User:Mrs. Hastings/sandbox/Be Gone

Be Gone
Genre	Drama
Created by	Drew Hacks
Written by	Drew Hacks
Directed by	Ava DuVernay (s. 1) Spike Lee (s. 2–3)
Starring	Drew Hacks Zoë Kravitz Lisa Berry Sope Dirisu Nicole Kidman Lily Allen Matt O'Leary Elliot Page Chloe Bailey Janel Parrish
Composer	Adrian Younge
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	3
No. of episodes	21
Production
Executive producers	Drew Hacks Sara Hess Marjorie David Maya Goldsmith Zoë Kravitz Nicole Kidman
Producers	Drew Hacks Lily Allen (s. 2–3)
Production location	Raleigh, North Carolina
Cinematography	Dana Gonzales
Editor	Mary Jo Markey
Camera setup	Single-camera
Running time	40 minutes
Production company	Ivy Worldwide
Budget	$60 million (s. 1) $74 million (s. 2) $71 million (s. 3)
Original release
Network	HBO
Release	February 16, 2020 (2020-02-16) – August 24, 2025 (2025-08-24)

Be Gone is an American drama television series created, written, produced and starred by Drew Hacks. Although originally dubbed as a miniseries, it ran on HBO for three seasons and 21 episodes and was broadcast between February 26, 2020, and August 24, 2025.

The seven-episode first season was directed by Ava DuVernay and introduced Isaac Green, a veterinarian who rediscovers his individuality after divorcing due to adultery. Zoë Kravitz, Lisa Berry, Sope Dirisu, and Nicole Kidman led the supporting main cast.

The seven-episode second season was directed by Spike Lee and followed Isaac trying to better understand life, love and family, after successfully recovering from divorce. Lily Allen joined the main cast, while Matt O'Leary was promoted from his recurring role.

The seven-episode third season was also directed by Lee and showed Isaac exploring his sexuality and spending money he inherited from his father. Elliot Page and Chloe Bailey were added to the main cast, while Janel Parrish was promoted from her guest role.

Production

Season 1

In July 2017, HBO commissioned a miniseries about "the ups and downs of a bisexual soon-to-be-divorcee who must get back to his own feet". Little was known about the project until December 2018, when Drew Hacks revealed that he created the series and would write, produce and star in it. His announcement was met with speculations by fans, who theorized if the plot would either approach a fictional story of some aspect of the artist's life. In the first quarter of 2019, Hacks participated in several interviews for television and radio programs, during some of which he was asked about the miniseries and refused to reveal any information due to his "intention to turn [the series] into a masterpiece", referencing the perfectionism for which his music career is known for. In August of that year, the artist explained that the series was already under principal photography in Raleigh, North Carolina. The following month, actress Zoë Kravitz tweeted about her role in an "upcoming powerhouse miniseries". Her publication was retweeted by Hacks, sparking curiosity from fans and critics, and the two later disclosed that Kravitz would portray the best friend of Hacks's character in the miniseries.

In November 2019, Hacks officially revealed the series' name and premiere date of February 26, as well as the involvement of Nicole Kidman in the starring cast. According to him, Kidman and Kravitz joined the project "only a week" after he wrote all the episodes. He stated, "I wanted them in the series from the beginning. Their work is simply outstanding and, of course, they brought magic to the table". Hacks further cited Kidman and Kravitz's work in Big Little Lies (2017–19) as an "ultimate reason" to enlist the actresses for the project. Hacks served as the project's sole casting director and found the remaining actors in three weeks. Mexican actress Karla Souza was the last to be added to the supporting cast, landing "one of the miniseries' most difficult characters to cast", according to Hacks. He stated that the cast, either starring or supporting, is composed of "people [he] love[s], admire[s], and cherish[es]. The right ones for this job". Filming for Be Gone started on June 16 and wrapped on September 20, 2019. Ava DuVernay directed all seven episodes, while Hacks served as the series' showrunner and producer. Kravitz and Kidman also worked as executive producers alongside Hacks, Marjorie David, Sara Hess, and Maya Goldsmith.

