State of the Union (British TV series)


State of the Union is a British comedy television series that aired on SundanceTV from 6 to 17 May 2019.

Premise

State of the Union follows "Louise and Tom who meet in the pub immediately before their weekly marital therapy session. Each episode pieces together how their lives were, what drew them together and what has started to pull them apart."

Cast and characters

Production

Development

On 13 July 2018, it was announced that SundanceTV had given the production a series order consisting of ten episodes running around ten minutes each. The series was expected to be written by Nick Hornby and directed by Stephen Frears, both of whom were set to be executive producers. Production companies involved with the series were noted to include See-Saw Films.

Casting

Alongside the series order announcement, it was confirmed that Rosamund Pike and Chris O'Dowd had been cast in the series' lead roles.

Filming

Principal photography for the series was expected to begin in the summer of 2018 in London, England. The pub used for the series was the Thatched House in Hammersmith, London W6.

Release

Marketing

On 10 October 2018, a "first-look" image from the series was released.

Premiere

On 28 January 2019, the series received its world premiere during the 2019 Sundance Film Festival.

Reception

In a positive review, Varietys Daniel D'Addario praised the series saying, "State of the Union pulls off a neat trick; given both its short running time and its fleetness of dialogue, we never get tired of hearing this couple's arguments, which could in other contexts be tiresome and circular." In another encouraging criticism, The Hollywood Reporters Daniel Fienberg described the series as a "clever and beautifully acted piece" and declared that "Stephen Frears and Nick Hornby's perceptive two-hander is still well worth seeing."

Awards and nominations