Hindsight (TV series)
Hindsight is an American comedy-drama television series that premiered on VH1 on January 7, 2015, and ended on March 11, 2015. The series was created by Emily Fox and stars Laura Ramsey in the lead role of Becca Brady. Becca wishes she had lived her life differently, and finds herself sent back to 1995, with her knowledge and experience and a chance to do things differently.
On March 16, 2015, VH1 announced that the show was renewed for a second season, but after a change in leadership at VH1 Hindsight was cancelled in August 2015.
Plot
Becca Brady is wrestling with doubts on the eve of her second wedding, her first wedding having ended in divorce. Although she loves her fiancé Andy, he is not as exciting as her first husband Sean. Trapped in the elevator she wishes she could have done things differently the first time round. She awakes to find herself in New York City in 1995, confused and at first not even believing it is real; Becca has time traveled to the day of her first wedding.Becca realizes she is reliving her life, and has the chance to correct what she sees as personal and professional mistakes.
She reunites with her best friend Lolly, from whom she had become estranged in present day. With the knowledge that her first marriage turned from passion to constant arguments and that Sean never managed to achieve in his career as an artist, she decides she cannot go through with the wedding and she breaks off her engagement. Becca also knows her job as an assistant is a dead end and decides not to tolerate the constant petty demands of her high-maintenance boss Simon, and asks for promotion. Ultimately she quits and pursues a new uncertain career path.
Becca does not know if she can change her fate, or if she is destined to repeat some of the same mistakes, but she resolves to try and do things differently.
Production
The series was originally developed for NBC in 2009. VH1 were looking to develop their own scripted television series and were looking to adopt already developed projects, and the show only required a small changes to fit VH1. The time leap had originally been to 1999, but was pushed back to 1995 when the show moved to VH1.The series was renewed for a second season but later cancelled after a change in leadership at VH1. The whole of the second season had already been mapped out, and the writers were in the process of writing episode five. Fox said they had only ended season 1 on a cliffhanger because they already knew that had been renewed.
The show included a companion web series called Planet Sebastian. It was streamed on the VH1 website and featured recurring character Sebastian Wexler, video store manager and Lolly's boss, running his own public access style talk show.
Cast
Main- Laura Ramsey as Rebecca "Becca" Brady
- Sarah Goldberg as Lolly Lavigne
- Craig Horner as Sean Reeves
- Nick Clifford as Andrew "Andy" Kelly
- John Patrick Amedori as James "Jamie" Brady
- Jessy Hodges as Melanie Morelli
- Drew Sidora as Paige Hill
- Donna Murphy as Georgia "Georgie" Brady
- Adam Herschman as Sebastian Wexler
- Collins Pennie as Xavier
- Alexandra Chando as Noelle
- Steve Talley as Kevin
- Joshua Mikel as Stanton
- Brian Kerwin as Lincoln Brady
- Lauren Boyd as Lois
- Liz Holtan as Phoebe
- Briana Venskus as Victoria
- Charlie Bodin as Chester
- Dominick Vicchiullo as Grumpy Rick
- Mario Cantone as Simon
Reception
On Rotten Tomatoes it has an approval rating of 100% based on reviews from 12 critics, with an average rating of 7.5 out of 10. The site's critical consensus states: "An earnest sense of humor, excellent characters, and 90s nostalgia all work together to make Hindsight a fun and charming little romp." On Metacritic, the series has a score of 72 out of 100 based on reviews from 8 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".Reviews of the series seem positive in general. Variety called the show “breezy” with an intriguing premise while also pointing out that, like many time travel stories, the narrative doesn't necessarily stand up to scrutiny. Rolling Stone praised the relationship between Becca and Lolly while noting the show's use of ‘90s pop culture archetypes to invoke nostalgia. Vulture called the show’s vision "perfect," while The New York Times called the show "clever, affecting and sly" and a "credible period dramedy, somewhere between Beverly Hills, 90210 and Friends, and an armchair rumination on destiny and will."