Season 2

By the first quarter of 2022, over 300 online petitions were created by fans of Be Gone requesting that HBO would renew the series for a second season. On April 12, Hacks thanked the public for their affection for the series and stated that the network could deliberate about a second season if the pressure would "grow even higher". Throughout the following week, several public figures retweeted Hacks's comments, further adding their own individual hopes for a second season. On April 21, HBO chairman Casey Bloys officially confirmed that the network executives were scheduling a meeting with Hacks and Be Gone's crew to discuss a series revival and renew. The mentioned meeting took place on May 2. The following day, Hacks reported on Twitter that his idea for a second season of Be Gone was "already halfway completed" by the time the first season was broadcast. He further added that he wrote seven episodes throughout 2021 and imagined several production aspects, such as the casting of guest stars, even though the project was not even on his or the network's radar. During the May 2 meeting, Hacks proposed the second season story, theme, aesthetics and other elements, which "impressed" Bloys and other HBO executives and "accelerated the renewal process". Be Gone's second season was confirmed by HBO on May 17, 2022.

Four months later, in September 2022, it was announced that Sope Dirisu would not return for the second season, while Matt O'Leary was upgraded to the main cast. In October, Hacks disclosed that DuVernay would not direct the second season due to scheduling conflicts, with Spike Lee taking over as director, and that Kravitz, Kidman, David, Hess, and Goldsmith would continue to work as executive producers. Later that month, Lily Allen revealed her casting as Megan Wheeler, a friend of Isaac's, as well as her duty as producer alongside Hacks. In December, Lisa Berry confirmed that she would appear in the second season in a guest capacity. In May 2023, the series's social media profiles realized a weekly reveal of guest stars, revealing the casting of Lisa Kudrow, Crystal Fox, Chella Man, and Aaron Paul. Filming for the season took place between June 16 and October 10, 2023. In August, HBO announced the premiere date of February 18, 2024. Three months later, the network released five teaser trailers depicting random scenes from the first episode of the second season. The release agitated social media, with Be Gone reaching the top of the U.S. trending topics on Twitter. In January 2024, during an exclusive interview for The Hollywood Reporter about Be Gone, Hacks cited Hulu's 2020 series High Fidelity as an source of inspiration for the second season, which would "see Isaac Green understand life through new lens".

Season 3

On July 31, 2024, one year after the second season's finale aired, HBO announced a third and final season of seven episodes, with the same crew returning, including Lee as director. The same day, Hacks disclosed that Kravitz, Kidman, and Allen would also return, while O'Leary would exit the series after his character was written out of the story, and guest star Janel Parrish would return as a main cast member. A week later, Hacks revealed that he wrote the third season episodes throughout the latter half of 2023. He detailed that Isaac would "find himself in a new house and under a new routine, trying to further understand what it means to be an adult". Hacks also disclosed that the character would experience non-monogamy, a theme that would permeate the season as a whole. In August 2024, it was announced that Elliot Page and Chloe Bailey joined the main cast respectively as Kurt Hayworth and Jenna Howard. Kravitz later expressed joy in her Twitter that her character would be a significant other to Bailey's character. Filming for the third season took place between November 2024 and March 2025. In early December 2024, Hacks announced that the third season would include Halloween- and Christmas-themed episodes, with the former being the premiere episode. In February 2025, HBO announced the premiere date of July 13, 2025.

Cast and characters

Overview

Character	Portrayed by	Appearances
		Season 1	Season 2	Season 3
Main cast
Isaac Green	Drew Hacks	Main
Monica Fraser	Zoë Kravitz	Main
Sophie Malcolm	Lisa Berry	Main	Guest
Alexander Hall	Sope Dirisu	Main
Tamara Richards	Nicole Kidman	Main
Megan Wheeler	Lily Allen		Main
Connor McGinty	Matt O'Leary	Recurring	Main
Kurt Hayworth	Elliot Page			Main
Jenna Howard	Chloe Bailey			Main
Tree Benson	Janel Parrish		Guest	Main
Recurring cast
Patricia Fraser	Alfre Woodard	Recurring
Lily Wheeler	Karla Souza	Recurring
Debora Grant	Jamie Chung	Recurring
Isaac Green (young)	Gavin Lewis	Recurring	Guest
Janet Green	Cady Huffman	Recurring	Guest
Mark Lowell	Luke Evans	Recurring
Kate Terronie	Lisa Kudrow		Recurring
Rachel Johnson	Merrin Dungey		Recurring
Sheryl Pennyhouse	Our Lady J		Recurring
June Okoye	Crystal Fox		Recurring
Raymond Tucker	Aaron Paul		Recurring
Robyn Murdock	Lucy Liu		Recurring
Trisha Howard	Imani Hakim			Recurring
Rick Montfort	Tom Holland			Recurring
Solomon McCurdy	Zahn McClarnon			Recurring
Guest cast
Sarah Kennedy	Sarita Choudhury	Guest
Bruno Green	D. W. Moffett	Guest
James Spacek	Nico Tortorella	Guest
Jessie	Odeya Rush	Guest
Jessica O'Connors	Elizabeth Mitchell	Guest
	Elizabeth Lail	Guest
Skyfall Roberts	Chella Man		Guest
Lydia Carter	Kylie Minogue		Guest
Richard Johnson	Isaiah Mustafa		Guest
Joy Johnson	Faithe Herman		Guest
Douglas	Douglas Booth		Guest
Kirstie Moon	Kathy Bates		Guest
Cassie Pritchett	Hilary Duff			Guest
Riley Roman	Zackary Drucker			Guest
Hailey Montgomery	Miley Cyrus			Guest

