Little Fires Everywhere (miniseries)
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''Little Fires Everywhere'' is an American
drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has been ...
streaming television Streaming television is the digital distribution of television content, such as TV shows, as streaming media delivered over the Internet. Streaming television stands in contrast to dedicated terrestrial television delivered by over-the-air aer ...
series, based on the 2017 novel of the same name by
Celeste Ng Celeste Ng ( ) (born July 30, 1980) is an American writer and novelist. She has released many short stories that have been published in a variety of literary journals. Ng's first novel, '' Everything I Never Told You'', released on June 26, 20 ...
. It premiered on
Hulu Hulu () is an American subscription streaming service majority-owned by The Walt Disney Company, with Comcast's NBCUniversal holding a minority stake. It was launched on October 29, 2007 and it offers a library of films and television serie ...
on March 18, 2020 and consists of eight episodes. The series stars
Reese Witherspoon Laura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon (born March 22, 1976) is an American actress and producer. The recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and two Golden Globe Awards, she ...
and
Kerry Washington Kerry Marisa Washington (born January 31, 1977) SidebarCertificate of Live Birth: Isabelle Amarachi Asomugha(County of Los Angeles Department of Public Health). Gives Kerry Washington birth dateArchivedfrom the original on May 2, 2016.Note: Fi ...
, both of whom were also executive producers, alongside
Liz Tigelaar Rachel Elizabeth Tigelaar (born October 4, 1975) is an American television writer, producer, and author. She has worked on the series '' Brothers & Sisters'', ''American Dreams'', ''Once and Again'', '' Once Upon a Time'', ''Revenge'', '' Bate ...
, Lauren Neustadter, and Pilar Savone. Set in the
Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...
suburb of
Shaker Heights, Ohio Shaker Heights is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States. As of the 2020 Census, the city population was 29,439. Shaker Heights is an inner-ring streetcar suburb of Cleveland, abutting the eastern edge of the city's limits. In July 1911, ...
during the late 1990s, it features Witherspoon and Washington as mothers from different socioeconomic backgrounds.


Premise

''Little Fires Everywhere'' follows "the intertwined fates of the picture-perfect Richardson family and an enigmatic mother and daughter who upend their lives. The story explores the weight of secrets, the nature of art and identity, the ferocious pull of motherhood – and the danger in believing that following the rules can avert disaster."


Cast and characters


Main

*
Reese Witherspoon Laura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon (born March 22, 1976) is an American actress and producer. The recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and two Golden Globe Awards, she ...
as Elena Richardson, a journalist, landlady, and mother of four teenagers. *
Kerry Washington Kerry Marisa Washington (born January 31, 1977) SidebarCertificate of Live Birth: Isabelle Amarachi Asomugha(County of Los Angeles Department of Public Health). Gives Kerry Washington birth dateArchivedfrom the original on May 2, 2016.Note: Fi ...
as Mia Warren, a talented artist who works part time as a waitress, and is Pearl's mother. *
Joshua Jackson Joshua Carter Jackson (born June 11, 1978) is a Canadian-American actor. He is known for his starring role as Charlie Conway in '' Mighty Ducks'', as Pacey Witter in The WB teen drama series ''Dawson's Creek'' (1998–2003), Peter Bishop in the ...
as Bill Richardson, Elena's husband and a lawyer. * Rosemarie DeWitt as Linda McCullough, Elena's childhood friend. *
Jade Pettyjohn Jade Pettyjohn (born November 8, 2000) is an American actress. She is known for her roles as McKenna Brooks in '' An American Girl: McKenna Shoots for the Stars'', as Summer on the Nickelodeon television series '' School of Rock'', as Lexie Ric ...
as Lexie Richardson, Elena's and Bill's elder daughter, and a straight A student. *
Lexi Underwood Lexi Underwood is an American actress and singer, best known for her role as Pearl Warren in '' Little Fires Everywhere''. She also played Athena in ''Will vs the Future,'' a comedic science fiction series created and executive produced by Tim ...
as Pearl Warren, Mia's daughter, gifted student and budding poet. *Megan Stott as Izzy Richardson, Elena's and Bill's younger daughter, an artist and the black sheep of the family. *
Gavin Lewis Gavin Lewis (born October 27, 2003) is an American actor. He is best known for the role of Moody Richardson in the American drama streaming television miniseries '' Little Fires Everywhere'' and Prince Maxemil “Emil” Vanderklaut III in the N ...
as Moody Richardson, Elena's and Bill's younger son. *Jordan Elsass as Trip Richardson, Elena's and Bill's older son, a popular jock.