Music
Music, particularly music from the 1990s, is used heavily in the series and as a significant part of the network's promotion of the show. Creator Emily Fox said she didn't want the big number one songs but wanted "the one that sort of reaches into the back of your consciousness, that flicks this switch that hasn't been flicked in 15 years."Fox praised music supervisor Jon Ernst for his song selections and his ability to get the necessary licensing at reasonable cost. The show was able to license most of the music using three-year deals. Music used during the series includes:
| Episode | Artist | Song | Notes |
| Pilot | U2 | "Numb" | Played during Becca's elevator ride back to 1995 |
| Pilot | Ace of Base | "The Sign" | Played on alarm radio when Becca awakens in 1995 |
| Pilot | Alanis Morissette | "Hand In My Pocket" | Played in bar as Becca meets Xavier |
| Pilot | The Cranberries | "Linger" | Played as Becca breaks off her engagement to Sean |
| Pilot | Spin Doctors | "Two Princes" | Played in bar in final scene |
| Pilot | Deee-Lite | "Groove Is in the Heart" | Played during the premiere's final scene |
| Square One | Spacehog | "In the Meantime (Re-recorded version)" | Played while Becca and Xavier run into each other; Lolly and Jamie talking about their relationship |
| Square One | Lisa Loeb | "Stay (I Missed You)" | Played as Sean confronts Becca about her breaking off their engagement |
| Square One | Gin Blossoms | "Found Out About You" | Played while Lolly sneaks into Jamie's room |
| Square One | Soul Asylum | "Misery" | Played while Sean talks to Becca on the street and invites her to go on the honeymoon with him |
| Square One | Collective Soul | "Shine" | Played while Sean waits for Becca at the airport and Andy kisses Becca |
| Square One | Green Day | "When I Come Around" | Played while Becca and Lolly talk about the date with Anton |
| Square One | Social Distortion | "Ball and Chain" | Played while Becca and Lolly look at movies in the video store |
| Square One | Huey Lewis and the News | "The Power of Love" | Played while Becca and Lolly watch Back to the Future and talk about flying cars |
| Square One | Trio | "Da Da Da" | Played while Becca explains the iPhone and future technology to Lolly |
| Square One | Us3 | "Cantaloop (Flip Fantasia)" | Played while Becca gets ready for the first day of her new life |
| Square One | Mariah Carey | "Fantasy" | Played while Becca goes to work |
| Square One | Drivin N Cryin | "Fly Me Courageous" | Played while Becca and Lolly talk in the video store |
| Square One | Red Hot Chili Peppers | "Breaking the Girl" | Played while Lolly goes to Sean's apartment to pick up Becca's stuff |
| Square One | Juliana Hatfield | "My Sister" | Played while Becca gets dressed to go meet Anton |
| Square One | The Soup Dragons | "I'm Free" | Played while Becca leaves Simon's apartment after quitting her job |
| Square One | Toad the Wet Sprocket | "Walk on the Ocean" | Played while Lolly and Jamie are in bed |
| I Never... | Matthew Sweet | "Sick of Myself" | Played while Lolly & Becca talk in the video store |
| I Never... | The Soup Dragons | "Divine Thing" | Played when Phoebe gives her bridesmaid dress back to Becca |
| I Never... | Sheryl Crow | "All I Wanna Do" | Played as Becca and her friends arrive at the bar for Lois's birthday party |
| I Never... | Jane's Addiction | "Been Caught Stealing" | Played when the gang starts doing shots for Lois' birthday |
| I Never... | Better Than Ezra | "Good" | Played when the gang starts playing Never Have I Ever during Lois' birthday |
| I Never... | Stone Temple Pilots | "Plush" | Played at the end of Lois' birthday |
| I Never... | Green Day | "Longview" | Played as Becca and Lolly discuss one night stands |
| I Never... | Spin Doctors | "Little Miss Can't Be Wrong" | Played as Becca and Lolly decide that Becca should pursue a one-night stand |
| I Never... | Montell Jordan | "This Is How We Do It" | Played as Becca, Lolly and Phoebe enter the club |