Main

• Drew Hacks as Isaac Green, a bisexual veterinarian with anxiety disorder who discovers his husband's adultery
• Zoë Kravitz as Monica Fraser, a journalist and Isaac's best friend since high school
• Lisa Berry as Sophie Malcolm, a lawyer who dedicates her free time to an LGBT-centered project (season 1; guest, season 2)
• Sope Dirisu as Alexander Hall, an author and painter and Isaac's former husband (season 1)
• Nicole Kidman as Dr. Tamara Richards, Isaac's therapist, who accompanies him since college
• Lily Allen as Megan Wheeler, a fellow veterinarian whom Isaac befriends during a conference (season 2–)
• Matt O'Leary as Connor McGinty, a waiter from Isaac's favorite pub, whom he starts dating (season 2; recurring, season 1)
• Elliot Page as Kurt Hayworth, a wealthy businessman who attempts to buy Isaac's clinic (season 3)
• Chloe Bailey as Jenna Howard, a veterinarian-turned-stylist with whom Isaac went to college with (season 3)
• Janel Parrish as Tree Benson, an IT expert who befriends and eventually dates Isaac (season 3; guest, season 2)

Season 4

• Drew Hacks as Isaac Green
• Zoë Kravitz as Monica Fraser
• Lily Allen as Megan Wheeler
• Ricardo Antonio Chavira as Daniel Daleway
• Chloe Bailey as Jenna Howard
• Janel Parrish as Tree Benson
• DeWanda Wise as Elizabeth Jennings
• Nicole Kidman as Dr. Tamara Richards

Recurring

Introduced in season 1

• Alfre Woodard as Patricia Fraser, Monica's mother (seasons 1–3)
• Karla Souza as Lily Wheeler, Isaac's Pilates instructor (seasons 1–3)
• Jamie Chung as Debora Grant, a publicist and Monica's girlfriend (seasons 1–2)
• Gavin Lewis as young Isaac Green (season 1; guest, season 2)
• Cady Huffman as Janet Green, Isaac's mother, with whom he has an estranged relationship (season 1; guest, season 2)
• Luke Evans as Mark Lowell, a lawyer handling Isaac and Alexander's divorce (season 1)

Introduced in season 2

• Lisa Kudrow as Kate Terronie, a publisher at publishing company EliteDesk (season 2–3)
• Merrin Dungey as Rachel Johnson, a fellow veterinarian who goes out with Isaac and Megan (season 2–3)
• Our Lady J as Sheryl Pennyhouse, the owner of the local nightclub named after her (season 2–3)
• Crystal Fox as June Okoye, Patricia's sister and Monica's aunt, who moves in with them (season 2–3)
• Aaron Paul as Raymond Tucker, Megan's housemate, a police detective and Richard's partner (season 2–3)
• Lucy Liu as Robyn Murdock, a wealthy businesswoman who befriends Isaac (season 2–3)

Introduced in season 3

• Imani Hakim as Trisha Howard, Jenna's troubled but charismatic younger sister
• Tom Holland as Rick Montfort, Monica's former boyfriend from her teenage years
• Zahn McClarnon as Solomon McCurdy, a college professor who flirts with Megan

Guest

Introduced in season 1

• Sarita Choudhury as Sarah Kennedy, a woman with whom Monica and Debora have sex (seasons 1–2)
• D. W. Moffett as Bruno Green, Isaac's abusive father (season 1)
• Nico Tortorella as James Spacek, an inconvenient client (season 1)
• Odeya Rush as Jessie, Isaac's ex-girlfriend (season 1)
• Elizabeth Mitchell as Jessica O'Connors, a druggist with whom Isaac had a relationship in 1992 (season 1)
• Elizabeth Lail as young Jessica O'Connors (season 1)

