Maniac (miniseries)
Maniac is an American psychological dark comedy-drama web television miniseries that premiered on September 21, 2018, on Netflix. It was created by Patrick Somerville and directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga and is loosely based on the Norwegian television series of the same name by Espen PA Lervaag, HĂĄakon Bast Mossige, Kjetil Indregard, and Ole Marius Araldsen. The series follows two strangers who connect during a mind-bending pharmaceutical trial and stars Emma Stone, Jonah Hill, Justin Theroux, Sonoya Mizuno, Gabriel Byrne, and Sally Field.
The series was officially announced in March 2016, with Netflix ordering the production straight-to-series that same month. Upon release, the series received positive reviews from critics, with many praising its visuals, direction and acting, particularly the performances of Stone and Hill. The series received multiple accolades including nominations for Stone's performance, both at the 23rd Satellite Awards and the 25th Screen Actors Guild Awards, and for the series' overall writing at the 71st Writers Guild of America Awards.
Premise
Maniac follows two strangers, Annie Landsberg and Owen Milgrim, who connect during a mind-bending pharmaceutical trial conducted by Neberdine Pharmaceutical Biotech and overseen by their scientists Dr. James K. Mantleray and Dr. Azumi Fujita.Cast and characters
Main
- Emma Stone as Annie Landsberg, a woman with borderline personality disorder who dwells unhealthily on her relationships. Stone also portrays Linda Marino, Arlie Kane, Annia, and Ruth in the B and C pill-induced dreams.
- Jonah Hill as Owen Milgrim, the son of a wealthy family who potentially has schizophrenia. Having decided to make his way without his family's assistance, Milgrim struggles to hold a job and provide for himself. Hill also portrays Bruce Marino, Oliver "Ollie" Hightower, and Snorri in the B and C pill-induced dreams.
- Justin Theroux as Dr. James K. Mantleray, a scientist working on the Neberdine Pharmaceutical Biotech experiment. Previously removed from the experiment's team, Mantleray is brought back on following the death of Dr. Robert Muramoto.
- Sonoya Mizuno as Dr. Azumi Fujita, a scientist who runs the NPB experiment. She feels immense pressure to provide results from the experiment to her superiors.
- Gabriel Byrne as Porter Milgrim, a wealthy industrialist and father of Owen and his siblings.
- Sally Field as Dr. Greta Mantleray, a famous therapist and the mother of Dr. James K. Mantleray. Field also portrays Lady Neberdine and Queen Gertrude in the B and C pill-induced dreams respectively, and provides the voice and embodiment of GRTA, a smart computer used in the NPB experiment that has a deep emotional relationship with Dr. Muramoto and reacts strongly to his death.
Recurring
- Kathleen Choe as Soo, test subject #3 in the NPB Phase III experiment.
- Danny Hoch as Alexander, test subject #5 in the NPB Phase III experiment.
- Allyce Beasley as Amelia, test subject #11 in the NPB Phase III experiment.
- Stephen Hill as D'Nail, test subject #7 in the NPB Phase III experiment.
- James Monroe Iglehart as Carl, an orderly at Neberdine Pharmaceutical and Biotech working on the NPB Phase III experiment.
- Dai Ishiguro as Head Control Tech, an employee at Neberdine Pharmaceutical and Biotech working on the NPB Phase III experiment.
- Sejal Shah as First Medical Tech, an employee at Neberdine Pharmaceutical and Biotech working on the NPB Phase III experiment.
- Billy Magnussen as Jed Milgrim, one of Owen's brothers who is put on trial for sexual misconduct. Magnussen also portrays Grimsson, a man whom Owen hallucinates that looks nearly identical to Jed.
- Julia Garner as Ellie Landsberg, Annie's deceased younger sister whose death she feels responsible for. Garner also portrays Ellia, an Elven princess whom Annia escorts.
- Nate Craig as Phil
- Jemima Kirke as Adelaide, Jed's fiancée whom Owen has feelings for.
- Jesse Magnussen
- Alexandra Curran as Holly Milgrim
- Rome Kanda as Dr. Robert Muramoto, a colleague of Dr. Fujita.
- Aaralyn Anderson as Belle Milgrim / Danielle Marino / Australia
- Hannah and Cailin Loesch as the Ladies of Arquesta, who first appear as guests at the Full Moon SĂ©ance. They also portray two of the McMurphies.
- Trudie Styler as Angelica Milgrim, Owen's mother and Porter's wife.
- Christian DeMarais as Mike Milgrim, one of Owen's brothers.
- Geoffrey Cantor as Frank, the Milgrim family's lawyer that is representing Jed.
- Ramya Pratt as Vicky / Green Hoodie Woman
- Josh Pais as Andy
- Ariel Kavoussi as Audra, an AdBuddy employee that Annie considers signing up with. Kavoussi also portrays Bianca Forsythe and provides the voice of Dragonfly.
- Mike Masters as Ron Johnson
- Grace Van Patten as Olivia Meadows, Owen's former crush whom he yelled at while experiencing his first BLIP in college.
- Lev Gorn as Sokolov
- Hank Azaria as Hank Landsberg, Annie's father
- Selenis Leyva as Patricia Lugo, the intake director at Neberdine Pharmaceutical and Biotech whom Annie blackmails into getting into NBD's drug study.
