''Dickinson'' is an American

comedy-drama Comedy drama, also known by the portmanteau ''dramedy'', is a genre of dramatic works that combines elements of comedy and drama. The modern, scripted-television examples tend to have more humorous bits than simple comic relief seen in a typical ...

television series about

Emily Dickinson Emily Elizabeth Dickinson (December 10, 1830 – May 15, 1886) was an American poet. Little-known during her life, she has since been regarded as one of the most important figures in American poetry. Dickinson was born in Amherst, Massach ...

, created by

Alena Smith Alena Smith is an American screenwriter, producer, and author best known for creating the Apple TV+ series '' Dickinson''. In addition to creating the show, she also executive produces and has written numerous episodes. Career Smith got her fi ...

and produced for

Apple TV+ Apple TV is a digital media player and microconsole developed and marketed by Apple Inc. It is a small network appliance hardware that plays received media data such as video and audio to a television set or external display. Since its secon ...

. Starring Hailee Steinfeld as Emily Dickinson, the series aired for 30 episodes over three seasons from November 1, 2019, to December 24, 2021.

Premise

''Dickinson'' takes place "during

's era with a modern sensibility and tone. It takes viewers into the world of Emily, audaciously exploring the constraints of society, gender, and family from the perspective of a budding writer who doesn't fit in to her own time through her imaginative point of view. ''Dickinson'' is Emily's coming-of-age story – one woman's fight to get her voice heard."

Cast and characters

Main

* Hailee Steinfeld as

, an aspiring poet in love with her best friend Sue, who is also her brother's fiancée. She pushes back against her parents' attempts to find her a suitor. * Adrian Blake Enscoe as

Austin Dickinson William Austin Dickinson (April 16, 1829 – August 16, 1895) was an American lawyer. Known to family and friends as "Austin", he was the older brother of the poet Emily Dickinson Emily Elizabeth Dickinson (December 10, 1830 – May 1 ...

, Emily and Lavinia's older brother, recently out of college. He is engaged to Sue Gilbert. *

Anna Baryshnikov Anna Katerina Baryshnikov (born May 22, 1992) is an American actress. She had her breakout role as Sandy in the 2016 film '' Manchester by the Sea'' and was a series regular in the CBS sitcom '' Superior Donuts'' first season. From 2019 to 2021, ...

as Lavinia "Vinnie" Dickinson, the youngest of the Dickinson siblings; she is upset that her parents are not attempting to find her a suitor. She has her eyes on Joseph Lyman. *

Ella Hunt Ella Hunt (born 29 April 1998) is an English actress and singer. She was nominated for a Scottish BAFTA for her performance in the film '' Anna and the Apocalypse'' (2017). On television, she is known for her roles as Ellie Marsden in the ITV c ...

as Sue Gilbert, Emily's lover and best friend who later marries Austin. She is recently orphaned and lived at a boarding house before moving in with Emily's family, until in later seasons builds the Evergreens, Austin and Sue's house. *

Jane Krakowski Jane Krakowski (; ; born October 11, 1968) is an American actress, comedienne, and singer. She is best known for her starring role as Jenna Maroney in the NBC satirical comedy series ''30 Rock'' (2006–2013, 2020), for which she received four ...

as Emily Norcross Dickinson, the mother of Emily, Austin, and Lavinia. She is a housewife with patriarchal views and is upset when her husband hires a maid. In later seasons, she begins to shift to more radical views. *

Toby Huss Tobias Huss (born December 9, 1966) is an American actor, known for portraying Artie in the Nickelodeon series '' The Adventures of Pete & Pete'' (1993–1996). He is also known for his voice-over work on the long-running animated series ''King of ...

Edward Dickinson Edward Dickinson (January 1, 1803 – June 16, 1874) was an American politician from Massachusetts. He is also known as the father of the poet Emily Dickinson; their family home in Amherst, the Dickinson Homestead, is a museum dedicated to her. ...

, the father of Emily, Austin, and Lavinia who holds patriarchal views and disapproves of Emily's writing. He later runs for Congress and defects from the Whig party. *

Amanda Warren Amanda Warren (born July 17, 1982) is an American actress. She is known for her role as Lucy Warburton on the HBO drama series '' The Leftovers'' and as Betty on the AppleTV+ comedy series '' Dickinson''. Early life Amanda Warren was born on ...

as Betty (season 3; recurring season 1; guest season 2), a local dressmaker and Henry's wife with whom she has a daughter. * Chinaza Uche as Henry (season 3; recurring seasons 1–2), a writer and editor, hired hand of the Dickinson family, and in season 3 joins the U.S. Army with the goal of arming African American soldiers.

