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Sweetpea (TV series)

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Sweetpea
GenreComedy drama
Created byKirstie Swain
Based onSweetpea
by CJ Skuse
Screenplay byKirstie Swain
Krissie Ducker
Laura Jayne Tunbridge
Selina Lim
Directed byElla Jones
StarringElla Purnell
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series1
No. of episodes6
Production
Executive producers
ProducerZorana Piggott
Running time41–50 minutes
Production companies
Original release
NetworkSky Atlantic
Release10 October 2024 (2024-10-10)

Sweetpea is a dark comedy drama television series created by Kirstie Swain for Sky Atlantic. An adaptation of the book of the same name by CJ Skuse, it stars Ella Purnell in the lead role. The series premiered on 10 October 2024 on Sky Atlantic in the United Kingdom and on Starz in the United States and Canada.

Premise

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After a childhood of bullying, Rhiannon is leading a quiet life as an admin assistant at a local newspaper, living with her father and dog. However, her father's death leads to a chance encounter with a stranger that changes everything.[1][2]

Cast

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  • Ella Purnell as Rhiannon Lewis, an administrative assistant working at The Carnsham Gazette, often called "Sweetpea" by her boss
  • Nicôle Lecky as Julia Blenkingsopp, a classmate from Rhiannon's school years, who is now a local estate agent
  • Jon Pointing as Craig, an employee at Rhiannon's father's construction company
  • Calam Lynch as AJ, the new junior reporter at The Carnsham Gazette
  • Leah Harvey as Marina, a junior detective working for the local police force
  • Jeremy Swift as Norman, the editor of The Carnsham Gazette, and Rhiannon's boss
  • Dustin Demri-Burns as Jeff Barker, a reporter at The Carnsham Gazette
  • Luke McGibney as Mike, an obnoxious man who crosses paths with Rhiannon
  • Ingrid Oliver as Diana St. John, a Detective Inspector at the local police force
  • Alexandra Dowling as Seren, sister of Rhiannon.
  • Nitin Ganatra as Rory, a detective working with Marina.
  • David Bark-Jones as Tommy, Rhiannon's and Seren's father, and owner of the construction firm "Tommy's Transformations"

Episodes

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No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release date
1"Sorry For Your Loss"Ella JonesKirstie SwainOctober 10, 2024 (2024-10-10)
Rhiannon Lewis is a downtrodden wallflower, ignored and neglected by many people in her life. She also suffers from the psychological effects of childhood bullying by classmate Julia Blenkingsopp. As a result, Rhiannon occasionally entertains murderous thoughts. Her father, Tommy, is the only person who recognises her attributes and encourages her to stand up for herself. However, Tommy suddenly dies, leaving Rhiannon bereft. In the aftermath of his death, Rhiannon suffers a series of setbacks - she is passed over for a promotion at work by her ignorant boss, Norman; her sister Seren informs her she’s selling their family home; and Julia, now an estate agent, returns to town. Rhiannon is distressed upon learning Seren has asked Julia to handle the property sale. Furthermore, Rhiannon's dog Tink dies in a hit-and-run when Rhiannon is distracted by a billboard of Julia's face. Angry and drunk, Rhiannon goes to confront Julia but is rudely rebuffed. Afterwards, Rhiannon gets into an argument with a stranger and finally snaps about being 'invisible', resulting in her stabbing the stranger to death in a rage. Disposing of the body, Rhiannon leaves the scene, finding that murder has inspired her with newfound confidence.
2"This Sort of Thing Needs Some Feminine Energy"Ella JonesKirstie Swain & Krissie DuckerOctober 18, 2024 (2024-10-18)
3"Black Spots in the Garage"Ella JonesKirstie Swain & Krissie DuckerOctober 25, 2024 (2024-10-25)
4"Everybody Loves Julia"Ella JonesLaura Jayne TunbridgeNovember 1, 2024 (2024-11-01)
5"Someone's been a Naughty Girl"Ella JonesSelina LimNovember 8, 2024 (2024-11-08)
6"Life 2.0"Ella JonesKrissie DuckerNovember 15, 2024 (2024-11-15)

Production

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Skuse's novel was optioned in 2017 by See-Saw Films. In 2019, Sky Atlantic came onboard the project and Patrick Walters, Jamie Laurenson, Hakan Kousetta, Iain Canning and Emile Sherman were set as executive produceer for See-Saw Films, with Liz Lewin as an executive producer for Sky Studios.[3] Kirstie Swain has adapted the book.[4] In 2020, it was revealed to be an eight-part series.[5]

Casting

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In November 2023, Ella Purnell was cast in the lead role and serves as an executive producer. Also cast were Nicôle Lecky, Jon Pointing, Calam Lynch, Leah Harvey, Jeremy Swift, Dustin Demri-Burns, Luke McGibney and Ingrid Oliver.[6][7]

