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Us (British TV series)

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Us
GenreComedy drama
Written byDavid Nicholls
Directed byGeoffrey Sax
Starring
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series1
No. of episodes4
Production
Producers
Running time55:00
Original release
NetworkBBC
Release20 September (2020-09-20) –
11 October 2020 (2020-10-11)

Us is a 2020 British television comedy-drama series based on the book Us by English author David Nicholls and adapted by him for the screen. The series stars Tom Hollander[1] and Saskia Reeves[2] as a married couple, the Petersens.

The series is directed by Geoffrey Sax and has original music composed by Oli Julian.[3]

Synopsis

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As their son, Albie, is about to leave home for university, married couple, Douglas and Connie Petersen (Tom Hollander[1] and Saskia Reeves[2]), have made plans to go on a "holiday of a lifetime", touring Europe. Connie, frustrated after 24 years together, tells her inhibited, orderly and risk-averse biochemist husband, Douglas, that now that Albie is leaving home, she no longer wants to stay married to him. The story follows Douglas and the family over the course of the holiday as he tries to win back the love of Connie. As their holiday progresses, the series alternates between the present day and flashbacks that show how the young Douglas (Iain De Caestecker) and Connie (Gina Bramhill) met.

Cast

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Production

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The series was filmed between July and October 2019.[6]

Compared with the novel there was a reduction in the overall number of destinations due to budgetary and logistical reasons. Even so four crews were employed with over 162 sets with filming undertaken in London, Buckinghamshire, Paris, Amsterdam, Venice, and Barcelona.[6][7] For economic reasons many train scenes were filmed in real time on real trains.

The series first aired on the BBC in September 2020.[6] The show would not return for a second series in 2021.

Reception

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The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported an approval rating of 93% based on 15 reviews, with an average rating of 7.01/10.[8] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 76 out of 100 based on 8 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[9]

Episodes

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No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date Viewers
(millions) [10]
11"Episode 1"Geoffrey SaxDavid Nicholls20 September 2020 (2020-09-20)6.58
Douglas Petersen is looking forward to a tour of Europe with his wife Connie and his son Albie. It is meant to be the trip of a lifetime and the last chance for some quality time together as a family. But in spite of Douglas's meticulous preparation and planning, things do not work out quite as planned.[11]
22"Episode 2"Geoffrey SaxDavid Nicholls27 September 2020 (2020-09-27)5.85
Despite a rocky start in Paris, the European tour continues. Next stop: Amsterdam, where it seems that nothing can prevent the family from getting into the holiday spirit.[12]
33"Episode 3"Geoffrey SaxDavid Nicholls4 October 2020 (2020-10-04)5.38
As Douglas scours the streets of Venice for Albie, Connie does some detective work of her own. But as Douglas gets more desperate, things spiral out of control in the Italian heat.[13]
44"Episode 4"Geoffrey SaxDavid Nicholls11 October 2020 (2020-10-11)5.27
Now he has found Albie, Douglas’s dogged determination to keep his family together must be enough to win his son back, and change Connie’s feelings.[14]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Tom Hollander to star in Us, David Nicholls' adaptation of his bestselling novel for BBC One, 17 July 2019". BBC. Retrieved 19 September 2020.
  2. ^ a b "Meet the cast of David Nicholls drama Us, 15 September 2020". Radio Times. Retrieved 19 September 2020.
  3. ^ "Soundtrack Album for BBC Series 'Us' Released". Film Music Reporter. Retrieved 11 October 2020.
  4. ^ "Tom Hollander on new BBC1 comedy drama Us: 'Douglas is quite annoying'". what'sontv.
  5. ^ "Saskia Reeves: 'My character in Us could do with some help', 14 September 2020". The Guardian. 14 September 2020. Retrieved 19 September 2020.
  6. ^ a b c Sulcas, Roslyn (18 June 2021). "'Us' Offers Marital Angst and a Trip to Europe". New York Times. Retrieved 20 June 2021.
  7. ^ "Where was BBC One comedy drama Us filmed?". Radio Times. 15 September 2020. Retrieved 19 September 2020.
  8. ^ "Us: Series 1 (2020)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  9. ^ "Us Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  10. ^ "Weekly top programmes on four screens (from Sept 2018)". BARB. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  11. ^ "Us - Series 1: Episode 1" – via bbc.co.uk.
  12. ^ "Us - Series 1: Episode 2" – via bbc.co.uk.
  13. ^ "Us - Series 1: Episode 3" – via bbc.co.uk.
  14. ^ "Us - Series 1: Episode 4" – via bbc.co.uk.
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