Crisis in Six Scenes

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Crisis in Six Scenes
CrisisInSixScenes.png
GenreComedy
Created byWoody Allen
Written byWoody Allen
Directed byWoody Allen
Starring
  • Woody Allen
  • Miley Cyrus
  • Elaine May
  • Rachel Brosnahan
  • John Magaro
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes6
Production
Executive producerErika Aronson
ProducerHelen Robin
EditorAlisa Lepselter
Production companies
Release
Original networkAmazon Prime Video
Original releaseSeptember 30, 2016 (2016-09-30)

Crisis in Six Scenes is an American television miniseries written and directed by Woody Allen for Amazon Studios.[1][2][3][4] Allen wrote and directed six episodes for the half-hour series, marking the first time he has done so for television. It is available exclusively on Amazon Prime Video.

The series premiered on September 30, 2016,[1] to generally unfavorable reviews. Allen himself denounced the series, calling it a "cosmic embarrassment," and stated that it would conclude with one season.[5]

Cast and characters[]

Main[]

  • Woody Allen as Sidney Munsinger
  • Miley Cyrus as Lennie Dale
  • Elaine May as Kay Munsinger
  • Rachel Brosnahan as Ellie
  • John Magaro as Allen Brockman

Guest[]

  • Becky Ann Baker as Lee
  • Joy Behar as Ann
  • Lewis Black as Al
  • Max Casella as Dominic
  • Christine Ebersole as Eve
  • Gad Elmaleh as Moe
  • David Harbour as Vic
  • Margaret Ladd as Gail
  • Michael Rapaport as Trooper Mike
  • Rebecca Schull as Rose

Production[]

Development[]

The deal with Allen was seen as giving Amazon a possible advantage in its competition with Netflix and television networks. The series was announced within days of Amazon winning the Golden Globe Award for the comedy-drama Transparent, another original series.[6] Allen had last written new material for television in the 1950s, when he wrote for Sid Caesar.[4]

In a May 2015 interview, Allen said that progress on the series had been "very, very difficult" and that he had "regretted every second since I said OK".[7][8] Allen has said of the series, "I don't know how I got into this. I have no ideas and I'm not sure where to begin. My guess is that Roy Price [the head of Amazon Studios] will regret this."[2][3][9]

Casting[]

In January 2016, it was announced that the series would star Allen, Elaine May and Miley Cyrus, and that shooting would begin in March.[10] In February 2016, it was announced that John Magaro and Rachel Brosnahan had joined the cast.[11] In March 2016, Michael Rapaport, Becky Ann Baker, Margaret Ladd, Joy Behar, Rebecca Schull, David Harbour and Christine Ebersole had joined the cast of the series.[12]

Filming[]

For about three weeks in early 2016, filming for the six episodes took place at 508 Scarborough Road, in Briarcliff Manor, New York.[13]

Reception[]

Critical response[]

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the series has an approval rating of 18%, based on 50 reviews, with an average rating of 4.72/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Woody Allen's filmmaking skills prove a poor fit for the small screen in Crisis in Six Scenes, a talk-heavy, unfunny, and overall disengaged production buried below numerous superior offerings."[14] On Metacritic, the series has a score 44 out of 100, based on 29 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[15]

Rodrigo Perez from The Playlist gave the series a D+ on an A+ to F scale, and described it as "Hamfisted and nearly unwatchable."[16]

Allen himself had openly expressed severe misgivings about the project.[2][3][17] At the 2015 Cannes Film Festival, Allen said in reference to the show, "It was a catastrophic mistake. I don't know what I'm doing. I'm floundering. I expect this to be a cosmic embarrassment."[18]

References[]

  1. ^ a b Littleton, Cynthia (7 August 2016). "Amazon Sets September Comedy Push, Reveals Title for Woody Allen Series". Variety. Archived from the original on 8 August 2016. Retrieved 7 August 2016.
  2. ^ a b c Weinstein, Shelli (January 13, 2015). "Woody Allen to Create His First Television Series for Amazon". Variety. Archived from the original on January 13, 2015. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
  3. ^ a b c Steel, Emily (January 13, 2015). "Amazon Signs Woody Allen to Write and Direct TV Series". The New York Times. Archived from the original on January 20, 2015. Retrieved January 13, 2015.
  4. ^ a b Jurgensen, John (January 13, 2015). "Woody Allen to Create TV Series for Amazon Studios". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on February 17, 2015. Retrieved January 13, 2015.
  5. ^ Galloway, Stephen (May 4, 2016). "The Woody Allen Interview (Which He Won't Read)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on May 6, 2018. Retrieved May 4, 2016.
  6. ^ Levin, Gary (January 14, 2015). "Amazon momentum builds with Woody Allen series". USA Today. Archived from the original on January 14, 2015. Retrieved January 14, 2015.
  7. ^ Mike Fleming Jr (14 May 2015). "Woody Allen Cannes Interview: 'Irrational Man' Director On His Life & Movies - Deadline". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 2020-03-07. Retrieved 2020-02-21.
  8. ^ Goodman, Jessica (May 15, 2015). "Woody Allen Regrets Doing Amazon Series". The Huffington Post. Archived from the original on May 18, 2015. Retrieved May 15, 2015.
  9. ^ Massa, Antonia (January 13, 2015). "Amazon Signs Woody Allen to His First TV Show". Bloomberg News. Archived from the original on January 13, 2015. Retrieved January 13, 2015.
  10. ^ Mike Fleming Jr (25 January 2016). "Woody Allen Amazon Series: Woody, Miley Cyrus & Elaine May To Star - Deadline". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 2020-02-22. Retrieved 2020-02-21.
  11. ^ Hipes, Patrick (February 24, 2016). "John Magaro & Rachel Brosnahan Join Woody Allen's Amazon Series". Archived from the original on February 25, 2016. Retrieved February 25, 2016.
  12. ^ Petski, Denise (March 16, 2016). "Woody Allen Amazon Series: Michael Rapaport, Becky Ann Baker & More Join Cast". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on August 3, 2016. Retrieved August 5, 2016.
  13. ^ Taliaferro, Lanning (March 8, 2016). "Woody Allen Filming on Scarborough Road". Pleasantville-Briarcliff Manor Patch. Archived from the original on October 21, 2016. Retrieved October 19, 2016.
  14. ^ "Crisis in Six Scenes (2016)". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on March 7, 2021. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
  15. ^ "Crisis in Six Scenes reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on September 30, 2016. Retrieved September 30, 2016.
  16. ^ "Woody Allen's Amazon Show 'Crisis In Six Scenes' Is Nearly Unwatchable [Review]". theplaylist.net. 4 October 2016. Archived from the original on 13 September 2017. Retrieved 11 May 2017.
  17. ^ Massa, Annie; Soper, Spencer; Palmeri, Chris (January 13, 2015). "Amazon's Woody Allen Hiring Underscores Video Risk". Bloomberg News. Archived from the original on January 13, 2015. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
  18. ^ Zeitchik, Steven (May 15, 2015). "Cannes 2015: Woody Allen Sings a Bleak Tune" Archived 2020-01-11 at the Wayback Machine. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 18, 2015.

External links[]

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