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Candy (miniseries)

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Candy
Promotional poster
Genre
Created by
Starring
ComposerAriel Marx
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of episodes5
Production
Executive producers
ProducerMitch Engel
CinematographySimon Dennis
Editors
  • Tom Wilson
  • Ryan Jones
Running time46–55 minutes
Production companies
Original release
NetworkHulu
ReleaseMay 9 (2022-05-09) –
May 13, 2022 (2022-05-13)

Candy (released internationally as Candy: A Death in Texas) is an American biographical crime drama television miniseries created by Nick Antosca and Robin Veith.[1] The series stars Jessica Biel as the real-life Candy Montgomery, who was accused of the axe murder of her neighbor, Betty Gore (played by Melanie Lynskey) in 1980, in Texas.[2] It premiered on May 9, 2022, on Hulu, with a new episode for five nights until May 13.[3] The miniseries received generally positive reviews from critics. It was nominated for Outstanding Main Title Design at the 74th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards

Premise

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In Wylie, Texas, 1980s suburban housewife Candy Montgomery is accused of murdering her neighbor Betty Gore, after having an affair with Gore's husband Allan.[4]

Cast

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Main

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Recurring

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Episodes

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No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date
1"Friday the 13th"Michael UppendahlStory by : Nick Antosca & Robin Veith
Teleplay by : Robin Veith		May 9, 2022 (2022-05-09)
2"Happy Wife, Happy Life"Jennifer GetzingerDavid MatthewsMay 10, 2022 (2022-05-10)
3"Overkill"Ben SemanoffBrett JohnsonMay 11, 2022 (2022-05-11)
4"Cover Girl"Tara Nicole WeyrElise BrownMay 12, 2022 (2022-05-12)
5"The Fight"Michael UppendahlBrett Johnson & David Matthews and Robin VeithMay 13, 2022 (2022-05-13)

Production

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Development

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In July 2020, it was announced UCP was developing a series revolving around Candy Montgomery, with Robin Veith writing the pilot for the series, and Nick Antosca set to executive produce under his Eat the Cat banner, with no network attached.[5] In December 2020, it was announced Hulu had landed the series.[6] In October 2021, it was announced Elisabeth Moss, who was originally set to star as Candy, had to drop out due to scheduling conflicts and would be replaced by Jessica Biel.[7]

Filming

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Principal photography for Candy began in December 2021,[8] continuing through February 2022,[9] with filming taking place in Austell, Georgia.[10]

Release

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The trailer for Candy was released on March 17, 2022.[11] Candy premiered on Hulu in the United States on May 9, 2022, with new episodes released nightly over five consecutive days, concluding on May 13.[12] Disney also announced that Candy would be available on its Disney+ Hotstar service in India starting July 15.[13] Internationally, Candy was released on Disney+ as a Star Original.[14] In Latin America, Candy premiered on July 27, 2022, on Star+.[15][16] The series is also known as Candy: A Death In Texas instead of Candy in some international markets.[17]

Reception

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Audience viewership

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Whip Media, which tracks viewership data for the more than 21 million worldwide users of its TV Time app, reported that Candy was the fifth most anticipated new television series of May 2022.[18] The streaming aggregator JustWatch, a guide to streaming content with access to data from more than 20 million users around the world, estimated that Candy was the most streamed television series in the U.S. during the week of May 9 to May 15, 2022.[19] According to the streaming aggregator Reelgood, which monitors real-time data from 5 million users in the U.S. for original and acquired streaming programs and movies across subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) and ad-supported video-on-demand (AVOD) services, Candy ranked as the eighth most streamed television series during the week of May 14, 2022,[20][21] and rose to third place the following week, May 21, 2022.[22] Nielsen Media Research, which records streaming viewership on U.S. television screens, estimated that Candy was watched for 557 million minutes from May 9 to May 15, 2022.[23][24]

