Fosse/Verdon
GenreBiographical drama
Developer
Starring
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Num episodes8
Executive producer
Producer
  • Erica Kay
  • Kate Sullivan
  • Brad Carpenter
Editor
  • Tim Streeto
  • Kate Sanford
ComposerNathan Barr
Theme music composerAlex Lacamoire
CinematographyTim Ives
Runtime41–59 minutes
Company
NetworkFX
First airedApril 9, 2019
Last airedMay 28, 2019

Fosse/Verdon is a 2019 American biographical drama miniseries, developed by Steven Levenson and Thomas Kail. Based on the biography Fosse by Sam Wasson, the series charts the troubled marriage and professional relationship of director/choreographer Bob Fosse and actress/dancer Gwen Verdon, played by Sam Rockwell and Michelle Williams respectively. Norbert Leo Butz and Margaret Qualley are also featured as Paddy Chayefsky and Ann Reinking, respectively.

Fosse/Verdon premiered on FX on April 9, 2019, with its eighth and final episode airing on May 28. At the 71st Primetime Emmy Awards, Fosse/Verdon earned 17 nominations, including Outstanding Limited Series, with Williams winning Outstanding Lead Actress. Williams also won Best Actress at the 77th Golden Globe Awards and the 26th Screen Actors Guild Awards, where Rockwell won Best Actor.

Premise

Fosse/Verdon tells the story of the romantic and creative partnership between Bob Fosse and Gwen Verdon. Fosse was a filmmaker and one of theater's most influential choreographers and directors. Verdon was a critically acclaimed actress and Broadway dancer who won 4 Tony Awards.[1]

The story of the entire series unfolds through back-and-forth flashes of the couple's relationship through the years.[2] It includes the reversals of power and status as well as the contexts in which they happened.[3] It also presents Fosse and Verdon's contributions to the entertainment industry.[2]

Cast and characters

Main

Recurring

Music

Fosse/Verdon released weekly albums, available for streaming and download on multiple platforms, with the release of each new episode.[4] In addition to original music, the soundtracks feature the cast singing popular songs from Bob Fosse and Gwen Verdon's various careers, including "Big Spender" from Sweet Charity and "Corner of the Sky" from Pippin.[5]

Production

Development

The rights to produce a limited-series based on Sam Wasson's biography Fosse were sold to FX Network by executive producer George Stelzner. In the summer of 2016, with the approval of FX creative executives, Stelzner pursued actor/writer Lin-Manuel Miranda and director Thomas Kail, of Hamilton, to join the project. Both Miranda and Kail were familiar with the Wasson biography as Miranda and Wasson were classmates at Wesleyan University years earlier. Tony Award-winning writer Steven Levenson (Dear Evan Hansen) was next to join the production team. Levenson and Kail would go on to earn the WGA credit designation of "developed for television by" for the limited-series. During the early stages of the development process, the two were instrumental in attracting the participation of Nicole Fosse, the only child of Bob and Gwen and the executor of the Fosse/Verdon estate.

On July 5, 2018, FX announced an eight-episode order for a limited-series entitled Fosse/Verdon, with Sam Rockwell playing the role of Bob Fosse and Michelle Williams playing Gwen Verdon. On October 25, 2018, it was reported that Kail would direct at least four of the series' eight episodes.[6] and he would go on to direct a total of five episodes. Executive producers included Levenson, Kail, Miranda, Stelzner, Rockwell and Williams, with Nicole Fosse as a co-executive producer, and choreographer Andy Blankenbuehler (Hamilton) as co-producer. On October 26, 2018, it was announced that Joel Fields, the showrunner of the acclaimed FX Network drama series The Americans would join the Fosse/Verdon production as an additional writer and executive producer.[7] On January 23, 2019, the premiere date of April 9, 2019 was announced.[8]

Casting

Alongside the series order announcement, it was confirmed that Rockwell and Williams had been cast as the leads.[1] On November 19, 2018, it was announced Margaret Qualley and Norbert Leo Butz had been cast in series regular roles and that Aya Cash, Nate Corddry, Susan Misner, Bianca Marroquín, Kelli Barrett, Evan Handler, Rick Holmes, Paul Reiser, Ethan Slater, Byron Jennings, and Laura Osnes had joined the cast in a recurring capacity.[9]

Qualley consulted heavily with Reinking on her performance, with the two holding chats twice a week for the duration of the shoot.[10] Reinking was not a consultant on the series but praised the performances of Rockwell and Williams, though she was conflicted about the portrayal of Fosse as an abusive partner.[11]

Filming

Principal photography for the series commenced in late October 2018 in New York City at Silvercup Studios, and lasted until late March 2019.[6][12]

Release

On January 6, 2019, a teaser trailer for the series was released.[13] In the United Kingdom, the BBC picked up the rights and the show premiered on BBC Two.[14]

Reception

Critical response

On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds an approval rating of 81% based on 88 reviews, and an average rating of 7.12/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Sam Rockwell and Michelle Williams give viewers plenty of razzle and dazzle in Fosse/Verdon - a straightforward miniseries that is hampered by rote biographical tropes, but still shimmies with the requisite glitz, grit, and all that jazz audiences crave."[15] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the series a score of 68 out of 100, based on 34 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[16]