- Mariko Kai
- Maho Honda as Intake Tech, an employee at Neberdine Pharmaceutical and Biotech.
- Leo Fitzpatrick as Lance, a smuggler of exotic wildlife for use in clothing and one of Sebastian's two sons.
- Jojo Gonzalez as Agent Lopez, a New York Fish and Wildlife officer searching for a ring-tailed lemur taken from the nursing home that Linda works at.
- Maxine Prescott as Mrs. Finklestein, an elderly woman that lives in Owen's apartment building. Prescott also portrays Harriet, a resident of the old folks home that Linda works at.
- Joseph Sikora as JC, a smuggler of exotic wildlife for use in clothing and one of Sebastian's two sons.
- David Fierro as Bobby, Olliver Hightower's driver. Fiero also portrays an AdBuddy employee that Owen hires.
- Glenn Wein as Lord Jopling, a guest at the Full Moon SĂ©ance. Wein also portrays an AdBuddy employee with halitosis that Owen hires.
- Jacqueline Grabois as Annie's Roommate
- Jonathan Rentler as Greg Nazlund, a semi-truck driver who crashed into Annie's car five years ago killing her sister Ellie. Rentler also portrays a ranger that Annia encounters.
- Zac Shearon as Young Boy in a Truck / Young Soldier
- Lauren Banks as Winged Nymph / Prosecutor
Guest
- Marcus Toji as Calvin, Annie's drug dealer that initially supplies her with NPB's "A" pills, to which she is addicted. She goes to him for more and, after informing her that he is all out, suggests that she sign up for one of NPB's drug studies.
- Glenn Fleshler as Sebastian, the owner of a fur shop, Furs by Sebastian, that is creating clothing out of exotic animals. Linda and Bruce attempt to take back a ring-tailed lemur that he had stolen from them.
- Jennifer Ikeda as Therapist, Owen's therapist at the Horton Psychiatric Facility where he is sent after condemning his brother in court.
- Ben Sinclair as “friend”, Annie’s friend proxy for Owen before visiting him in the asylum.
Episodes
Production
Development
On March 18, 2016, it was announced that Paramount Television and Anonymous Content were producing a television series to be directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga. The half-hour dark comedy series was reported to be executive produced by Fukunaga, Emma Stone, Jonah Hill, Michael Sugar, and Doug Wald. Ashley Zalta was also announced as a co-executive producer. At the time, the series was being shopped to various networks and was searching for a writer. Less than a week later, it was announced that Netflix was finalizing a deal for a straight-to-series order for a first season consisting of ten episodes. On October 21, 2016, it was announced that Patrick Somerville would write the series. On July 29, 2018, it was announced during the annual Television Critics Association's summer press tour that the series would premiere on September 21, 2018.Casting
Alongside the initial series announcement, it was reported that Emma Stone and Jonah Hill were finalizing deals to star in the series. In August 2017, it was announced that Sonoya Mizuno had been cast as a series regular and that Justin Theroux and Julia Garner would appear in a recurring capacity. On September 13, 2017, it was reported that Jemima Kirke had been cast in a recurring role. On October 5, 2017, it was announced that Sally Field had joined the cast in a recurring role. On February 23, 2018, it was reported Billy Magnussen had been cast in the series.Filming
Principal photography for the series began on August 15, 2017 in New York City and was expected to conclude by the end of November 2017.Release
Marketing
On April 18, 2018, Netflix released the first official images from the series. On July 29, 2018, a teaser trailer for the series was released. About a week later, the official trailer was released.Premiere
On September 13, 2018, the series held its world premiere at the Southbank Centre in London, England. On September 20, 2018, the series held its American premiere at Center 415 in New York City.Reception
Critical response
The series has been met with a positive response from critics upon its premiere. On the review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds an 85% approval rating, with an average rating of 7.63 out of 10 based on 101 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, "Maniac enthralls with its dazzling visuals, adventurous narrative, and striking performances from both Emma Stone and Jonah Hill." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the series a score of 76 out of 100 based on 24 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".In a positive review, Varietys Daniel D'Addario commended the series saying, "The beautifully made Maniac plunges viewers into a fictional world that's both divergent from our own and instantly recognizable—and then reinvents itself several times over, skittering across time, space and genre to tell a story of connection that feels urgent and deeply, painfully human...As a trial of something new, Maniac passes every test, and ascends instantly to take its place among the very best TV of the year." In another favorable assessment, The Washington Posts Hank Stuever described the series as "oddly mesmerizing" and offered it qualified praise saying, "Maniac starts off too absorbed in its own complicated structure, but once Owen and Annie are strapped in at the lab, the show becomes a visually compelling romp through highly detailed dreams and personal discoveries." Describing it as "exhilarating to watch and a lot to process", Vultures Jen Chaney called the series "one of the fall season's best".
In a more negative critique, Darren Franich of Entertainment Weekly awarded the series a grade of "C-" and criticized it saying, "For all its manic poses and deflationary snark, it's ultimately patronizingly sentimental. Maniac asks big questions about reality, and then settles for the limpest possible cinematic representations of that reality."