Introduced in season 2

• Chella Man as Skyfall Roberts, an IT expert with whom Isaac has sex (season 2–3)
• Kylie Minogue as Lydia Carter, a former FBI agent who is now a sex shop owner (season 2–3)
• Isaiah Mustafa as Richard Johnson, Rachel's husband, a police detective (season 2)
• Faithe Herman as Joy Johnson, Richard and Rachel's daughter (season 2)
• Douglas Booth as Douglas, an employee at the local planetarium (season 2)
• Kathy Bates as Kirstie Moon, a fortune teller (season 2)

Introduced in season 3

• Hilary Duff as Cassie Pritchett, also known as Princess Courtney, a worldwide famous former teen icon
• Zackary Drucker as Riley Roman, a Princess Courtney fan who discusses with Isaac during a concert
• Miley Cyrus as Hailey Montgomery, a former teen icon who rivals Princess Courtney and befriends Isaac

Episodes

Series overview

Season	Episodes		Originally aired
			First aired	Last aired
1	7		February 16, 2020 (2020-02-16)	March 29, 2020 (2020-03-29)
2	7		February 18, 2024 (2024-02-18)	March 31, 2024 (2024-03-31)
3	7		July 13, 2025 (2025-07-13)	August 24, 2025 (2025-08-24)

Season 1 (2020)

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	U.S. viewers (millions)
1	1	"Wish You Hadn't Lied"	Ava DuVernay	Drew Hacks	February 16, 2020 (2020-02-16)	0.744
2	2	"The Memory of Us"	Ava DuVernay	Drew Hacks	February 23, 2020 (2020-02-23)	0.589
3	3	"When You Find Joy"	Ava DuVernay	Drew Hacks	March 1, 2020 (2020-03-01)	0.555
4	4	"Sweet Disarray"	Ava DuVernay	Drew Hacks	March 8, 2020 (2020-03-08)	0.499
5	5	"Cut Paintings"	Ava DuVernay	Drew Hacks	March 15, 2020 (2020-03-15)	0.518
6	6	"I'll Be Gone"	Ava DuVernay	Drew Hacks	March 22, 2020 (2020-03-22)	0.623
7	7	"Just Say Goodbye"	Ava DuVernay	Drew Hacks	March 29, 2020 (2020-03-29)	1.018

Season 2 (2024)

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	U.S. viewers (millions)
8	1	"What a Beautiful Day"	Spike Lee	Drew Hacks	February 18, 2024 (2024-02-18)	1.884
9	2	"King of Nowhere"	Spike Lee	Drew Hacks	February 25, 2024 (2024-02-25)	1.885
10	3	"Listen to This Shit"	Spike Lee	Drew Hacks	March 3, 2024 (2024-03-03)	1.746
11	4	"I'll Go to the Very End"	Spike Lee	Drew Hacks	March 10, 2024 (2024-03-10)	1.487
12	5	"Milkshake"	Spike Lee	Drew Hacks	March 17, 2024 (2024-03-17)	1.559
13	6	"Shoulders Down"	Spike Lee	Drew Hacks	March 24, 2024 (2024-03-24)	1.600
14	7	"Everything I Know"	Spike Lee	Drew Hacks	July 31, 2024 (2024-07-31)	1.653

Season 3 (2025)

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	U.S. viewers (millions)
15	1	"Night of Frights"	Spike Lee	Drew Hacks	July 13, 2025 (2025-07-13)	1.144
16	2	"What the Truth Feels Like"	Spike Lee	Drew Hacks	July 20, 2025 (2025-07-20)	1.254
17	3	"Ray of Light"	Spike Lee	Drew Hacks	July 20, 2025 (2025-07-20)	1.188
18	4	"Say Hello to Santa"	Spike Lee	Drew Hacks	August 3, 2025 (2025-08-03)	1.086
19	5	"Princess Courtney Live"	Spike Lee	Drew Hacks	August 10, 2025 (2025-08-10)	1.346
20	6	"Don't Thank Me"	Spike Lee	Drew Hacks	August 17, 2025 (2025-08-17)	1.214
21	7	"Foursome"	Spike Lee	Drew Hacks	August 24, 2025 (2025-08-24)	1.209

Reception

Ratings

Be Gone : U.S. viewers per episode (millions)

Season		Episode number
		1	2	3	4	5	6	7
	1	0.744	0.589	0.555	0.499	0.518	0.623	1.018
	2	1.884	1.885	1.746	1.487	1.559	1.600	1.653
	3	1.144	1.254	1.188	1.086	1.346	1.214	1.209

Audience measurement performed by Nielsen Media Research