a one-offspoof short episode as part ofRTÉ Does Comic Relief, in which Marianne and Connell giveconfessions to a priest played byAndrew Scott.[23][24]
The series has received positive reviews. OnRotten Tomatoes, the series has a 91% rating, with an average score of 8.2/10 based on 91 reviews. The site's critical consensus reads, "Anchored by Daisy Edgar-Jones and Paul Mescal's vulnerable performances,Normal People is at once intimate and illuminating, beautifully translating the nuances of its source material."[25] OnMetacritic, the series has a score of 82 out of 100, based on reviews from 25 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[26]
In a positive review forVariety,Caroline Framke wrote: "With its trifecta of elegant writing, directing, and acting,Normal People is just as bleak and uncompromising as Rooney's novel, making you both crave and dread knowing—or perhaps more accurately,experiencing—what happens."[27]NPR'sLinda Holmes praised the main cast's performances and their chemistry, writing, "[Mescal and Edgar-Jones] have the vulnerability it takes to maintain confidence. They've both figured out how to put a particular warmth in their eyes when they're able to find those connected moments, like a light that flips on. [Mescal] is a stunning talent for someone who is genuinely just starting out in television — it's a treat to see [the actors] work so well together".[28]
In a negative review, Jessa Crispin ofThe Guardian called the series "a gutless soap opera for millennials" and wrote the series is a "dull, tedious reworking of a romance plot as old as time". Crispin also criticized its unrealistic depiction of university freshmen, casting of older actors to play teenagers, and lack of depth, writing, "[Normal People] analyzes itself with offhand comments so you don't have to do any thinking."[29] In another negative review, Matt Fagerholm ofRogerEbert.com comparedNormal People to "being stuck on a bad date that refuses to end", criticizing its writing, Mescal's casting, and its "cowardly" and "unforgivable" characters, calling Marianne a "despairing addition to an array of submissive heroines routinely defined by the men in their lives" and concluded that the series is "a frustrating, fractured romance between an inarticulate weakling and a woman who deserves much better".[30]
The series received controversy for its nudity and sex scenes:[31] while the work ofIta O'Brien as the show'sintimacy coordinator was praised,[32] some viewers called in to complain onLiveline, arguing the nudity was excessive or inappropriate.[33] The series also received controversy by excluding overt mentions ofThe Communist Manifesto andThe Golden Notebook: Rooney, who describes herself as aMarxist, included overt mentions of those books in her original novel.[34]
Normal People reportedly gaveBBC Three its best ever week oniPlayer (26 April to 3 May), receiving over 16.2 million programme requests across the 12 episodes, about 5 million of which were from 16- to 34-year-olds, and bringing BBC Three requests up to 21.8 million, doubling the previous record of 10.8 million from the release of the first series ofKilling Eve. Seventy per cent of BBC Three requests that week were forNormal People and a quarter had finished all 12 episodes.[35][36] It became the most-streamed series of the year on the BBC, with 62.7 million views from April to November 2020.[37]
The first two episodes were reported to have been watched onRTÉ One by an average of 371,000 viewers with an additional 19,000 on RTÉ One +1 and 301,000 streams onRTÉ Player, becoming the most watched opening of a drama series on RTÉ Player. Thirty per cent of 15- to 34-year-olds watching TV were watchingNormal People.[38] The finale had over 319,000 viewers, 33% of the total RTÉ audience and 20% increase over the previous week. In June 2020, it was reported thatNormal People had garnered over 3 million views onRTÉ Player, breaking the previous record for the streaming service of 1.2 million, which was held by the fourth series ofLove/Hate.[39]
Speaking on the series' popularity, Prathyush Parasuraman ofFilm Companion wrote: "Rarely have I seen the sort of cultural dialogue that I saw [from] the release ofNormal People."[40]