Critical response

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On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the limited series holds a 72% approval rating based on 47 critic reviews, with an average rating of 6.4/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "Candy's sour aftertaste is counterbalanced by uniformly terrific performances, but it only takes a couple licks before this true crime drama loses its flavor."[25] On Metacritic, the series has a score of 61 out of 100, based on 19 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[26]

Josh Bell of Comic Book Resources remarked that the series effectively captures a late 1970s aesthetic through its décor and costumes. Bell commended the miniseries for its portrayal of the main characters' struggles through its dark tone and praised Biel's performance as Candy Montgomery, as well as the work of the supporting cast.[27] Brian Lowry of CNN found that Candy surpasses many true crime dramas in effectiveness, highlighting the convincing and well-rendered performances of Biel and Lynskey. Lowry also praised the miniseries for incorporating solid additional scripted elements, distinguishing it from other contemporary series in the same genre.[28]

Joel Keller of Decider praised the cast's performances, particularly those of Biel and Lynskey, and found the decision to begin the miniseries with Betty Gore's death intriguing. Keller appreciated how the series later delves into the events leading up to her death through a reconstruction of the characters' interactions.[29] Matt Fowler of IGN rated the miniseries seven out of ten, commending the cast's performances and praising the show for maintaining a sense of tension without revealing too much information in its early episodes.[30]

Maggie Boccella of Collider awarded the miniseries a C+ rating, describing it as a satisfactory true crime drama. While Boccella praised the actors' performances, they criticized the series for its lack of character development.[31]

Comparisons with Love & Death

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Following the release of Love & Death in 2023, Candy, which is also based on the same events, was likened by some critics for its similarities and differences to the former. Alexis Soloski of The New York Times said that while understanding the "why" behind the crime is important, a true-crime drama must also address the "how." They found that since both Candy and Love & Death are categorized as prestige dramas rather than pure true-crime, despite being fact-based, both series struggled with the portrayal of violence and the perspective from which it is presented. Soloski found that both shows ultimately depicted the killing in ways that aligned with Montgomery’s trial testimony, creating scenes that were disturbing even to those involved in their production.[32] Shikhar Verma of High on Films asserted that Love & Death takes a more traditional approach, offering a dramatic retelling of the events. In contrast, they stated that Candy adopts a different perspective by focusing heavily on the psychological aspects of the case. Verma praised Candy for its portrayal of the story as a character study of female rage and noted that, unlike Love & Death, Candy immediately reveals the victim’s identity, which creates an air of suspense and mystery.[33]

Steve Greene of IndieWire noted that the residual horror of Betty Gore’s death is portrayed differently in each series. They found that in the second-to-last episode of Candy, Pat Montgomery is depicted as horrified by the physical demands of killing someone with an axe. Conversely, Greene observed that Love & Death presents Candy’s trial with a focus on the grisly evidence considered by the defendant and the jury. While one show was described as primarily confronting the audience with sensational details, the other was praised for exploring the broader impact of those details on individuals, families, and communities.[34] Richard Roeper of Chicago Sun-Times stated that both series effectively recreate the late 1970s/early 1980s small-town atmosphere and detail the case. However, they found Candy to be slightly superior, noting that it presents the story over five episodes, whereas Love & Deathextends the narrative to seven episodes. Roeper observed that Candy's earlier release made Love & Death seem somewhat redundant and unnecessary.[35]

Accolades

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Award Year Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
Critics' Choice Television Awards 2023 Best Supporting Actress in a Movie/Miniseries Melanie Lynskey Nominated [36]
Hollywood Critics Association TV Awards 2022 Best Actress in a Streaming Limited or Anthology Series or Movie Jessica Biel Nominated [37]
Best Supporting Actress in a Streaming Limited or Anthology Series or Movie Melanie Lynskey Nominated
Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards 2022 Outstanding Main Title Design Ronnie Koff, Peter Frankfurt, Lexi Gunvaldson,
Rob Slychuk, Nader Husseini, and Elizabeth Steinberg 		Nominated [38]
Satellite Awards 2023 Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film Jessica Biel Nominated [39]
Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film Melanie Lynskey Nominated