Recurring

*SteVonté Hart as Brian Harlins, Lexie's boyfriend *Paul Yen as Scott *
Huang Lu Huang Lu () (born July 10, 1983) is a Chinese actress. A graduate of the Beijing Film Academy Beijing Film Academy (BFA; ) is a coeducational state-run higher education institution in Beijing, China. The film school is the largest institutio ...
as Bebe Chow, Mia's co-worker and friend, an undocumented immigrant and Mei-Ling's birth mother. *
Geoff Stults Geoffrey Manton Stults (born December 15, 1977) is an American actor. His first regular roles on television included '' 7th Heaven'', '' October Road'', and '' Happy Town''. He went on to star as Major Walter Sherman on '' The Finder'', Sgt. Pete ...
as Mark McCullough, Linda's husband *
Jaime Ray Newman Jaime Ray Newman (born April 2, 1978) is an American actress, producer and singer. She is known for starring as Kristina Cassadine in the soap opera '' General Hospital'', Mindy O'Dell in the drama series ''Veronica Mars'', Kat Gardener in the fa ...
as Elizabeth Manwill *
Obba Babatundé Obba Babatundé (born Donald Cohen; December 1, 1951) is an American actor. A native of Queens, New York City, he has appeared in more than seventeen stage productions, thirty theatrical films, sixty made-for-television films, and two prime-time ...
as George Wright *
Melanie Nicholls-King Melanie Nicholls-King is a Canadian actress, perhaps best known for playing Cheryl in the drama series ''The Wire'', and for her portrayal of Officer Noelle Williams in the drama series ''Rookie Blue''. Personal life Nicholls-King is from Toron ...
as Regina Wright * Jesse Williams as Joe Ryan *
Sarita Choudhury Sarita Catherine Louise Choudhury (born 18 August 1966) is a British actress, known for her role as Mina in the Mira Nair-directed feature film '' Mississippi Masala'' (1991). Choudhury has played roles in American and international films and te ...
as Anita Rees *
Austin Basis Austin Lee Basis (born September 14, 1976) is an American actor. Early life and education Basis was born in Brooklyn, New York, where he attended Mark Twain Intermediate School 239 and Midwood High School. While majoring in theatre at Bingha ...
as Principal Peters *
Byron Mann Byron Mann is a Hong Kong-American actor of film and television. His best-known roles include Ryu in ''Street Fighter'', Silver Lion in ''The Man with the Iron Fists'', Wing Chau in ''The Big Short'', Admiral Augusto Nguyen on ''The Expanse'', ...
as Ed Lan