Recurring

Wiz Khalifa Cameron Jibril Thomaz (born September 8, 1987), better known by his stage name Wiz Khalifa, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and actor. He released his debut album, ''Show and Prove'', in 2006 and signed to Warner Bros. Records in 200 ...

Death Death is the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain an organism. For organisms with a brain, death can also be defined as the irreversible cessation of functioning of the whole brain, including brainstem, and brain ...

* Samuel Farnsworth as George Gould, a friend of Austin who is romantically interested in Emily * Darlene Hunt as Maggie, a maid hired by Edward at the request of Emily * Gus Birney as Jane Humphrey, the most popular girl in town * Sophie Zucker as Abby Wood, one of Jane's minions * Allegra Heart as Abiah Root, one of Jane's minions * Kevin Yee as Toshiaki, a friend of Jane's * Gus Halper as Joseph Lyman (season 1), the young man in whom Lavinia is interested *

Jason Mantzoukas Jason Mantzoukas (, el, Ιάσων Μαντζούκας; born December 18, 1972) is an American actor, comedian, writer and podcaster. He is best known for his recurring role as Rafi in the FX comedy series ''The League'', and as one of the th ...

as Bee (voice; season 1), one of Emily's hallucinations *

Robert Picardo Robert Alphonse Picardo (born October 27, 1953) is an American actor. He is best known for playing the Cowboy in ''Innerspace'', Coach Cutlip on ''The Wonder Years'', Captain Dick Richard on the ABC series ''China Beach'', the Doctor on '' Star ...

as Ithamar Conkey, a townsperson who is a close friend of Mr. Dickinson, and attempts to fall in love with Aunt Lavinia. *

Matt Lauria Matthew Lauria (born August 16, 1982) is an American actor and musician. He made his television debut on the NBC sitcom ''30 Rock'' in 2007. He is best known for his roles as Luke Cafferty on the NBC/DirecTV drama '' Friday Night Lights'', Ryan ...

as Ben Newton (season 1), a law clerk for Mr. Dickinson *

Jessica Hecht Jessica Hecht is an American actress and singer who played Gretchen Schwartz on '' Breaking Bad'', Susan Bunch on ''Friends'', and Carol on '' The Boys''. She has also made numerous Broadway appearances. Early life and education Hecht was born ...

as Aunt Lavinia (seasons 1–2), Emily Norcross Dickinson's sister, and the world-traveling widowed aunt of Emily, Austin, and Lavinia *

Finn Jones Finn Jones (born Terence Jones; 24 March 1988) is an English actor known for his roles as Loras Tyrell in the HBO series ''Game of Thrones'' (2011–2016) and Danny Rand / Iron Fist in the Netflix television shows '' Iron Fist'' (2017–2018) ...

as Samuel Bowles (season 2), the editor of the local paper, the ''

Springfield Republican ''The Republican'' is a newspaper based in Springfield, Massachusetts covering news in the Greater Springfield area, as well as national news and pieces from Boston, Worcester, Massachusetts, Worcester and northern Connecticut. It is owned by ...

'' *

Pico Alexander Alexander Lukasz Jogalla (born June 3, 1991), known professionally as Pico Alexander, is an American actor. Personal life Alexander Lukasz Jogalla was born in New York City, New York, and raised in Park Slope, Brooklyn. His parents, Magdalena D ...

as Henry Shipley (season 2), a new lodger at the Dickinson residence, and a former boyfriend of Lavinia's * Will Pullen as

Nobody Nobody may refer to: * Nobody, an indefinite pronoun Nobody may also refer to: Fictional characters * Nobody (''Kingdom Hearts''), a race of beings in the ''Kingdom Hearts'' video game series *Nobody, a character in the Jim Jarmusch films '' D ...

, and as Frazar Stearns (seasons 2–3), a school friend of Austin's now enrolled at West Point, Emily has a vision of him dying and it comes true. *

Ayo Edebiri Ayo Edebiri ( ; born October 3, 1995) is an American comedian, writer, producer and actress. She appeared on Comedy Central's ''Up Next'' and co-hosts the podcast ''Iconography'' with Olivia Craighead. Edebiri is best known as a voice actor on '' ...

as Hattie (season 2), a Dickinson family maid and a spiritual medium *

Gabriel Ebert Gabriel Ebert is an American stage actor and singer. Early life Ebert was born and raised in Colorado. He attended high school at the Denver School of the Arts and graduated from Juilliard. Career Ebert made his Broadway debut as the understudy ...

