Tales from the Loop


Tales from the Loop is an American science fiction drama web television series based on the eponymous art book by Swedish artist Simon Stålenhag. The series premiered on Amazon Prime Video on April 3, 2020. All eight episodes of the first season were released simultaneously.

Series overview

Tales from the Loop follows the interconnected lives of the residents in the fictional town of Mercer, Ohio. Mercer is home to the Mercer Center for Experimental Physics, an underground facility known as the Loop. It is there where researchers attempt to "make the impossible possible".

Cast and characters

Production

On July 17, 2018, it was announced that Amazon had given the production, based on the 2014 narrative art book with the same title by Simon Stålenhag, a series order for a first season consisting of eight episodes. Executive producers include Matt Reeves, Adam Kassan, Rafi Crohn, Nathaniel Halpern, Mark Romanek, Mattias Montero, Johan Lindström, and Samantha Taylor Pickett. Halpern serves as showrunner and Romanek directed the pilot episode. Production companies involved with the series include 6th & Idaho, Indio, Amazon Studios, and Fox 21 Television Studios.

Reception

, Rotten Tomatoes rates the first season "Fresh", with an approval rating of 83% based on 59 reviews, and an average rating of 7.28/10.
David Baird from the B.C. Catholic characterizes the series as "a set of loosely interrelated meditations upon ephemerality, the impact of technology, and human vulnerability infused with a mild science fiction savour" and considers it "a beguiling fusion of forward-looking nostalgia". Joshua Thomas from The Michigan Daily simply considers it "superb sci-fi"; "exactly what good sci-fi should look like." Writing for Firstpost, Prahlad Srihari thinks its "wide shots, the symmetrical frames, and the play of light and space all do justice to Stålenhag's retrofuturistic vision". According to The Verge's Joshua Rivera, "Tales from the Loop is so pretty it breaks your heart." Writing for Slashfilm, Hoai-Tran Bui thinks the show explores "universal elements of grief, aging, parenthood, loneliness, and love" but also that it "often toes the line between beguiling and boring". Polygon's Charlie Hall meanwhile, was left "feeling uneasy and confused."