PEN15
PEN15 is an American cringe comedy streaming television series, created by Maya Erskine, Anna Konkle, and Sam Zvibleman, that premiered on February 8, 2019, on Hulu. The series stars Erskine and Konkle, who also serve as executive producers alongside Zvibleman, Andy Samberg, Akiva Schaffer, Jorma Taccone, Becky Sloviter, Marc Provissiero, Brooke Pobjoy, Debbie Liebling, and Gabe Liedman.
| PEN15 | |
|---|---|
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| Genre | |
| Created by |
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| Starring |
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| Opening theme | "Demirep" by Bikini Kill |
| Composer | Leo Birenberg |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 17 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
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| Producers |
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| Cinematography | Andy Rydzewski |
| Editors |
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| Running time | 27–36 minutes |
| Production companies |
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| Distributor | Hulu |
| Release | |
| Original network | Hulu |
| Original release | February 8, 2019 – present |
| External links | |
| Official website | |
In May 2019, Hulu renewed the series for a second season of fourteen episodes, the first half of which premiered on September 18, 2020.
Premise
PEN15 is described as "middle school as it really happened. Erskine and Konkle play versions of themselves as 13-year-old outcasts in the year 2000, surrounded by actual 13-year-olds, where the best day of your life can turn into your worst with the stroke of a gel pen."[4]
Cast and characters
Main
- Maya Erskine as Maya Ishii-Peters, a shy and sensitive Japanese-American seventh-grader who is best friends with Anna and is primarily raised by her mother. Maya can be immature and spontaneous at times, but she makes friends with her class clown behavior.
- Anna Konkle as Anna Kone, a seventh-grader who is best friends with Maya and struggling with her parents' divorce. Anna is the school's best singer and often copes with her home life with music. Anna is more mature than Maya, but also more likely to give in to peer pressure.
- Mutsuko Erskine as Yuki Ishii-Peters, Maya's stern but caring mother. She is Maya Erskine's mother in real life.
- Richard Karn as Fred Peters, Maya's musician father who is often on tour with his Steely Dan cover band.
- Taylor Nichols as Curtis Kone, Anna's father, whom she occasionally finds sleeping on the couch after a fight with his wife.
- Melora Walters as Kathy Kone, Anna's mother, whose New Age spirituality and high-strung personality clash with her husband.
- Taj Cross as Sam Zablowski, a carpool friend of both leads who develops a crush on Maya.
- Dallas Liu as Shuji Ishii-Peters, Maya's older brother and sometimes defender, who tries to be cool and is often seen smoking cannabis outside school.
Recurring
- Dylan Gage as Gabe Leib
- Sami Rappoport as Becca
- Anna Pniowsky as Heather Taylor
- Ivan Mallon as Ian Walsh
- Hannah Mae as Connie M
- Tony Espinosa as Jafeer
- Brady Allen as Brendan Tooler
- Jill Basey as Ms. Bell
- Lincoln Jolly as Alex
- Brandon Keener as Mr. O
- Allius Barnes as Evan
- Marion Van Cuyck as Terra Newback
- Jessica Pressley as Jessica Abrams
- David Bowe as Albert
- Diane Delano as Jan
- Jonah Beres as Brandt
- Nathaniel Matulessya as Skyler
- Katie Silverman as Stevie
- Brekkan Spens as Ben Field
- Bernadette Guckin as Mrs. Tooler
- Tim Russ as Mr. Wyzell
- Isaac Edwards as Dustin
- Jennifer Steadman as Suze
- Carmina Garay as Jenna
- Ashlee Grubbs as Maura
- Sara Boustany as Miranda
- Rebecca Faye Vincent as Marissa H
- Chau Long as Steve
- Albert Howell as Principal Ravage
- Brandon Soo Hoo as Andy Kim
- Michael Angarano as Greg Rosso
Guest
- Jessy Hodges as Ms. Bennett ("Solo")
- Laura Kightlinger as Deb Taylor ("Community Service")
- Annie Korzen as Rose ("Community Service")
- Noah Mills as Flymiamibro22 ("AIM")
Production
Development
On April 19, 2018, Hulu announced that it had given the production a series order for a first season consisting of ten episodes.[4] Erskine and Konkle were also expected to write for the series. and Zvibleman was set to direct multiple episodes. Production companies involved with the series were slated to consist of The Lonely Island, Party Over Here, Odenkirk Provissiero, and AwesomenessTV.[5][6][7] On November 19, 2018, it was announced that the series would premiere on February 8, 2019.[8] On May 1, 2019, it was reported that Hulu renewed the series for a second season, of which the first 7 episodes premiered on September 18, 2020.[9][10] The release date of the remaining episodes is still to be announced.