See also

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  • Love & Death (2023), another television miniseries based on the same case

References

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  1. ^ "Candy". Writers Guild of America West. January 31, 2022. Retrieved April 18, 2022.
  2. ^ Carr, Flora (May 10, 2022). "Can you watch Candy starring Jessica Biel in the UK?". Radio Times. Retrieved September 9, 2024.
  3. ^ Grobar, Matt (March 17, 2022). "'Candy' Teaser, First-Look Photos: Jessica Biel Stars As Housewife Turned Murderess Candy Montgomery In Hulu Limited Series From 'The Act' EPs". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 7, 2022.
  4. ^ Ulatowski, Rachel (May 12, 2022). "The True Story Behind Hulu's 'Candy' Is Just as Disturbing as the Show". The Mary Sue. Retrieved September 9, 2024.
  5. ^ Otterson, Joe (July 7, 2020). "Elisabeth Moss to Play Killer Candy Montgomery in Limited Series for UCP". Variety. Retrieved April 7, 2022.
  6. ^ White, Peter (December 2, 2020). "Hulu Lands Elisabeth Moss True Crime Drama Series 'Candy' From UCP". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 7, 2022.
  7. ^ Porter, Rick (October 5, 2021). "Jessica Biel Replaces Elisabeth Moss in Hulu True-Crime Drama 'Candy'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 19, 2022.
  8. ^ Ho, Rodney (January 15, 2022). "What's filming in Georgia in January 2022?". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved June 17, 2022.
  9. ^ Crowley, James (February 16, 2022). "Jessica Biel Looks Unrecognizable As Killer Candy Montgomery While Filming New Miniseries". Hollywood Life. Retrieved April 7, 2022.
  10. ^ Singer, Dan (February 24, 2022). "Here's where two shows about D-FW ax killer Candy Montgomery are filming". The Dallas Morning News. Archived from the original on February 25, 2022. Retrieved April 18, 2022.
  11. ^ Krystaf, Lauren (May 2, 2022). "'Candy': Release Date, Cast, Trailer, and Everything You Need to Know". Collider. Retrieved September 9, 2024.
  12. ^ Mitovich, Matt Webb (May 6, 2022). "Candy Trailer: Jessica Biel Secretly Has an Axe to Grind With Melanie Lynskey in Hulu's 5-Night True Crime Series". TVLine. Retrieved September 9, 2024.
  13. ^ Arora, Akhil (May 3, 2022). "Escaype Live, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Home Shanti, and More on Hotstar in May". Gadgets 360.
  14. ^ "'Candy' Disney+ Release Date Announced (Australia/New Zealand)". Disney Plus Informer. July 7, 2022. Retrieved July 7, 2022.
  15. ^ Star+ Brasil [@StarPlusBR] (July 27, 2022). "Jessica Biel faz tudo muito bem, até o que não deve. 👀🔪 #Candy, já disponível, só no #StarPlusBR https://t.co/zfD8kV4ZMN" [Jessica Biel does everything very well, even what she shouldn't. 👀🔪 #Candy, now available, only on #StarPlusBR] (Tweet) (in Portuguese). Archived from the original on July 27, 2022. Retrieved March 25, 2023 – via Twitter.
  16. ^ Star+ Latinoamérica [@StarPlusLA] (July 27, 2022). "Jessica Biel hace todo bien, hasta matar gente. #Candy disponible ahora, solo en #StarPlusLA. https://t.co/NFPbMmDGwU" [Jessica Biel does everything right, even killing people. #Candy available now, only at #StarPlusLA.] (Tweet) (in Spanish). Archived from the original on July 28, 2022. Retrieved March 25, 2023 – via Twitter.
  17. ^ P, Maddie (April 13, 2024). "How To Watch 'Under the Bridge': Premiere Date, Episode Schedule, and More". Collider. Retrieved September 9, 2024.