Guest

*
AnnaSophia Robb AnnaSophia Robb (born December 8, 1993) is an American actress, model, and singer. She began as a child actress on television, making her leading debut as the titular role in '' Samantha: An American Girl Holiday'' (2004). She made her feature ...
as Young Elena *
Tiffany Boone Tiffany Boone (born August 27, 1987) is an American actress, best known for her roles as Roxy Jones in ''Hunters (2020 TV series), Hunters'', List of The Following characters#Mandy Lang, Mandy Lang in the The Following (season 2), second season o ...
as Young Mia *
Alona Tal Alona Tal ( he, אלונה טל, ; born ) is an Israeli actress and singer. She is known for her roles in ''Veronica Mars'' as cheerleader Meg Manning, in '' Supernatural'' as budding monster hunter Jo Harvelle, and in '' SEAL Team'' as grad stu ...
as Young Linda *
Nicole Beharie Nicole Beharie is an American actress. She is best known for her starring roles in films such as the drama '' American Violet'' (2008), the psychological drama '' Shame'' (2011), the biographical sports drama '' 42'' (2013), and the independent ...
as Madeleine Ryan *Matthew Barnes as Young Bill *Andy Favreau as Young Mark *
Luke Bracey Luke Bracey (born 26 April 1989) is an Australian actor. He is known for his work in films such as ''Monte Carlo'', '' G.I. Joe: Retaliation'', ''The November Man'', ''Point Break'', and ''Hacksaw Ridge''; and for television series such as '' H ...
as Jamie Caplan *
Anika Noni Rose Anika Noni Rose (born September 6, 1972) is an American actress and singer. She is best known for voicing Tiana, Disney's first African-American princess, as seen in ''The Princess and the Frog'' (2009). She was named a Disney Legend in 2011. S ...
as Pauline Hawthorne *
Britt Robertson Brittany Leanna Robertson (born April 18, 1990) is an American actress. She is known for her lead role in '' The First Time'' (2012), and has appeared in the films ''Tomorrowland'' (2015), '' The Space Between Us'' (2017), ''A Dog's Purpose'' ...
as Rachel *
Aubrey Joseph Aubrey Omari Joseph (born November 26, 1997) is an American actor best known for his role as Tyrone Johnson / Cloak in Freeform's '' Cloak & Dagger''. Career Aubrey started acting on the stage, portraying Simba in the Broadway musical ''The Li ...
as Warren Wright


Episodes


Production


Development

The book was discovered by
Reese Witherspoon Laura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon (born March 22, 1976) is an American actress and producer. The recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and two Golden Globe Awards, she ...
and Lauren Neustadter before it was published. Witherspoon went on to choose the book as her September 2017 book club pick and soon after it was published it became a bestseller. Witherspoon then brought the book to
Kerry Washington Kerry Marisa Washington (born January 31, 1977) SidebarCertificate of Live Birth: Isabelle Amarachi Asomugha(County of Los Angeles Department of Public Health). Gives Kerry Washington birth dateArchivedfrom the original on May 2, 2016.Note: Fi ...
, and together the pair approached
Liz Tigelaar Rachel Elizabeth Tigelaar (born October 4, 1975) is an American television writer, producer, and author. She has worked on the series '' Brothers & Sisters'', ''American Dreams'', ''Once and Again'', '' Once Upon a Time'', ''Revenge'', '' Bate ...
to adapt and showrun the novel as a limited series. The project began its development at ABC Signature, the cable/streaming division of ABC Studios where Witherspoon's Hello Sunshine has a network-only deal and Washington's Simpson Street has an overall deal. On March 2, 2018, the production was officially announced but a network had yet to be determined. The series was set to be written and showrun by Tigelaar who will also executive produce alongside Witherspoon, Washington, Lauren Neustadter, and Pilar Savone. The author of the novel, Ng, would act as producer. Production companies involved in the series included Hello Sunshine, Simpson Street, ABC Signature Studios. On March 12, 2018,
Hulu Hulu () is an American subscription streaming service majority-owned by The Walt Disney Company, with Comcast's NBCUniversal holding a minority stake. It was launched on October 29, 2007 and it offers a library of films and television serie ...
gave the production an eight episode order. This series order came after a multiple-outlet bidding war involving various networks and streaming services. In April 2019,
Lynn Shelton Lynn Shelton (August 27, 1965 – May 16, 2020) was an American filmmaker, known for writing, directing, and producing such films as ''Humpday'' and ''Your Sister's Sister''. She was associated with the mumblecore genre. Early life Shelton was b ...
was chosen to direct the series and serve as an executive producer. Shelton died of a blood disorder shortly after the final episode of the series aired.


