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''Motherland'' is a British television
sitcom A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ...
set in
London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
, which examines the trials and traumas of middle-class motherhood. It stars
Anna Maxwell Martin Anna Maxwell Martin (born Anna Charlotte Martin; 27 May 1977),Births, Marriages & Deaths Index of England & Wales, 1984–2006 listed birth name as ''Anna Charlotte Martin''; Registration year 1977; Registration District Beverley, Yorkshire som ...
as Julia,
Diane Morgan Diane Morgan (born 5 October 1975) is an English actress, comedian, television presenter, and writer. She is best known for playing Philomena Cunk on Charlie Brooker's '' Weekly Wipe'' and in other mockumentaries, as Liz in the BBC Two sitcom ...
as Liz,
Paul Ready Paul John Ready (born 1977) is a British actor. In 2013–2014, he played Lee in ''Utopia''. In 2016, he played Kevin in ''Motherland''. In 2018, he played the role of Rob MacDonald in the BBC television series '' Bodyguard'', and Harry Goodsi ...
as Kevin and
Lucy Punch Lucy Punch (born 30 December 1977) is a British actress. She has appeared in the films '' Ella Enchanted'', ''Hot Fuzz'', ''You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger'', '' Dinner for Schmucks,'' and ''Into the Woods''. She is also known for her role as ...
as Amanda, amongst a range of supporting characters. A pilot episode, written by
Graham Linehan Graham Linehan () (born 22 May 1968) is an Irish television writer and anti-transgender activist. He created or co-created the sitcoms ''Father Ted'' (1995–1998), ''Black Books'' (2000–2004) and '' The IT Crowd'' (2006–2013). He has also ...
,
Sharon Horgan Sharon Lorencia Horgan (born 13 July 1970) is an Irish actress, writer, director, comedian and producer who co-wrote and starred in the comedy series '' Pulling'' (2006–2009) and ''Catastrophe'' (2015–2019). She also created the HBO comedy ...
, Helen Serafinowicz and
Holly Walsh Holly Dione Walsh (born 8 November 1980) is an English comedian and comedy writer. Early life The daughter of an Anglican vicar, Walsh attended Christ's Hospital School, before going on to read History of Art at Gonville and Caius College, Cam ...
was first broadcast on BBC Two on 6 September 2016 as part of its "Sitcom Season". The
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
subsequently ordered a full series of six episodes, the first of which aired on 7 November 2017. The second series was released in its entirety on BBC iPlayer on 7 October 2019. The third season began transmission on BBC2 on 10 May 2021 with all five episodes being released on BBC iPlayer the same day. In the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
, the show is broadcast on
Sundance TV Sundance TV (formerly known as Sundance Channel) is an American pay television channel owned by AMC Networks that launched on February 1, 1996. The channel is named after Robert Redford's character in ''Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid'' and, w ...
. The series won a
British Academy Television Award for Best Scripted Comedy British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...
in 2022. A second Christmas special aired on 23 December 2022 on
BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, ...
.


Synopsis

When her mother decides to stop taking care of her children, middle-class Julia Johnstone is forced to begin to pay attention to her children’s schooling and the concept of middle-class motherhood. Julia later becomes friends with other parents, working-class Liz and stay-at-home dad Kevin Brady and finds herself facing mothers with dominant personalities, including the superficially polite but acerbic leader, Amanda. The children do not feature prominently in the series, generally having non-speaking roles, and their names are only occasionally mentioned.


Cast and characters

: =
Main cast In the performing arts industry such as theatre, film, or television, casting, or a casting call, is a pre-production process for selecting a certain type of actor, dancer, singer, or extra for a particular role or part in a script, screenp ...
: = Recurring cast : = Guest cast


Production


Development

The show was originally a 2011
pilot An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its directional flight controls. Some other aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are also considered aviators, because they a ...
on the American network
ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...
. However, comedian and writer
Sharon Horgan Sharon Lorencia Horgan (born 13 July 1970) is an Irish actress, writer, director, comedian and producer who co-wrote and starred in the comedy series '' Pulling'' (2006–2009) and ''Catastrophe'' (2015–2019). She also created the HBO comedy ...
reworked the script when the pilot wasn't picked up for a full season and collaborated with
Graham Linehan Graham Linehan () (born 22 May 1968) is an Irish television writer and anti-transgender activist. He created or co-created the sitcoms ''Father Ted'' (1995–1998), ''Black Books'' (2000–2004) and '' The IT Crowd'' (2006–2013). He has also ...
on turning it into a British
sitcom A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ...
instead. Following its pilot on
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
, it was picked up for a full series in October 2016.


Filming

The show was filmed primarily in
Muswell Hill Muswell Hill is a suburban district of the London Borough of Haringey, north London. The hill, which reaches over above sea level, is situated north of Charing Cross. Neighbouring areas include Highgate, Hampstead Garden Suburb, East Fi ...
, North London, and Acton, Bedford Park and Chiswick, West London. Scenes outside the children's school are filmed at Southfield Primary School in Bedford Park.


Episodes

At the 2022 BAFTA awards it was announced that Series 3 was to be the last series of the sitcom.


Pilot (2016)


Series 1 (2017)


Series 2 (2019)


Christmas special (2020)


Series 3 (2021)


Christmas special (2022)


Reception

The first series was released to favourable reviews and holds an approval rating of 82% 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 22 reviews with critics. The website's critical consensus reads "''Motherland'' pulls no punches, creating an honest and hilarious portrayal of parenthood buoyed by brilliant performances from its seasoned cast -- though for some viewers it may hit a little too close to home". The second series later received a score of 83% based on 12 reviews, with the Christmas special following on with a score of 100% based on 8 reviews. The third series later received five out of five stars by '' Radio Times'' and was released to positive reviews. The second Christmas Special, ''Last Christmas'', which aired on 23 December 2022, garnered positive reviews.


References


External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Motherland (Tv Series) 2016 British television series debuts 2022 British television series endings 2010s British sitcoms 2020s British sitcoms Adultery in television BBC high definition shows BBC television sitcoms English-language television shows Narcissism in television Polyamory in fiction Television series about dysfunctional families Television series created by Sharon Horgan Television series created by Graham Linehan Television shows set in London Television series by Lionsgate Television