| I Never... | Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch | "Good Vibrations" | Played during a montage of men trying to pick up Becca at the bar |
| I Never... | Bell Biv DeVoe | "Poison" | Played as Becca and Lolly argue about Becca's refusal to explain why their friendship ends in the future |
| I Never... | Collective Soul | "December" | Played during a montage of Becca and her friends and family going on with their lives in 1995. |
| A Very Important Date | James | "Laid" | Played as Lolly hooks up with Jamie |
| A Very Important Date | Hootie & the Blowfish | "Time" | Played while Becca receives multiple job offers |
| A Very Important Date | The B-52's | "Roam" | Played as Lolly and Becca plan for the big Halloween party |
| A Very Important Date | Dishwalla | "Counting Blue Cars" | Played in the bar as Becca, Lolly and Paige talk |
| A Very Important Date | Violent Femmes | "Blister in the Sun" | Played during a montage of Jamie and Lolly trying on Halloween costumes |
| A Very Important Date | Chuck Berry | "You Never Can Tell" | Played as Lolly & Jaime try on costumes as Mia Wallace & Vincent Vega from Pulp Fiction |
| A Very Important Date | Bryan Adams | "Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman?" | Played as Andy and Melanie try on their Halloween costumes |
| A Very Important Date | Veruca Salt | "Seether" | Played as Becca tells Melanie how to fix Simon's plumbing |
| A Very Important Date | Soho | "Hippychick" | Played as Becca puts on her Alice costume |
| A Very Important Date | Cypress Hill | "Insane in the Brain" | Played as Jaime plays video games and gets stoned with his friends |
| A Very Important Date | The Proclaimers | "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" | Played as Lolly worries about why Jamie is late for the Halloween party |
| A Very Important Date | Poison | "Nothin' but a Good Time" | Played as Becca sees Sean kissing Paige at the Halloween party |
| A Very Important Date | INXS | "Devil Inside" | Played while Becca talks to Sean at the bar |
| A Very Important Date | Mazzy Star | "Fade Into You" | Played as Becca tends to Andy's fat lip |
| A Very Important Date | Collective Soul | "The World I Know" | Played while Lolly and Becca talk on the roof after the Halloween party |
| A Very Important Date | The La's | "There She Goes" | Played at the end of the episode as Becca takes a new job at a magazine. |
| ...Then I'll Know | Toadies | "Possum Kingdom" | Played as Becca pitches her idea to do a story on R.E.M to her bosses at the magazine |
| ...Then I'll Know | Deep Blue Something | "Breakfast at Tiffany's" | Played as Becca and Lolly make plans to go to the concert; as Lolly and Jamie run into each other at Becca's parents' house |
| ...Then I'll Know | R.E.M. | "Shiny Happy People" | Played as Becca, Lolly, and Paige head out on their road trip to the concert |
| ...Then I'll Know | Alanis Morissette | "You Oughta Know" | Played as Becca and Paige bond |
| ...Then I'll Know | R.E.M. | "What's the Frequency, Kenneth?" | Played outside the concert as Becca interviews a couple for her story then starts thinking about the kiss she shared with Andy |
| ...Then I'll Know | Del Amitri | "Roll to Me" | Played as Paige helps Becca come to terms with her feelings for Andy |
| ...Then I'll Know | Tom Cochrane | "Life Is a Highway" | Played as Becca arrives at the beach house she and Andy used to visit as children |
| ...Then I'll Know | R.E.M. | "Nightswimming" | Played as Becca waits for Andy to arrive at the beach house |
| Tragic Kingdom | The Cure | "Lovesong" | Played as Lolly contemplates calling Kevin |
| Tragic Kingdom | Sarah McLachlan | "Fear" | Played as Becca prays for Andy |
| Tragic Kingdom | Bush | "Glycerine" | Played as Becca tells Lolly what her life with Andy was like in the present day |
| Tragic Kingdom | Gin Blossoms | "Hey Jealousy" | Played as Becca tries to figure out whether Andy was on his way to see her or to see Melanie when he had his accident |
