Landscapers (miniseries)

Landscapers is a true crime miniseries, a black comedy drama written by Ed Sinclair and directed by Will Sharpe. It revolves around the true story of the 1998 murders of Nottinghamshire residents William and Patricia Wycherley.

Landscapers
Genre
Created byEd Sinclair
Written byEd Sinclair
Directed byWill Sharpe
Starring
Country of origin
  • United States
  • United Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of episodes4
Production
Executive producers
ProducerKatie Carpenter
CinematographyWahaj Mannan
Production companies
DistributorWarner Bros. Television Distribution
Release
Original network
Original releaseDecember 6, 2021 (2021-12-06)

Premise

Inspired by real events, Landscapers tells the story of mild-mannered Susan and her husband, and how they came to kill Susan's parents and bury them in the back garden of their Mansfield home, in a crime that remained undiscovered for over a decade.

Cast

Main

Episodes
No.TitleDirected by [1]Written by [2]Original air date [3]U.S. viewers
(millions)
1"Episode 1"Will SharpeEd SinclairDecember 6, 2021 (2021-12-06)0.112[4]
After living in France with his wife Susan for the last 15 years, Christopher Edwards places a desperate call to his stepmother back in England for financial help. But when Tabitha relays the details of their conversation to the police, a resulting double homicide investigation quickly builds steam, and the couple’s carefully reconstructed lives are suddenly placed at risk.
2"Episode 2"Will SharpeEd SinclairDecember 13, 2021 (2021-12-13)0.128[5]
The investigation into the Mansfield double murder continues. Susan and Chris's past is revealed.
3"Episode 3"Will SharpeEd Sinclair and Will SharpeDecember 20, 2021 (2021-12-20)TBD
Christopher talks about his past as the couple's relationship with Susan's parents comes under examination.
4"Episode 4"Will SharpeEd Sinclair and Will SharpeDecember 27, 2021 (2021-12-27)TBD
Susan and Christopher face trial, and meet for the first time since their arrest.

Production

In December 2019, HBO and Sky announced they had given a series order to Landscapers, a true-crime miniseries written by Ed Sinclair and originally intended to be directed and executive produced by Alexander Payne, with Olivia Colman attached to star.[2] In October 2020, Alexander Payne exited the project due to scheduling conflicts and was replaced by Will Sharpe.[6] David Thewlis was cast as Christopher Edwards in March 2021.[1] Principal photography for the series began in March 2021 in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire.[7]

Reception

The series received positive reviews upon its release. On Rotten Tomatoes, it has an overall approval rating of 97% with an average score of 8.10/10 based on 30 reviews. The site's critical consensus reads: "Landscapers layers enigmatic style onto an already unbelievable true story with varying results, but Olivia Colman and David Thewlis ground the absurdity with outstanding performances".[8] On Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, the series has a score of 79 based on 22 reviews indicating 'Generally favorable reviews'.[9]

Local journalist Andy Done-Johnson, who spent 25 days in court covering the murder trial, criticised it: "It...tries to make them likeable . . . and they’re really not. They were dull, they were insular...[Colman] seems to have pulled her ‘likeable if rather dizzy’ stock character off the shelf for Susan, while Thewlis’ portrayal of Christopher seems too animated, too confident".[10]

References
  1. Kanter, Jake (23 March 2021). "'Landscapers': David Thewlis Joins Olivia Colman In HBO/Sky Limited Series". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 23 March 2021. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
  2. White, Peter (20 December 2019). "'The Crown's Olivia Colman To Star In HBO & Sky Crime Drama 'Landscapers' From Director Alexander Payne & 'Chernobyl' Producer Sister". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 20 December 2019. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
  3. "Shows A-Z – Landscapers on HBO". The Futon Critic. Retrieved 5 December 2021.
  4. Metcalf, Mitch (8 December 2021). "Showbuzz Daily's Top 150 Monday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 12.6.2021 Updated". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved 8 December 2021.
  5. Metcalf, Mitch (14 December 2021). "Showbuzz Daily's Top 150 Monday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 12.13.2021 Updated". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved 14 December 2021.
  6. White, Peter (9 October 2020). "'Giri/Haji's Will Sharpe To Direct Olivia Colman HBO/Sky Drama 'Landscapers', Replacing Alexander Payne". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 9 October 2020. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
  7. Topping, Andrew (1 April 2021). "TV crews spotted in Mansfield as filming begins on Olivia Colman's new Landscapers murder drama". Nottingham Post. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
  8. "Landscapers: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on 13 December 2021. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
  9. "Landscapers: Season 1". Metacritic. Archived from the original on 8 December 2021. Retrieved 8 December 2021.
  10. Done-Johnson, Andy. "Opinion: Landscapers misses the mark as a black comedy which isn't funny and makes light of a callous double murder". Mansfield and Ashfield Chads. Retrieved 14 December 2021.
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