Casting

Alongside the initial series announcement, it was reported that in addition to executive producing the series Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington had been cast in the series' lead roles. In April 2019, Rosemarie DeWitt,
Jade Pettyjohn Jade Pettyjohn (born November 8, 2000) is an American actress. She is known for her roles as McKenna Brooks in '' An American Girl: McKenna Shoots for the Stars'', as Summer on the Nickelodeon television series '' School of Rock'', as Lexie Ric ...
, Jordan Elsass, Gavin Lewis, Megan Stott and
Lexi Underwood Lexi Underwood is an American actress and singer, best known for her role as Pearl Warren in '' Little Fires Everywhere''. She also played Athena in ''Will vs the Future,'' a comedic science fiction series created and executive produced by Tim ...
joined the cast of the series. In May 2019,
Joshua Jackson Joshua Carter Jackson (born June 11, 1978) is a Canadian-American actor. He is known for his starring role as Charlie Conway in '' Mighty Ducks'', as Pacey Witter in The WB teen drama series ''Dawson's Creek'' (1998–2003), Peter Bishop in the ...
also joined the cast as the husband of Witherspoon's character. In June 2019, Paul Yen,
Huang Lu Huang Lu () (born July 10, 1983) is a Chinese actress. A graduate of the Beijing Film Academy Beijing Film Academy (BFA; ) is a coeducational state-run higher education institution in Beijing, China. The film school is the largest institutio ...
, and
Geoff Stults Geoffrey Manton Stults (born December 15, 1977) is an American actor. His first regular roles on television included '' 7th Heaven'', '' October Road'', and '' Happy Town''. He went on to star as Major Walter Sherman on '' The Finder'', Sgt. Pete ...
had been cast in recurring roles. In July 2019,
Jaime Ray Newman Jaime Ray Newman (born April 2, 1978) is an American actress, producer and singer. She is known for starring as Kristina Cassadine in the soap opera '' General Hospital'', Mindy O'Dell in the drama series ''Veronica Mars'', Kat Gardener in the fa ...
joined the cast in a recurring role. In September 2019,
Obba Babatundé Obba Babatundé (born Donald Cohen; December 1, 1951) is an American actor. A native of Queens, New York City, he has appeared in more than seventeen stage productions, thirty theatrical films, sixty made-for-television films, and two prime-time ...
and
Byron Mann Byron Mann is a Hong Kong-American actor of film and television. His best-known roles include Ryu in ''Street Fighter'', Silver Lion in ''The Man with the Iron Fists'', Wing Chau in ''The Big Short'', Admiral Augusto Nguyen on ''The Expanse'', ...
were cast in recurring capacities, with
AnnaSophia Robb AnnaSophia Robb (born December 8, 1993) is an American actress, model, and singer. She began as a child actress on television, making her leading debut as the titular role in '' Samantha: An American Girl Holiday'' (2004). She made her feature ...
,
Tiffany Boone Tiffany Boone (born August 27, 1987) is an American actress, best known for her roles as Roxy Jones in ''Hunters (2020 TV series), Hunters'', List of The Following characters#Mandy Lang, Mandy Lang in the The Following (season 2), second season o ...
,
Alona Tal Alona Tal ( he, אלונה טל, ; born ) is an Israeli actress and singer. She is known for her roles in ''Veronica Mars'' as cheerleader Meg Manning, in '' Supernatural'' as budding monster hunter Jo Harvelle, and in '' SEAL Team'' as grad stu ...
, Matthew Barnes, Andy Favreau,
Luke Bracey Luke Bracey (born 26 April 1989) is an Australian actor. He is known for his work in films such as ''Monte Carlo'', '' G.I. Joe: Retaliation'', ''The November Man'', ''Point Break'', and ''Hacksaw Ridge''; and for television series such as '' H ...
, and
Anika Noni Rose Anika Noni Rose (born September 6, 1972) is an American actress and singer. She is best known for voicing Tiana, Disney's first African-American princess, as seen in ''The Princess and the Frog'' (2009). She was named a Disney Legend in 2011. S ...
cast in guest roles. In October 2019, Jesse Williams,
Britt Robertson Brittany Leanna Robertson (born April 18, 1990) is an American actress. She is known for her lead role in '' The First Time'' (2012), and has appeared in the films ''Tomorrowland'' (2015), '' The Space Between Us'' (2017), ''A Dog's Purpose'' ...
,
Kristoffer Polaha Kristoffer Polaha is an American actor and author. He is known for his starring roles on television as Jason Matthews in '' North Shore'', Nathaniel "Baze" Bazile in ''Life Unexpected'', and Henry Butler in '' Ringer''. He has also appeared in ...
,
Austin Basis Austin Lee Basis (born September 14, 1976) is an American actor. Early life and education Basis was born in Brooklyn, New York, where he attended Mark Twain Intermediate School 239 and Midwood High School. While majoring in theatre at Bingha ...
and Reggie Austin joined the cast of the series, in recurring capacities; however, Polaha and Austin were not credited in the series.


