| The Girl from Plainville | |
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| Created by | Liz Hannah & Patrick Macmanus |
| Based on | The article by Jesse Barron |
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| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of episodes | 8 |
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| Running time | 40–49 minutes |
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| Network | Hulu |
| Release | March 29 (2022-03-29) – May 3, 2022 (2022-05-03) |
The Girl from Plainville is an Americanbiographicalcrime drama televisionminiseries created byLiz Hannah and Patrick Macmanus. The series starsElle Fanning,Chloë Sevigny, andColton Ryan.[1] It premiered onHulu on March 29, 2022.[2] A portion of the series showed atSXSW on March 12, 2022.[3] The series is a dramatization of the events leading to thedeath of Conrad Roy and his girlfriend Michelle Carter's conviction forinvoluntary manslaughter.[4] The series received mostly positive reviews, with praise towards the performances of Fanning, Ryan, and Sevigny.
The Girl from Plainville explores the events inMassachusetts leading to thedeath of Conrad Roy bysuicide in 2014 and his girlfriend Michelle Carter's conviction in 2017 for theinvoluntary manslaughter of him.[4]
The narrative follows a non-linear structure with two parallel storylines, one concerning Conrad and Michelle's relationship from their initial meeting in Florida in 2012 up until his death, and one concerning the events following his death. Conrad and Michelle's text messages to each other are frequently re-enacted as if they were having a live conversation. There are also a number of fantasy sequences, told from Michelle's point of view.
In addition, Ella Kennedy Davis co-stars as Sydney Roy, one of Coco's younger sisters.
| No. | Title [5] | Directed by | Written by | Original release date [5] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Star-Crossed Lovers and Things Like That" | Lisa Cholodenko | Liz Hannah & Patrick Macmanus | March 29, 2022 (2022-03-29) |
| 2 | "Turtle" | Zetna Fuentes | Ahmadu Garba | March 29, 2022 (2022-03-29) |
| 3 | "Never Have I Ever" | Lisa Cholodenko | Ashley Michel Hoban | March 29, 2022 (2022-03-29) |
| 4 | "Can't Fight This Feeling Anymore" | Pippa Bianco | Sara Pearson | April 5, 2022 (2022-04-05) |
| 5 | "Mirrorball" | Pippa Bianco | Sarah Cho | April 12, 2022 (2022-04-12) |
| 6 | "Talking Is Healing" | Liz Hannah | Bashir Gavriel | April 19, 2022 (2022-04-19) |
| 7 | "Teenage Dirtbag" | Liz Hannah | Liz Hannah | April 26, 2022 (2022-04-26) |
| 8 | "Blank Spaces" | Daniel Minahan | Liz Hannah & Patrick Macmanus | May 3, 2022 (2022-05-03) |
On August 15, 2019, it was announced thatUniversal Content Productions was developing a television series inspired by the case, with documentarian Erin Lee Carr and journalist Jesse Barron serving as consulting producers.[6] On August 7, 2020, it was reported that series was given a straight-to-series order and the series would be titledThe Girl From Plainville which would be onHulu. The series is created byLiz Hannah and Patrick Macmanus who are also expected to executive produce alongside Elle Fanning and Brittany Kahan Ward.Universal Content Productions, Echo Lake Entertainment, and Littleton Road Productions are the production companies involved with producing the series.[7] On April 14, 2021, it was announced thatLisa Cholodenko is set to direct the first two episodes of the series.[8] On September 2, 2021, it was reported that Hannah,Zetna Fuentes, and Pippa Bianco were added as directors for the limited series.[9] The series was released on March 29, 2022.[2]
The series was released onStarzPlay in the United Kingdom, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Japan, and Latin America, including Brazil and Mexico.[10]
Filming for the series began on August 17, 2021, and concluded on December 10, 2021, inSavannah, Georgia.[11]
Upon the series order announcement, it was reported thatElle Fanning was cast to star.[12] On May 6, 2021, it was announced thatColton Ryan joined that cast on a starring role.[1] In August 2021, it was reported thatChloë Sevigny,Norbert Leo Butz,Cara Buono, and Kai Lennox were cast as series regulars.[13][14][15] On October 1, 2021, it was announced thatPeter Gerety,Michael Mosley, Ella Kennedy Davis, Pearl Amanda Dickson, Kylie Liya Page, and Jeff Wahlberg joined the cast in recurring roles.[16]
The Girl from Plainville received mostly positive reviews from critics. Thereview aggregator websiteRotten Tomatoes reported a 93% approval rating based on 29 critic reviews, with an average rating of 7.2/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "Grounded by a disturbingly powerful performance byElle Fanning,The Girl from Plainville dramatizes a sordid true story with tasteful restraint."[17] OnMetacritic, the limited series has a score of 76 out of 100, based on 18 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[18]
Saloni GajjarThe A.V. Club gave the limited series a B− and said, "it succeeds in bringing a humane element to a puzzling crime without sensationalizing it. And for the most part, this is because of rousing performances by Fanning, Ryan, and Chloë Sevigny..."[19]
Lucy Mangan ofThe Guardian gave the series three out of five stars, praising Fanning's and Sevigny's performances but criticizing the script: "...it doesn't feel as though there is enough depth, insight or value added here to justify the endeavour."[20]
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee | Result | Ref. |
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| 2022 | Hollywood Critics Association TV Awards | Best Actress in a Streaming Limited or Anthology Series or Movie | Elle Fanning | Nominated | [21] |
| Best Supporting Actress in a Streaming Limited or Anthology Series or Movie | Chloë Sevigny | Nominated | |||
| Best Directing in a Streaming Limited or Anthology Series or Movie | Liz Hannah(for "Talking Is Healing") | Nominated | |||
| Best Writing in a Streaming Limited or Anthology Series or Movie | Liz Hannah and Patrick MacManus(for "Star-Crossed Lovers and Things Like That") | Nominated | |||
| Television Critics Association Awards | Outstanding Achievement in Movies, Miniseries and Specials | The Girl from Plainville | Nominated | [22] | |
| 2023 | Critics' Choice Television Awards | Best Limited Series | The Girl from Plainville | Nominated | [23] |
| Satellite Awards | Best Actress in a Miniseries, Limited Series, or Motion Picture Made for Television | Elle Fanning | Nominated | [24] |