| Tragic Kingdom | Live | "I Alone" | Played as Paige visits Sean and sees his drawings of Becca |
| Tragic Kingdom | Tori Amos | "Precious Things" | Played as Becca tells Andy he is better off with Melanie |
| Tragic Kingdom | KWS | "Please Don't Go" | Played by Jamie as he tries to win Lolly back by recreating the boombox scene from Say Anything... |
| Tragic Kingdom | Natalie Merchant | "Carnival" | Played during the episode's end montage scene |
| The Cranberries | Red Hot Chili Peppers | "Suck My Kiss" | Played as Becca and Sean have sex in his apartment |
| The Cranberries | U2 | "All I Want Is You" | Played as Sean tends to Becca's burned hand in the bathroom |
| The Cranberries | Green Day | "Geek Stink Breath" | Played as Jamie and Stanton do drugs and plan their trip to the Dominican Republic |
| The Cranberries | Jeff Buckley | "Last Goodbye" | Played as Becca and Lolly discuss everything that happened during Thanksgiving dinner; played during the episode's end montage scene |
| The Imaginary Line | Vanessa Carlton | "A Thousand Miles" | Played as Lolly talks about how much she likes Kevin while she and Becca wait for him to arrive at the diner in 2003 |
| The Imaginary Line | Sheryl Crow | "Leaving Las Vegas" | Played as Lolly asks how her relationship with Kevin ends up in the future |
| The Imaginary Line | Annie Lennox | "Why" | Played as Becca and Lolly meet Kevin in the diner in 1995 |
| The Imaginary Line | The Flaming Lips | "She Don't Use Jelly" | Played as Becca explains viral marketing to her bosses |
| The Imaginary Line | Digable Planets | "The May 4th Movement" | Played as Sean asked Paige out to an Oasis concert |
| The Imaginary Line | Digable Planets | "Rebirth of Slick" | Played as Paige offers Sean the opportunity to work with her at an art show |
| The Imaginary Line | Five for Fighting | "Superman (It's Not Easy)" | Played as Becca and Kevin see each other in New York in 2003 |
| The Imaginary Line | L7 | "Pretend We're Dead" | Played as Becca and Lolly make plans to attend a rave |
| The Imaginary Line | Elastica | "Car Song" | Played as Becca, Lolly, and Paige talk at the bar where Paige works |
| The Imaginary Line | Weezer | "Say It Ain't So" | Played as Paige talks to Becca about Sean |
| The Imaginary Line | Green Day | "Basket Case" | Played as Becca, Lolly, and Kevin place stickers for Becca's magazine around New York |
| The Imaginary Line | Coldplay | "Clocks" | Played as Becca and Kevin kiss for the first time in 2003 |
| The Imaginary Line | Norah Jones | "Come Away with Me | Played as Becca and Kevin lie in bed together after having sex in 2003 |
| The Imaginary Line | Sarah McLachlan | "Possession" | Played as Becca tells Lolly she's been sleeping with Kevin |
| All I Want for Christmas is You | Toad The Wet Sprocket | "Little Heaven" | Played during the episode's opening scene as Becca and Kevin talk in the kitchen |
| All I Want for Christmas is You | Green Day | "Stuck with Me" | Played as Lolly and Kevin discuss their plans for the day |
| All I Want for Christmas is You | Mumbleskinny | "Fall Down" | Played as Noelle tries to convince Sean that he should make his art more commercial |
| All I Want for Christmas is You | Frente | "Labour of Love" | Played as Becca helps Lolly get ready for her dinner with Kevin; as they re-enact the makeup scene from the movie The Breakfast Club |
| All I Want for Christmas is You | Letters to Cleo | "Here and Now" | Played as Kevin and Lolly have dinner together |
| All I Want for Christmas is You | Annie Lennox | "No More I Love You's" | Played as Lolly tells Kevin how she feels about him and he rejects her |
| All I Want for Christmas is You | Morrissey | "The More You Ignore Me, the Closer I Get" | Played as Lolly ruins the plot of My Girl for customers at the video store |
| All I Want for Christmas is You | Sub Rosa | "White Flag" | Played as Becca tries to comfort Lolly over Kevin not returning her feelings |