Awards and nominations

AwardCategoryNominee(s)ResultRef.
Art Directors Guild AwardsTelevision Movie or Limited SeriesAlex DiGerlando[17]
Casting Society of AmericaLimited SeriesBernard Telsey, Tiffany Little Canfield & Amelia Rasche McCarthy[18]
Costume Designers Guild AwardsExcellence in Period TelevisionMelissa Toth & Joseph La Corte (for "Life is a Cabaret")[19]
Critics' Choice Television AwardsBest Limited SeriesFosse/Verdon[20]
Best Actor in a Limited Series or Television MovieSam Rockwell
Best Actress in a Limited Series or Television MovieMichelle Williams
Best Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Television MovieMargaret Qualley
Directors Guild of America AwardsOutstanding Directing – Movies for Television and Limited SeriesThomas Kail (for "Nowadays")[21]
Minkie Spiro (for "All I Care About Is Love")
Jessica Yu (for "Glory")
Golden Globe AwardsBest Limited Series or Television FilmFosse/Verdon[22]
Best Actor – Limited Series or Television FilmSam Rockwell
Best Actress – Limited Series or Television FilmMichelle Williams
Make-Up Artists and Hair Stylists GuildsTelevision Series, Mini-Series or New Media – Best Period and/or Character Make-UpDebbie Zoller, Dave Presto & Jackie Risotto[23]
Television Series, Mini-Series or New Media – Best Special Make-Up EffectsDebbie Zoller, Dave Presto & Jackie Risotto
Television Series, Mini-Series or New Media – Best Period and/or Character Hair StylingChristopher Fulton, Christen Edwards & Christine Cantrell
Primetime Emmy AwardsOutstanding Limited SeriesSteven Levenson, Thomas Kail, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Joel Fields, George Stelzner, Sam Rockwell, Michelle Williams, Nicole Fosse, Charlotte Stoudt, Tracey Scott Wilson, Kate Sullivan, Brad Carpenter & Erica Kay[24][25][26]
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or MovieSam Rockwell
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or MovieMichelle Williams
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or MovieMargaret Qualley
Outstanding Directing for a Limited Series, Movie, or Dramatic SpecialThomas Kail (for "Who's Got the Pain")
Jessica Yu (for "Glory")
Outstanding Writing for a Limited Series, Movie, or Dramatic SpecialJoel Fields & Steven Levenson (for "Providence")
Primetime Creative Arts Emmy AwardsOutstanding Casting for a Limited Series, Movie, or SpecialTiffany Little Canfield & Bernie Telsey
Outstanding Period CostumesJoseph La Corte, Melissa Toth, Catherine Crabtree, Kristin Isola, Isabelle Simone & Virginia Patton (for "Life is a Cabaret")
Outstanding Hairstyling for a Limited Series or MovieChristopher Fulton, Christen Edwards, Nicole Bridgeford, Christine Cantrell & Charlene Belmond
Outstanding Make-up for a Limited Series or Movie (Non-Prosthetic)Debbie Zoller, Blair Aycock, Dave Presto, Sherri Laurence, Nicky Pattison Illum & Jackie Risotto
Outstanding Prosthetic Makeup for a Series, Limited Series, Movie or SpecialDebbie Zoller, Dave Presto, Jackie Risotto, Yoichi Art Sakamoto & Vincent Van Dyke
Outstanding Music DirectionAlex Lacamoire (for "Life Is a Cabaret")
Outstanding Music SupervisionSteven Gizicki (for "Life Is a Cabaret")
Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Limited Series or MovieTim Streeto (for "Life Is a Cabaret")
Outstanding Production Design for a Narrative Period or Fantasy Program (One Hour or More)Alex DiGerlando, Anu Schwartz & Lydia Marks
Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Limited Series or MovieTony Volante, Joseph White Jr., Robert Johanson & Derik Lee (for "All I Care About is Love")
Producers Guild of America AwardsOutstanding Producer of Limited Series TelevisionThomas Kail, Steven Levenson, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Joel Fields, George Stelzner, Sam Rockwell, Michelle Williams, Tracey Scott Wilson, Charlotte Stoudt, Nicole Fosse, Erica Kay, Kate Sullivan & Brad Carpenter[27]
Satellite AwardsBest MiniseriesFosse/Verdon[28]
Best Actor in a Miniseries or TV FilmSam Rockwell
Best Actress in a Miniseries or TV FilmMichelle Williams
Screen Actors Guild AwardsOutstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Miniseries or Television MovieSam Rockwell[29]
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Miniseries or Television MovieMichelle Williams
TCA AwardsOutstanding Achievement in Movies, Miniseries and SpecialsFosse/Verdon[30]
Individual Achievement in DramaMichelle Williams
Writers Guild of America AwardsLong Form – AdaptedDebora Cahn, Joel Fields, Ike Holter, Thomas Kail, Steven Levenson, Charlotte Stoudt & Tracey Scott Wilson
Based on the book Fosse by Sam Wasson		[31]

References

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  2. ^ Pham, Jason (2019-04-18). "Michelle Williams Isn't the Only 'Fosse/Verdon' Cast Member to Look A Lot Like Who They're Playing". StyleCaster. Retrieved 2019-04-22.
  3. ^ Gosh, Sayan (April 15, 2019). "'Fosse/Verdon' is not just for theatre nerds". The Michigan Daily. Retrieved 2019-04-22.
  4. ^ Culwell-Block, Logan (April 10, 2019). "Fosse/Verdon to Release Weekly Episode Soundtracks—Listen to the First Set Now". Playbill. Retrieved May 21, 2019.
  5. ^ Thomas, Leah Marilla (April 9, 2019). "The 'Fosse/Verdon' Soundtrack Will Make You Want To Break Out Your Dancing Shoes". Bustle. Retrieved May 21, 2019.
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  28. ^ Peterson, Karen M. (December 3, 2019). "24th Satellite Awards Announce Nominations, 'Ford v Ferrari' Leads the Way". Archived from the original on December 9, 2019. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
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