  18. ^ Prange, Stephanie (April 28, 2022). "Disney+'s 'Obi-Wan Kenobi' Top New Show, Netflix's 'Stranger Things' Top Returning Show Anticipated in May". Media Play News. Retrieved October 29, 2022.
  19. ^ Gruenwedel, Erik (May 17, 2022). "JustWatch: 'The Lost City,' 'Candy' Top Weekly Streamed Content". Media Play News. Retrieved October 31, 2022.
  20. ^ Edwards, Belen (May 14, 2022). "The top 10 most streamed TV shows of the week feature a lot of true crime". Mashable. Retrieved October 5, 2022.
  21. ^ Rajan, Ronald (July 6, 2023). "Candy vs. Love and Death: How Do the Two Miniseries Differ?". MovieWeb. Retrieved September 9, 2024.
  22. ^ Edwards, Belen (May 21, 2022). "10 most streamed TV shows of the week: True crime and sci-fi reign supreme". Mashable. Retrieved October 5, 2022.
  23. ^ Hayes, Dade (June 9, 2022). "'Candy' Has Hulu's Best Debut Since 2021 Season Of 'The Handmaid's Tale'; Netflix Takes Rest Of Nielsen Streaming Top 10". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved September 9, 2024.
  24. ^ Hailu, Selome (June 9, 2022). "Nielsen Streaming Top 10: Hulu's 'Candy' Debuts at No. 6 While 'Ozark' Continues to Lead". Variety. Retrieved September 9, 2024.
  25. ^ "Candy: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved April 29, 2023.
  26. ^ "Candy: Season 1". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved April 29, 2023.
  27. ^ Bell, Josh (May 6, 2022). "REVIEW: Hulu's Candy Delivers a Familiar But Effective True-Crime Drama". CBR.com. Retrieved May 9, 2022.
  28. ^ Lowry, Brian (May 9, 2022). "'Candy' turns infidelity and death into an old-fashioned true crime treat". CNN. Retrieved May 9, 2022.
  29. ^ Keller, Joel (May 9, 2022). "Stream It Or Skip It: 'Candy' On Hulu, Where Jessica Biel And Melanie Lynskey Star In A Dramatization Of The Candy Montgomery Case". Decider. Retrieved May 9, 2022.
  30. ^ Fowler, Matt (May 9, 2022). "Hulu's Candy Premiere Review - "Friday the 13th"". IGN. Retrieved May 9, 2022.
  31. ^ Boccella, Maggie (May 4, 2022). "'Candy': Hulu's True Crime Drama Is Bittersweet at Best | Review". Collider. Retrieved May 9, 2022.
  32. ^ Soloski, Alexis (April 26, 2023). "'Love & Death' and the Feminine Urge to Commit Murder". The New York Times. Retrieved September 9, 2024.
  33. ^ Verma, Shikhar (May 4, 2023). "Hulu's 'Candy' vs HBO Max's 'Love & Death': What's the main difference between the two crime-series?". High On Films. Retrieved September 9, 2024.
  34. ^ Greene, Steve (May 7, 2023). "In 'Love & Death' and 'Candy,' the True Story Doesn't Always Provide the Truth". IndieWire. Retrieved September 9, 2024.
  35. ^ Roeper, Richard (April 24, 2023). "True crime drama 'Love & Death' is like 'Candy' stretched too thin". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved September 9, 2024.
  36. ^ Nordyke, Kimberly (January 15, 2023). "Critics Choice Awards: Full List of Winners". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on January 16, 2023. Retrieved January 16, 2023.
  37. ^ Nordyke, Kimberly (August 14, 2022). "HCA TV Awards: 'Severance,' 'Ted Lasso,' 'Dopesick' Win Top Streaming Awards on Night 2". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on August 15, 2022. Retrieved August 15, 2022.
  38. ^ "2022 Creative Arts Emmys: See full winners list". Entertainment Weekly. September 4, 2022. Archived from the original on September 5, 2022. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
  39. ^ "2021 nominees". International Press Academy. December 1, 2021. Archived from the original on December 7, 2021. Retrieved December 1, 2021.
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