Here and Now (2018 TV series)

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Here and Now
Genre
Created byAlan Ball
Starring
ComposerMichael Penn
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes10 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
ProducerSteve Oster
Running time52-59 minutes
Production companies
Original release
NetworkHBO
ReleaseFebruary 11 (2018-02-11) –
April 15, 2018 (2018-04-15)

Here and Now is an American drama television series created by Alan Ball.[2] The series consists of 10 episodes and premiered on HBO on February 11, 2018.[3] Starring Holly Hunter and Tim Robbins, the series focuses on a contemporary multiracial family in the Portland area.[4] The show's plot involves many issues including race, identity, and mental illness.

On April 25, 2018, HBO cancelled the series after one season.[5]

Cast and characters

Main

  • Holly Hunter as Audrey Bayer, a therapist[4]
  • Tim Robbins as Greg Boatwright, Audrey's husband and philosophy professor[4]
  • Jerrika Hinton as Ashley Collins, adopted by the Bayer-Boatwrights from Liberia, now creator and owner of a retail fashion website[6]
  • Raymond Lee as Duc Bayer-Boatwright, adopted from Vietnam when he was five, now a successful life coach and womanizer[6]
  • Daniel Zovatto as Ramon Bayer-Boatwright, adopted from an orphanage in Colombia at 18 months, now a college senior studying video game design[6]
  • Sosie Bacon as Kristen Bayer-Boatwright, a junior in high school and her parents' only biological child[6]
  • Joe Williamson as Malcolm Collins, Ashley's husband and Duc's best friend, an assistant personal trainer for the Portland women’s soccer team[7]
  • Andy Bean as Henry, a free spirit who falls in love with Ramon[7]
  • Peter Macdissi as Dr. Farid Shokrani, Ramon's therapist
  • Marwan Salama as Navid Shokrani[2]
  • Necar Zadegan as Layla Shokrani

Guest starring

Production

HBO ordered the series in July 2016.[9]

Casting

On January 31, 2018, it was announced that Stephanie Arcila and Erin Carufel signed onto the series in the recurring roles of Mami and Wendy, respectively.[10]

Filming

The series is partially filmed in Portland, Oregon.[11]

Marketing

The teaser trailer of the first season was released in December 2017.[1][12]

Episodes

No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateU.S. viewers
(millions)
1"Eleven Eleven"Alan BallAlan BallFebruary 11, 2018 (2018-02-11)0.541[13]
The Bayer-Boatwrights are a multiracial family consisting of the patriarch Greg, (Tim Robbins) a professor — having an affair with a prostitute — who is having his 60th birthday, organized by his wife Audrey (Holly Hunter) and only biological child, Kristen (Sosie Bacon) an introverted high school student. They also have three adopted children: Ashley (Jerrika Hinton), adopted from Liberia, a fashion designer who is married with a biological daughter; Duc (Raymond Lee), adopted from Vietnam, a life coach; and Ramon (Daniel Zovatto), adopted from Colombia, who is in a relationship with free-spirited Henry (Andy Bean). The party goes awry when Ramon starts hallucinating and seeing the figures 11:11 constantly. He starts to see a therapist, and Audrey suspects it is schizophrenia.
2"It's Coming"Uta BriesewitzAlan BallFebruary 18, 2018 (2018-02-18)0.368[14]
Ramon notices during his therapy session conducted by therapist Farid (Fred) Shrokani, (Peter Macdissi) both that the woman in Ramon's dream is the therapist's mother and that 11:11 is his therapists birthday. The therapist also has a gender-fluid son who likes to cross dress and wear a hijab. Kristen has sex for the first time with a model whom Ashley brought to their father's birthday and contracts an STD. They visit a Planned Parenthood clinic and Kristen kicks a protester in the groin and she and Ashley are arrested. Duc gets his book published and has various amounts of one night stands. Greg tells his students in a lecture to leave and enjoy life and one of his students ask if he is okay. Audrey decides to host a family meeting to discuss the state of Ramon's health without Ramon; Kristen tells him, and Ramon barges in and tells them it's his decision. Greg drives down and hits a fork in the road, sees 11 11 on a road sign, and then heads in the wrong direction.
3"If a Deer Shits in the Woods"Uta BriesewitzMohamad El MasriFebruary 25, 2018 (2018-02-25)0.385[15]
4"Hide and Seek"Jeremy PodeswaNancy OliverMarch 4, 2018 (2018-03-04)0.300[16]
5"From Sun Up To Sun Down"Jeremy PodeswaJ.R. EdwardsMarch 11, 2018 (2018-03-11)0.333[17]
6"Fight, Death"Lisa CholodenkoWes TaylorMarch 18, 2018 (2018-03-18)0.357[18]
7"Wake"Lisa CholodenkoTanya BarfieldMarch 25, 2018 (2018-03-25)0.384[19]
8"Yes"Janicza BravoNancy OliverApril 1, 2018 (2018-04-01)0.364[20]
9"Dream Logic"Minkie SpiroCharles YuApril 8, 2018 (2018-04-08)0.369[21]
10"It's Here"Jeremy PodeswaAlan BallApril 15, 2018 (2018-04-15)0.382[22]
Ramon smells a fire, which Haley confirms in the treehouse, so Ramon drops Haley out of the treehouse onto the ground. Audrey, Ashely and Kristen take her to the ER. Ramon sees a man on fire and tries to pursue him, while Duc hammers his father on sleeping with an Asian escort. Greg confronts him on his celibacy lies and the men have a fallout. Farid feels even more guilt about his childhood and he continues whipping his own back as punishment, to the point where his wife and son leave him. Kristen and Navid also fight when Navid just wants to be friends instead of having sex, however they make up before he leaves. Ashley gets the job interview and realizes she was just a diversity hire which makes her doubt if she should take the job. Audrey appears on a morning talk show, and is confronted by her boss's ties to child labour and suicide prevention techniques. Duc and Carmen spend the night together and she senses that he has pain from his biological mother who was a prostitute. They begin to have a healthy sexual relationship afterwards. Ramon plays the game he created, sees the glitches telling him to "go to the mountain." Greg visits Ike who has the same problems as Ramon. Farid, now with blood over his shirt and back, visits his imam, speaks about Islam and search for the answers in life. When the clock strikes 11:11, Mount Hood erupts. The final shot shows Ramon on Mount Hood confronting the man on fire.

Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes, the first season has a 24% approval rating based 49 reviews from critics, with an average rating of 4.54/10. The critics consensus reads, "Here and Now clearly has a point it wants to make, but a nebulous plot and unfocused character development stand in the way of its potential."[23] On Metacritic, it has a score of 46 out of 100 based on 31 reviews.[24]

References

  1. ^ a b "'Here and Now' trailer teases 'True Blood' creator's Trump-era HBO series". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved January 13, 2018.
  2. ^ a b Petski, Denise (August 9, 2017). "'Chance' Casts David Barrera; Marwan Salama Joins Alan Ball's HBO Drama Series". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 13, 2017.
  3. ^ Petski, Denise (December 19, 2017). "'Here And Now': Alan Ball's Series Gets Premiere Date On HBO". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 9, 2018.
  4. ^ a b c Andreeva, Nellie (February 21, 2017). "Tim Robbins To Star In Alan Ball's Family Drama Series For HBO". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 13, 2017.
  5. ^ Neille, Andreeva (April 25, 2018). "Alan Ball's Drama 'Here and Now' Cancelled By HBO After One Season". Deadline. Archived from the original on May 1, 2019. Retrieved April 27, 2018.
  6. ^ a b c d Andreeva, Nellie (January 6, 2017). "Alan Ball HBO Series Casts Sosie Bacon, Daniel Zovatto, Raymond Lee & Jerrika Hinton". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 13, 2017.
  7. ^ a b Goldberg, Lesley (February 24, 2017). "HBO's Alan Ball Drama Adds Pair to Cast". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on November 15, 2020. Retrieved August 14, 2017.
  8. ^ Ollison, Rashod (February 9, 2018). "Hampton actor Trent Garrett stays busy with acting career". The Virginian-Pilot. Archived from the original on November 15, 2020. Retrieved April 19, 2018.
  9. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (July 30, 2016). "HBO Orders New Alan Ball Series, Extends Overall Deal With 'Six Feet Under' Creator". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 13, 2017.
  10. ^ Petski, Denise (January 31, 2018). "'Here And Now': Stephanie Arcila & Erin Carufel Set To Recur In Alan Ball's HBO Series". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 27, 2018.
  11. ^ "First look at HBO Portland-filmed series, 'Here and Now'". OregonLive.com. December 2017. Retrieved January 13, 2018.
  12. ^ "'Here and Now' Trailer Reveals 'True Blood' Creator Alan Ball's New HBO Series". Collider. December 4, 2017. Retrieved December 8, 2017.
  13. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (February 13, 2018). "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 2.11.2018". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on February 13, 2018. Retrieved February 13, 2018.
  14. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (February 21, 2018). "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 2.18.2018". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on February 25, 2018. Retrieved February 21, 2018.
  15. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (February 27, 2018). "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 2.25.2018". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on February 27, 2018. Retrieved February 27, 2018.
  16. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (March 6, 2018). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 3.4.2018". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on March 6, 2018. Retrieved March 6, 2018.
  17. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (March 13, 2018). "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 3.11.2018". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on March 13, 2018. Retrieved March 13, 2018.
  18. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (March 20, 2018). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 3.18.2018". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on March 21, 2018. Retrieved March 20, 2018.
  19. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (March 27, 2018). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 3.25.2018". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on March 28, 2018. Retrieved March 27, 2018.
  20. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (April 3, 2018). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 4.1.2018". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on April 3, 2018. Retrieved April 3, 2018.
  21. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (April 10, 2018). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 4.8.2018". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on April 10, 2018. Retrieved April 10, 2018.
  22. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (April 17, 2018). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 4.15.2018". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on April 17, 2018. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
  23. ^ "Here and Now: Season 1 - Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved January 27, 2019.
  24. ^ "Here and Now". Metacritic. Retrieved March 20, 2018.