The wait is over. Lovecraft Country, which was filmed at Cinespace Studios, premiered Sunday night on HBO to 760,000 viewers, the best since Watchmen. Based on the novel of the same name by Matt Ruff, the ten-episode series follows Atticus Freeman (Jonathan Majors) as he journeys with his childhood friend Letitia (Jurnee Smollett) and his uncle George (Courtney B. Vance) on a road trip from Chicago across 1950s Jim Crow America in search of his missing father Montrose (Michael Kenneth Williams.)
Their search-and-rescue turns into a struggle to survive and overcome both the racist terrors of white America and monstrous creatures that could be ripped from an H.P. Lovecraft paperback. Watch the Comic-Con sneak peek below:
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In its positive review, The New York Times said, “Lovecraft fully integrates a noxious real-life history into its fantastical narrative — and reminds us how little some things have changed in the six decades since the story’s setting. But its goal appears to be to scare us into having fun, something it achieves about half the time in the five episodes made available in advance.”
NewsDay notes, “To call Lovecraft Country “wildly original” seems almost a quaint understatement. But it is wild. And original. Little doubt about that.”
CNN calls the Jordan Peele, J.J. Abrams produced series “intoxicating,” “The HBO series conjures a pretty intoxicating atmosphere, while proving confounding about what its rules are. The result is well worth watching, but requires patience to see where this gothic road will ultimately lead.”
USA Today gives the series, 3.5/4. “Lovecraft is overflowing with atmosphere: Its visuals are wrought in vivid colors and scored to kicky modern music (from Cardi B to Rihanna to “The Jeffersons” theme song).
LOVECRAFT COUNTRY is executive produced by Misha Green, J.J. Abrams,
Jordan Peele, Bill Carraro, Yann Demange (who also directed Episode 1) Daniel Sackheim (who also directed Episodes 2 and 3) and David Knoller (executive producer on Episode 1); based on the novel by Matt Ruff. Co-executive producers are Matt King and Rachel Rusch. Produced by afemme, Inc., Bad Robot Productions and Monkeypaw Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television.
The 10-episode series will air every Sunday on HBO, the be available to stream on HBO Max.
SOURCE: Warner Media Group
