Olive Kitteridge (miniseries)


Olive Kitteridge is an American television miniseries based on Elizabeth Strout's 2008 novel. Set in Maine, the HBO miniseries stars Frances McDormand as Olive, Richard Jenkins as her loving husband Henry, Zoe Kazan as Denise Thibodeau, and Bill Murray as Jack Kennison. The show is divided into 4 parts, each depicting a certain point of time in the novel.
The miniseries debuted in the United States on November 2, 2014, on the American premium TV network HBO, which aired the show's first two episodes back-to-back that evening; the third and fourth episodes aired back-to-back the following evening. It was shown in a similar format in the United Kingdom on Sky Atlantic, on December 14 and December 15, 2014. It premiered in Australia on Showcase from 13 January 2015. At the 67th Primetime Emmy Awards, the miniseries won eight awards, including Outstanding Limited Series, Outstanding Lead Actress for McDormand, Outstanding Lead Actor for Jenkins and Outstanding Supporting Actor for Murray.

Premise

Olive Kitteridge is a misanthropic and strict, but well-meaning, retired schoolteacher who lives in the fictional seaside town of Crosby, Maine. She is married to Henry Kitteridge, a kind, considerate man who runs a pharmacy downtown, and has a troubled son named Christopher, who grows up to be a podiatrist. For 25 years, Olive has experienced problems of depression, bereavement, jealousy, and friction with family members and friends.

Cast

Reception

Critical response

Olive Kitteridge received widespread critical acclaim for its writing, directing, cinematography, and Frances McDormand's central performance as well as those of Jenkins, Murray and Gallagher. On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the show has an approval rating of 95% based on 63 reviews, with an average rating of 8.68/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "Olive Kitteridges narrative slow burn enhances fascinating performances – and a story worthy of its source material." On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 89 out of 100, based on 34 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".

Accolades

Home media

Olive Kitteridge was released by HBO on DVD and Blu-ray on February 10, 2015.