Filming

Principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as actor ...
took place in
Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
and ran from May 31 to October 23, 2019. The exterior of the Warren home is located in
Pasadena Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial district. ...
, with the exterior of the Richardson home in
Hancock Park Hancock Park is a city park in the Miracle Mile section of the Mid-Wilshire neighborhood in Los Angeles, California. The park's destinations include the La Brea Tar Pits; the adjacent George C. Page Museum of La Brea Discoveries, which displ ...
.


Music

The score was composed by
Mark Isham Mark Ware Isham (born September 7, 1951) is an American musician and film composer. A trumpeter and keyboardist, Isham works in a variety of genres, including jazz and electronic. He is also a film composer, having worked on numerous films and ...
and
Florence & the Machine Florence and the Machine (stylised as Florence + the Machine) are an English indie rock band that formed in London in 2007, consisting of lead vocalist Florence Welch, keyboardist Isabella Summers, guitarist Rob Ackroyd, harpist Tom Monger, and ...
keyboardist
Isabella Summers Isabella Janet Florentina Summers (born October 31, 1980) is an English musician, songwriter, producer, remixer and composer. She is a founding member of English indie rock band Florence and the Machine. Biography Summers lived her first nin ...
. The series' official soundtrack was released on April 17, 2020 by
Hollywood Records Hollywood Records is an American record label of the Disney Music Group. The label focuses in pop, rock, alternative, hip hop, and country genres, as well as specializing in mature recordings not suitable for the flagship Walt Disney Records l ...
and featured cover songs recorded for the drama and performed by Judith Hill, BELLSAINT, Ruby Amanfu, Lauren Ruth Ward and an original song written by Ingrid Michaelson.


Release

''Little Fires Everywhere'' premiered on March 18, 2020 on Hulu. Hulu's corporate sibling
Disney+ Hotstar The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...
premiered the series in India concurrent with US telecast. Internationally, the series premiered on
Amazon Prime Video Amazon Prime Video, also known simply as Prime Video, is an American Video on demand#Subscription models, subscription video on-demand Over-the-top media service, over-the-top Streaming media, streaming and Renting, rental service of Amazon (c ...
instead of
Disney+ The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment Entertainment is a form of activity that holds the attention and interest of an audience or gives pleasure and deligh ...
in Europe, Latin America, Canada, Malaysia and Australia on May 22, 2020 as an Amazon Exclusive.


Reception

On
review aggregator A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services (such as films, books, video games, software, hardware, and cars). This system stores the reviews and uses them for purposes such as supporting a website where users ...
website
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 ...
, the series holds an approval rating of 78% based on 78 reviews, with an average rating of 7.09/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "Though ''Little Fires Everywhere'' at times plays it too safe, sparks fly when it lets well-matched leads Kerry Washington and Reese Witherspoon dig into the difficult questions it does dare to ask." 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 ...
, it has a weighted average score of 69 out of 100, based on 32 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". According to
Hulu Hulu () is an American subscription streaming service majority-owned by The Walt Disney Company, with Comcast's NBCUniversal holding a minority stake. It was launched on October 29, 2007 and it offers a library of films and television serie ...
, in its first 60 days online ''Little Fires Everywhere'' was the most-watched drama ever on the streaming service. ''Deadline'' also reported that the fourth episode was viewed by more subscribers and generated more hours of viewing on its first day than the premiere of the first episode did on first day.


Awards and nominations


See also

* List of original programs distributed by Hulu


References


External links

* * {{Shaker Heights, Ohio 2020 American television series debuts 2020 American television series endings 2020s American drama television miniseries English-language television shows Hulu original programming Shaker Heights, Ohio Television shows based on American novels Television series by ABC Signature Studios Television series set in the 1990s Television shows set in Ohio