| All I Want for Christmas is You | Meat Puppets | "Backwater" | Played as Becca learns how successful her viral marketing campaign for the magazine has been |
| All I Want for Christmas is You | Run-D.M.C. | "Christmas in Hollis" | Played as Becca greets guests at her Christmas party |
| All I Want for Christmas is You | Blues Traveller | "Run-Around" | Played as Becca realizes Lolly has invited Kevin to the party |
| All I Want for Christmas is You | Freedy Johnston | "Bad Reputation" | Played as Kevin and Becca talk at the party; as Lolly and Jamie see each other at the party |
| All I Want for Christmas is You | Ini Kamoze | "Here Comes The Hotstepper" | Played as Becca's bosses arrive at the party |
| All I Want for Christmas is You | Haddaway | "What Is Love" | Played as Sebastian mistakes a VHS tape of a colonoscopy for a movie |
| All I Want for Christmas is You | Skee-Lo | "I Wish" | Played as Paige begins to suspect that Becca and Kevin may have feelings for each other |
| All I Want for Christmas is You | Dusty Springfield | "Son of a Preacher Man" | Played as Becca sees Sean at the party |
| All I Want for Christmas is You | Cracker | "Low" | Played as Lolly and Kevin talk at the party |
| All I Want for Christmas is You | UB40 | "Can't Help Falling In Love" | Played as Lolly tries to get Kevin to kiss her under the mistletoe |
| All I Want for Christmas is You | Soul Asylum | "Runaway Train" | Played as Jamie and Lolly kiss |
| All I Want for Christmas is You | The Cure | "Pictures of You" | Played as Lolly finds the money Jamie has been making from selling drugs |
| All I Want for Christmas is You | Ammonia | "Drugs" | Played as Jamie and Stanton discuss their drug business |
| All I Want for Christmas is You | Live | "Lightning Crashes" | Played at the end of the episode at Kevin kisses Becca in 1995 |
| Auld Lang Syne | Andy Williams | "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" | Played as Becca repeatedly leaves Lolly phone messages after Lolly caught her and Kevin kissing |
| Auld Lang Syne | Stone Temple Pilots | "Big Empty" | Played as Sean and Noelle discuss his art at his apartment |
| Auld Lang Syne | Dog and Pony Show | "What Else" | Played as Sean and Paige talk on the phone |
| Auld Lang Syne | Blues Traveller | "Hook" | Played as Becca runs into Kevin |
| Auld Lang Syne | Cowboy Junkies | "Sweet Jane" | Played as Becca tries to break things off with Kevin |
| Auld Lang Syne | White Zombie | "More Human than Human" | Played as Becca and Lolly discuss Kevin |
| Auld Lang Syne | The Black Crowes | "She Talks to Angels" | Played as Paige finds out she got a part in a movie |
| Auld Lang Syne | Lab Partners | "Starlight" | Played as Lolly questions Jamie about the trouble he is in |
| Auld Lang Syne | Enigma | "Return to Innocence" | Played as Sean finds out his paintings have sold |
| Auld Lang Syne | Sheryl Crow | "I Shall Believe" | Played as Kevin and Becca kiss and consider pursuing a relationship |
| Auld Lang Syne | Toad the Wet Sprocket | "Crowing" | Played as Paige tells Sean she is moving to Los Angeles |
| Auld Lang Syne | Ace of Base | "Beautiful Life" | Played as Becca and Lolly arrive at the New Year's Eve party |
| Auld Lang Syne | Dexy's Midnight Runners | "Come On Eileen" | Played as Jamie and Lolly begin to come to terms with their feelings for each other |
| Auld Lang Syne | R.E.M. | "It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)" | Played as Lolly figures out the real reason her friendship with Becca ends in the future |
| Auld Lang Syne | U2 | "Numb" | Played as Becca tries desperately to recreate the elevator ride that brought her to 1995 in hopes of escaping the results of her trip back in time |
International broadcast
In Southeast Asia, the series was broadcast on cable and satellite channel Star World beginning in August 2016.In Germany, the series was broadcast on the Disney Channel beginning March 30, 2017.