Thomas Wentworth Higginson Thomas Wentworth Higginson (December 22, 1823May 9, 1911) was an American Unitarian minister, author, abolitionist, politician, and soldier. He was active in the American Abolitionism movement during the 1840s and 1850s, identifying himself with ...

(season 3), an abolitionist activist and colonel in the Union's 1st South Carolina Volunteers, whom Emily writes to in seeking advice on her writing.

Notable guest stars

John Mulaney John Edmund Mulaney (born August 26, 1982) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and producer. He first rose to prominence for his work as a writer on ''Saturday Night Live'' from 2008 to 2013, where he contributed to numerous ...

Henry David Thoreau Henry David Thoreau (July 12, 1817May 6, 1862) was an American naturalist, essayist, poet, and philosopher. A leading Transcendentalism, transcendentalist, he is best known for his book ''Walden'', a reflection upon simple living in natural su ...

(in "Alone, I cannot be", "I felt a Funeral, in my Brain") *

Zosia Mamet Zosia Russell MametAccording to Vermont Births, 1981–2001, and Vermont Birth Records, 1909–2008, at Ancestry.com. (; born February 2, 1988) is an American actress and musician who has appeared in television series including ''Mad Men'', ' ...

Louisa May Alcott Louisa May Alcott (; November 29, 1832March 6, 1888) was an American novelist, short story writer, and poet best known as the author of the novel ''Little Women'' (1868) and its sequels ''Little Men'' (1871) and ''Jo's Boys'' (1886). Raised in ...

(in "There's a certain Slant of light", "This is My Letter to the World") *

Timothy Simons Timothy Charles Simons (born June 12, 1978) is an American actor and comedian best known for his role as Jonah Ryan on the HBO television series ''Veep'', for which he has received five nominations and one win for the Screen Actors Guild Award ...

Frederick Law Olmsted Frederick Law Olmsted (April 26, 1822August 28, 1903) was an American landscape architect, journalist, social critic, and public administrator. He is considered to be the father of landscape architecture in the USA. Olmsted was famous for co- ...

(in "The Daisy follows soft the Sun") *

Kelli Barrett Kelli Barrett (born January 26, 1984) is an American actress. Biography Kelli Barrett was raised by a single mother in Virginia Beach, Virginia. As a child, she showed interest in acting after seeing '' Merrily We Roll Along'' on stage. She sang ...

as Adelaide May (in "Split the Lark") *

Nick Kroll Nicholas Kroll (born June 5, 1978) is an American actor, voice actor, comedian, writer, and producer. He is known for creating and starring in the Comedy Central series '' Kroll Show'', ''The Oh, Hello Show'', the FX comedy series ''The L ...

Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe (; Edgar Poe; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic. Poe is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales of mystery and the macabre. He is wide ...

(in "I'm Nobody! Who are you?") *

Ziwe ''Ziwe'' is an American satirical late-night talk show hosted and executive produced by comedian Ziwe Fumudoh based in New York City. The show premiered on May 9, 2021, on Showtime. In June 2021, Showtime renewed the series for a second season ...

Sojourner Truth Sojourner Truth (; born Isabella Baumfree; November 26, 1883) was an American abolitionist of New York Dutch heritage and a women's rights activist. Truth was born into slavery in Swartekill, New York, but escaped with her infant daughter to f ...

(in "The Soul has Bandaged moments", "The Future never spoke") * Billy Eichner as

Walt Whitman Walter Whitman (; May 31, 1819 – March 26, 1892) was an American poet, essayist and journalist. A humanist, he was a part of the transition between transcendentalism and realism, incorporating both views in his works. Whitman is among t ...

(in "This is My Letter to the World") *

Chloe Fineman Chloe Rose Fineman (born July 20, 1988) is an American actress, comedian, and writer. Fineman became a featured player on the NBC sketch comedy series '' Saturday Night Live'' starting in its 45th season in September 2019, and was promoted to r ...

Sylvia Plath Sylvia Plath (; October 27, 1932 – February 11, 1963) was an American poet, novelist, and short story writer. She is credited with advancing the genre of confessional poetry and is best known for two of her published collections, ''The ...

(in "The Future never spoke")

Episodes

Season 1 (2019)

Season 2 (2021)

Season 3 (2021)

Production

Development

On May 30, 2018, it was announced that Apple had given the production a straight-to-series order. The series would be written by Alena Smith who was also set to executive produce alongside Paul Lee,

David Gordon Green David Gordon Green is an American filmmaker. He directed the dramas ''George Washington'' (2000), '' All the Real Girls'' (2003), and '' Snow Angels'' (2007), as well as the thriller '' Undertow'' (2004), all of which he wrote or co-wrote. In ...

