''The Slap'' is an American

drama Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...

television

miniseries In the United States, a miniseries or mini-series is a television show or series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. Many miniseries can also be referred to, and shown, as a television film. " Limited series" is ...

, which aired on

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

from February 12 to April 2, 2015. It is an adaptation of the Australian series of the same name, which was based on

Christos Tsiolkas Christos Tsiolkas is an Australian author, playwright, and screenwriter. He is especially known for '' The Slap'', which was both well-received critically and highly successful commercially. Several of his books have been adapted for film and t ...

' 2008 novel of the same name. Each episode tells the events of the aftermath of a birthday party from the perspective of a different character. Jon Robin Baitz wrote the teleplay and

Lisa Cholodenko Lisa Cholodenko is an American screenwriter and director. Cholodenko wrote and directed the films ''High Art'' (1998), ''Laurel Canyon (film), Laurel Canyon'' (2002), and ''The Kids Are All Right (film), The Kids Are All Right'' (2010). She has a ...

directed the pilot episode.

Plot

The miniseries revolves around the aftermath of a birthday party for a middle-aged city employee where Harry Apostolou slaps someone else's misbehaving child, Hugo, after he attempts to hit another child with a bat and kicks Harry in the leg. Hugo's mother, Rosie, insists on criminal charges, claiming that Harry's slap has caused Hugo

PTSD Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental disorder that develops from experiencing a traumatic event, such as sexual assault, domestic violence, child abuse, warfare and its associated traumas, natural disaster, traffic collision, ...

. Though Rosie's diagnosis is later undermined when Hugo mentions how much he misses seeing Harry, the case slowly makes its way to court. Each episode tells the story from the perspective of a different character.

Cast

* Peter Sarsgaard as Hector Apostolou, a 40-year-old assistant

deputy commissioner A deputy commissioner is a police, income tax or administrative official in many countries. The rank is commonplace in police forces of Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth countries, usually ranking below the Commissioner. Australia In all Aust ...

Thandiwe Newton Melanie Thandiwe Newton ( ; born 6 November 1972), formerly credited as Thandie Newton ( ), is a British actress. She has received various awards, including a Primetime Emmy Award, and a BAFTA Award, as well as nominations for two Golden Globe ...

(credited as Thandie Newton) as Aisha Apostolou, Hector's wife and a clinic director * Ashley Aufderheide as Melissa Apostolou, daughter of Hector and Aisha * Khalid Alzouma as Adam Apostolou, older brother of Melissa *

Uma Thurman Uma Karuna Thurman (born April 29, 1970) is an American actress. She has performed in a variety of films, from romantic comedies and dramas to science fiction and action films. Following her appearances on the December 1985 and May 1986 cover ...

as Anouk Latham, Hector's childhood friend and a television executive producer * Dylan Schombing as Hugo Weschler, the receiver of the titular slap * Melissa George as Rosie Weschler, mother of Hugo * Thomas Sadoski as Gary Weschler, father of Hugo *

Zachary Quinto Zachary John Quinto (; born June 2, 1977) is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Sylar, the primary antagonist from the science fiction drama series ''Heroes (American TV series), Heroes'' (2006–2010); Spock in the film ''Star Trek ...

as Harry Apostolou, Hector's cousin, a rare-auto dealer and the deliverer of the titular slap *

Marin Ireland Marin Ireland (born August 30, 1979) is an American actress. Known for her work in theatre and independent films, ''The New York Times'' deemed Ireland "one of the great drama queens of the New York stage". She has received nominations for two I ...

as Sandi Apostolou, Harry's wife * Owen Tanzer as Rocco Apostolou, Harry's pre-teen son * Sofia Regan as Melody, an employee of Harry's * Brian Cox as Manolis Apostolou, Hector's father * Maria Tucci as Koula Apostolou, Hector's mother * Michael Nouri as Thanasis Korkoulis, Harry's attorney * Makenzie Leigh as Connie, a babysitter who watches Hector and Aisha's children * Lucas Hedges as Ritchie Joanou (née Collins), Connie's best friend * Ellen Adair as Bridget Saltire, the ADA assigned to the case * Penn Badgley as Jamie, Anouk's much younger actor boyfriend * Molly Price as Fiona Collins, Ritchie's mother *

Blythe Danner Blythe Katherine Danner (born February 3, 1943) is an American actress. Accolades she has received include two Primetime Emmy Awards for Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series, Best Supporting Actress in a Dra ...

as Virginia Latham, Anouk's mother * Victor Garber as the narrator (voice)

Production

The miniseries was filmed on location in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

(substituting for the novel's setting of

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

) and features Melissa George, who also played the role of Rosie in the original 2011 Australian adaptation of '' The Slap'' novel. Direction was by Michael Morris,

, and Ken Olin. The series was written by Jon Robin Baitz, Walter F. Parkes, and

. Costumes were designed by Jennifer von Mayrhauser and art direction was by Alison Ford. Mary-Louise Parker was originally cast as Anouk, but she had to drop out due to pneumonia and was replaced by

Episodes

Reception

''NBC's The Slap'' has a 67% on

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, 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 ...

—according to the site’s critical consensus, “Though the characters verge on stereotypes, they are aptly executed by ''The Slap''s bright cast, allowing the show's topical themes to shine through in a provocative, meaningful way.” On

Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...

, the show has a 62 rating based on 33 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Slap (American TV series), The 2015 American television series debuts 2015 American television series endings 2010s American drama television miniseries American television series based on Australian television series American English-language television shows Television shows based on Australian novels Television series by Matchbox Pictures Television series by Universal Television Television series created by Walter F. Parkes NBC television dramas