Filming

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Filming took place in Southend-on-Sea in November and December 2023 with filming locations including Southend Observation Tower on Pier Hill, Western Esplanade’s Cliff Lift and theme park Adventure Island.[8] Filming also took place near the River Colne in Oxhey Park, Watford.[9]

Title Sequence

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The title sequence was created by London-based Peter Anderson Studio. it was designed to visually explore the lead character's psychological state, utilising brutalist painting aesthetics and painterly compositions. The sequence features neon lights on rain-soaked streets and transforms everyday objects into symbols of violence, reflecting the duality of her existence. A bespoke typeface, with a hand-drawn aesthetic, contributes to the gritty tone whilst the sharp extensions in the typeface used in the title card were added to enhance the ominous atmosphere.[10]

Broadcast

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The series premiered on 10 October 2024 on Sky Atlantic and NOW TV in the United Kingdom and[11][12] on Starz in the US and Canada.[13] Ahead of the series premiere, a full trailer was revealed in September 2024.[14]

Reception

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On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, Sweetpea has an approval rating of 84% based on 19 reviews, with an average rating of 7/10. The website's consensus reads: "Ella Purnell is a diabolical delight in Sweetpea, a revenge fantasy that holds a lot of darkness beneath its playful exterior."[15] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 69 out of 100 based on 12 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[16]

Lucy Mangan, writing in The Guardian, was less impressed, comparing the series unfavourably to the original book.[17]

Soundtrack

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The series score was written by Isobel Waller-Bridge and the theme song ("Do You See Me Now") by Isobel and British artist Chinchilla, who also provided the vocals.[18]

In addition, the series features a diverse soundtrack of popular music, including tracks from Billie Eilish, Icona Pop/Charli XCX, Labi Siffre and the Spice Girls.[19]

References

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  1. ^ Mellor, Louisa (2 June 2023). "The Best Books Being Adapted for TV in 2023: Sci-fi, Fantasy, Historical and Crime". Den of Geek. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
  2. ^ "Sweetpea". Comedy. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
  3. ^ White, Peter (12 February 2020). "'Top Of The Lake' Producer See-Saw Films Adapting 'American Psycho'-Meets-'Fleabag' Novel 'Sweetpea' For Sky Atlantic With 'Pure' Writer Kirstie Swain". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
  4. ^ Whittock, Jesse (8 May 2020). "Kirstie Swain: I like to write about people who have wronged me". Broadcastnow. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
  5. ^ Farber, Alex (13 February 2020). "UK pay-TV broadcaster Sky unveils six new shows for 2020, including See-Saw's 'Sweetpea'". Screen Daily. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
  6. ^ Ramachandran, Naman (29 November 2023). "Ella Purnell to Executive Produce, Star in Sky's 'Sweetpea' With Nicôle Lecky, Jon Pointing, Calam Lynch, Leah Harvey, (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 30 November 2023.
  7. ^ Taylor, Mike (4 October 2024). "Sweetpea: Release date, cast and plot of new Ella Purnell series on Sky". Walesonline. Retrieved 11 October 2024.
  8. ^ Banks, Ethan (17 November 2023). "Sky Atlantic Sweetpea: Southend turns into film set for show". Echo-News. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
  9. ^ McGuinness, Fintan (10 October 2024). "Sky TV's Sweetpea scenes shot by River Colne in Oxhey Park". Watford Observer. Retrieved 12 October 2024.
  10. ^ "Sweetpea Title Seqeunce". Peter Anderson Studio. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
  11. ^ Ryan, Keeley (13 February 2020). "Sky Atlantic's Sweetpea is the show that's going to be your next TV obsession". Her.ie. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
  12. ^ Jane Turner, Laura (12 July 2024). "Ella Purnell in first look at new twisted 'rage' series". Digital Spy. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
  13. ^ White, Peter (11 July 2024). "Sky's Ella Purnell-Led Drama Series Sweetpea Lands At Starz". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
  14. ^ Goldbart, Max (19 September 2024). "Sky & Starz Reveal Premiere Date For 'Sweetpea' Series Starring Ella Purnell". Deadline. Retrieved 19 September 2024.
  15. ^ "Sweetpea: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 18 October 2024.
  16. ^ "Sweetpea: Season 1". Metacritic. Retrieved 18 October 2024.
  17. ^ Mangan, Lucy (10 October 2024). "Sweetpea review – Ella Purnell's deathly dull serial killer show reeks of cowardly decision-making". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 13 October 2024. This insipid, humourless adaptation of CJ Skuse's blackly comic Sweetpea books has been stripped of everything good. It seems to drag on forever.
  18. ^ Brooks, Lian (14 October 2024). "Sweetpea soundtrack in full, including the addictive opening song". Glamour UK. Retrieved 15 October 2024.
  19. ^ Pilley, Max (12 October 2024). "Here's every song on the 'Sweetpea' soundtrack". NME. Retrieved 15 October 2024.
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