| Year[41] | Award[42] | Category[43] | Nominee[44] | Result[45] | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | British Society of Cinematographers Awards | Best Cinematography in a Television Drama | Suzie Lavelle(for "Episode 1") | Won | [46] |
| Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie | Paul Mescal | Nominated | [47] | |
| Outstanding Directing for a Limited Series, Movie or Dramatic Special | Lenny Abrahamson(for "Episode 5") | Nominated | |||
| Outstanding Writing for a Limited Series, Movie or Dramatic Special | Sally Rooney andAlice Birch(for "Episode 3") | Nominated | |||
| Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards | Outstanding Casting for a Limited Series, Movie or Special | Louise Kiely | Nominated | ||
| Royal Television Society Programme Awards | Actor: Male | Paul Mescal | Nominated | [48] | |
| Actor: Female | Daisy Edgar-Jones | Nominated | |||
| Royal Television Society Craft & Design Awards | Director – Drama | Lenny Abrahamson | Won | [49] | |
| Photography – Drama and Comedy | Suzie Lavelle | Won | |||
| Editing | Nathan Nugent | Nominated | |||
| TCA Awards | Outstanding Achievement in Movies, Miniseries and Specials | Normal People | Nominated | [50] | |
| 2021 | AACTA Awards | Best Actor in a Series | Paul Mescal | Nominated | [51] |
| Best Actress in a Series | Daisy Edgar-Jones | Nominated | |||
| British Academy Television Awards | Best Mini-Series | Lenny Abrahamson, Sally Rooney,Ed Guiney, Andrew Lowe, Emma Norton and Catherine Magee | Nominated | [52] | |
| Best Actor | Paul Mescal | Won | |||
| Best Actress | Daisy Edgar-Jones | Nominated | |||
| British Academy Television Craft Awards | Best Director: Fiction | Lenny Abrahamson | Nominated | ||
| Best Editing: Fiction | Nathan Nugent | Nominated | |||
| Best Photography & Lighting: Fiction | Suzie Lavelle | Nominated | |||
| Best Sound: Fiction | Niall O'Sullivan, Steve Fanagan and Niall Brady | Nominated | |||
| BSC Awards | Best Cinematography in a Television Drama | Suzie Lavelle | Won | [53] | |
| Casting Society of America | Limited Series | Louise Kiely | Won | [54] | |
| Critics' Choice Television Awards | Best Limited Series | Normal People | Nominated | [55] | |
| Best Actor in a Movie/Miniseries | Paul Mescal | Nominated | |||
| Best Actress in a Movie/Miniseries | Daisy Edgar-Jones | Nominated | |||
| Golden Globe Awards | Best Limited Series or Television Film | Normal People | Nominated | [56] | |
| Best Actress – Limited Series or Television Film | Daisy Edgar-Jones | Nominated | |||
| MTV Movie & TV Awards | Best Breakthrough Performance | Paul Mescal | Nominated | [57] | |
| Producers Guild of America Awards | David L. Wolper Award for Outstanding Producer of Limited Series Television | Lenny Abrahamson, Sally Rooney, Ed Guiney, Andrew Lowe, Emma Norton, Anna Ferguson and Catherine Magee | Nominated | [58] | |
| Satellite Awards | Best Miniseries | Normal People | Nominated | [59] | |
| Irish Film & Television Awards | Best Drama | Normal People | Won | [60] | |
| Director – Drama | Lenny Abrahamson | Won | |||
| Script – Drama | Sally Rooney | Won | |||
| Lead Actor in a Drama | Paul Mescal | Won | |||
| Supporting Actor in a Drama | Desmond Eastwood | Nominated | |||
| Fionn O'Shea | Won | ||||
| Supporting Actress in a Drama | Sarah Greene | Won | |||
| Cinematography | Kate McCullough | Won | |||
| Suzie Lavelle | Nominated | ||||
| Costume | Lorna Marie Mugan | Nominated | |||
| Editing | Nathan Nugent | Nominated | |||
| Production Design | Lucy van Lonkhuyzen | Won | |||
| Sound | Steve Fanagan, Niall Brady, and Niall O'Sullivan | Won | |||
| Makeup and Hair | Sandra Kelly and Sharon Doyle | Nominated | |||
| Score | Stephen Rennicks | Nominated |
{{citation}}: CS1 maint: others (link)The author of Normal People is a self-professed Marxist... her politics seeps through her writing. It's no accident the central protagonists of the book that has captured the nation's imagination are the rich girl living in the mansion and the poor boy whose mother works as her family's cleaner. The TV version glosses over the discussions around 'The Communist Manifesto' and the feminist bible 'The Golden Notebook'.