Michael Sugar Michael Sugar is an American film and television producer and principal at Sugar23, best known for producing ''Spotlight'', ''13 Reasons Why'', '' Maniac'' and ''The Knick''. Life and career Sugar attended the Armand Hammer United World Coll ...

, Ashley Zalta, Alex Goldstone, and Darlene Hunt. Green was also expected to direct as well. Production companies involved with the series included and Anonymous Content. In October 2019, ''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...

'' reported ''Dickinson'' had been renewed for a second season. In October 2020, the series was renewed for a third season, ahead of the premiere of the second season. In September 2021, it was announced that the third season would be its last and would premiere on November 5, 2021.

Casting

Alongside the initial series announcement, it was confirmed that Hailee Steinfeld would star as

. On August 29, 2018, it was announced that

had been cast in a starring role. On September 26, 2018, it was announced that

and Adrian Enscoe had been cast as series regulars. On January 29, 2019, it was reported that

had joined the cast in a recurring capacity. In September 2019, it was announced

and

had joined the cast of the series. In December 2019, it was announced that

and

had been cast in the series. Jones plays Samuel Bowles, a newspaper editor, while Alexander plays Henry "Ship" Shipley, a dropout and boarder of the Dickinson's. Actors

Will Poulter William Jack Poulter (born 28 January 1993) is a British actor. He first gained recognition for his role as Eustace Scrubb in the fantasy adventure film '' The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader'' (2010). He received critical ...

and Joe Thomas were considered for the role of Bowles.

Filming

Principal photography for the series commenced on January 7, 2019, in

Old Bethpage, New York Old Bethpage is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) located on Long Island in the Town of Oyster Bay, Nassau County, New York, United States. The population of the CDP was 5,283 at the 2020 United States Census. It is served by the Old ...

. In March 2019, it was reported by ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' that filming had concluded. In November 2019, Steinfeld confirmed that filming for season two was underway and had been for several months. Filming for season three began on March 17, 2021 and concluded on June 15, 2021 Some scenes were filmed at

Kaufman Astoria Studios The Kaufman Astoria Studios is a film studio located in the Astoria section of the New York City borough of Queens. The studio was constructed for Famous Players-Lasky in 1920, since it was close to Manhattan's Broadway theater district. The pr ...

Queens, New York Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long I ...

. Many scenes from Season 3 were filmed at the

Jay Estate The Jay Estate is a 23-acre park and historic site in Rye, New York, with the 1838 Peter Augustus Jay House at its center. It is the keystone of the Boston Post Road Historic District, a National Historic Landmark District (NHL) created in 1993. ...

in Rye, New York.

Reception

Season 1

The first season of ''Dickinson'' received generally positive reviews. It holds an approval rating of 76% on

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

based on 67 reviews, and an average rating of 6.5/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Audacious and aspirational, ''Dickinson''s bold blend of period-drama and millennial milieu definitely won't be for all, but those looking to break free from the doldrums of their viewing life may find some kind of hope in its singular vision." On

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...

, which uses a weighted average, the first season has a score of 66 out of 100 based on 29 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

Season 2

The second season received universal acclaim. On Rotten Tomatoes, it holds a "Certified Fresh" 100% approval rating based on 26 reviews, with an average rating of 8.3/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "With stronger writing and a never-better Hailee Steinfeld, ''Dickinson'' finds surer footing in its second season without losing any of its strange delights." On Metacritic, the second season has a score of 81 out of 100 based on 9 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".

Season 3

The third and final season also received universal acclaim. On Rotten Tomatoes, it holds a 100% approval rating based on 23 reviews, with an average rating of 8.3/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Authentically itself to the very last, ''Dickinsons final season delivers elegant closure like a well-structured stanza." On Metacritic, the third season has a score of 91 out of 100 based on 6 critics, indicating "universal acclaim."

Accolades

''Dickinson'' won a

Peabody Award The George Foster Peabody Awards (or simply Peabody Awards or the Peabodys) program, named for the American businessman and philanthropist George Peabody, honor the most powerful, enlightening, and invigorating stories in television, radio, and ...

in the Entertainment category, making it the first show from Apple TV+ to win the prestigious honor.

Notes

References

External links

* – official site * {{Emily Dickinson 2019 American television series debuts 2010s American comedy-drama television series 2010s American LGBT-related comedy television series 2010s American LGBT-related drama television series 2020s American comedy-drama television series 2020s American LGBT-related comedy television series 2020s American LGBT-related drama television series 2021 American television series endings American biographical series Apple TV+ original programming Bisexuality-related television series Cultural depictions of Emily Dickinson English-language television shows Television series by Anonymous Content Television series set in the 19th century