Casting
Alongside the announcement of the series order, it was confirmed that Erskine and Konkle would star in the series as well.[4]
Episodes
| Season | Episodes | Originally released | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 | February 8, 2019 | |||
| 2 | 14[11] | 7[11] | September 18, 2020 | ||
| 7[11] | TBA | ||||
Season 1 (2019)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "First Day" | Dan Longino | Maya Erskine, Anna Konkle, & Sam Zvibleman | February 8, 2019 | |
| Anna Kone and Maya Ishii-Peters are best friends who want to do everything together as they start 7th grade. Anna tries to get the attention of her crush Alex, while Maya is led to believe that Brandt and Dustin, the two cutest boys in school, are both in love with her. After Maya finds out Brandt and Dustin were just playing a cruel trick on her, labeling her the "UGIS" (Ugliest Girl in School), Maya convinces her older brother to teach her how to stand up for herself. Her brother tells her to fight Brandt, but she realizes that she can resolve the conflict in a less violent way. | ||||||
| 2 | 2 | "Miranda" | Dan Longino | Maya Erskine, Anna Konkle, & Sam Zvibleman | February 8, 2019 | |
| After their classmates tease them relentlessly for playing with their Sylvanian Families toys, they decide to fit in with the cool kids, Miranda and her friends, ending up in Miranda's garage drinking beer and doing whippets. After Anna drinks an entire can of beer, Miranda's mother comes home unexpectedly and accuses Maya of drinking the beer even though she only had one sip, and the two begin to grow apart because Maya is mad at Anna. At the end of the episode, they are able to reconcile their friendship and decide not to smoke the joint they were saving for that time. | ||||||
| 3 | 3 | "Ojichan" | Dan Longino | Maya Erskine | February 8, 2019 | |
| Maya discovers masturbation, and lets it begin controlling her life while Anna believes Maya is ditching her. Meanwhile, Maya's mother tells her that her deceased grandfather, Ojiichan, is watching her always, causing Maya to become ashamed of her newfound pastime. | ||||||
| 4 | 4 | "Solo" | Andrew DeYoung | Sam Zvibleman | February 8, 2019 | |
| Maya and Anna both vie for solos in the school band and choir, respectively, for the fall concert. While Anna wins her solo and hopes to get Alex's attention with it, Maya takes it upon herself to learn an impromptu solo from her neighbor and rival Sam, so that she can impress her musician father who is coming home from his tour to see her perform. Meanwhile, Anna begins to grow close to a awkward boy named Brendan. At the recital, Maya lets loose and plays a random piece of music, embarrassing herself, but her father tells her that he is still proud. | ||||||
| 5 | 5 | "Community Service" | Andrew DeYoung | Jessica Watson | February 8, 2019 | |
| Anna and Maya perform in a community service fashion show alongside popular girl Heather and her mother when they fall into the possession of Heather's thong. They begin wearing the thong to school, and Maya realizes she doesn't want to give it back. The two girls begin trading the thong and wearing it proudly until Heather becomes suspicious and is forced to admit what she lost. Everyone then gets mad and Maya and Anna, and they realize that giving back the thong is the right thing to do. | ||||||
| 6 | 6 | "Posh" | Andrew DeYoung | Andrew Rhymer & Jeff Chan | February 8, 2019 | |
| While practicing for a Spice Girls-themed school project, Maya calls dibs on being Posh Spice, but is told she cannot because of her race. The other girls then begin hurling more racially-charged taunts at Maya, while Anna is too afraid of her reputation to step in to help. Maya is even accused of being racist by her family for showing them the racist act she had to do because the other girls told her to. Anna gathers a group of drama students to do a small performance about race after the principal refuses to put on one for the entire school, but she gets in trouble and creates a rift with Maya. | ||||||
| 7 | 7 | "AIM" | Sam Zvibleman | Gabe Liedman | February 8, 2019 | |
| Anna and Maya create AIM accounts, and Maya ventures into a singles chat room where she strikes up a flirtatious friendship with a mystery man who may be closer to Maya than she realizes. Meanwhile, Anna and Brendan try to add physical elements to their new relationship. | ||||||
| 8 | 8 | "Wild Things" | Sam Zvibleman | Maya Erskine, Anna Konkle, & Sam Zvibleman | February 8, 2019 | |
| Maya realizes she might have feelings for her rival, Sam, just as he begins dating another girl. Anna and Maya are invited to a showing of an R-rated movie in a friend's house. Anna and Brendan have their first kiss, but it leads to more tension than romance, and Anna considers dumping her beau. | ||||||
| 9 | 9 | "Anna Ishii-Peters" | Sam Zvibleman | Maya Erskine, Anna Konkle, & Stacy Osei-Kuffour | February 8, 2019 | |
| Anna stays with Maya's family while her parents go on a retreat to save their marriage. Maya gets annoyed at the special attention her family gives Anna, and later gets emotionally elevated when she discovers she is having her first period. Meanwhile, Anna learns that her parents are splitting up at the same time. The stressful events of both girls lead to a dramatic best-friend breakup. | ||||||
| 10 | 10 | "Dance" | Sam Zvibleman | Anna Konkle | February 8, 2019 | |
| Maya is upset when Anna chooses to go to the fall dance with Heather instead of her. At the dance, Heather tells Anna she's only letting her tag along because her mother told her to be nice. Anna and Maya reunite and get invited to be felt-up in the janitor's closet by Brandt, who awkwardly admits he has a real crush on Maya. Meanwhile, Sam breaks up with Jenna because he realizes he may want Maya instead, and he confesses to Maya that he was her secret AIM boyfriend this whole time. | ||||||
Season 2 (2020)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title [12][13] | Directed by [12][13] | Written by [12] | Original release date [12] | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part 1 | ||||||||||||
| 11 | 1 | "Pool" | Sam Zvibleman | Sam Zvibleman | September 18, 2020 | |||||||
| Maya and Anna get invited to a pool party at Alex's house, and they don't want to go but end up there anyways. They enjoy themselves, and agree that Anna should talk to Sam about pretending to be Flymiamibro22 on AIM and Maya should confront Brendan about breaking up with Anna. In both situations, the two girls end up causing more drama than they intended to, and decide that it is time they talk to Brandt about what happened at the dance. Although Brandt had told them to keep the encounter a secret, Maya told a bunch of people about the incident, trying to figure out why Brandt was denying it happened. Sam's girlfriend Becca tells them that everyone is saying they're desperate sluts. | ||||||||||||
| 12 | 2 | "Wrestle" | Sam Zvibleman | Gabe Liedman | September 18, 2020 | |||||||
| Maya sees Brandt looking particularly strong in wrestling class, so, after a few failed attempts to get him to talk to her, she joins too, so she can fight him and overcome her annoyance of his ignoring her. Anna sees professional wrestling on television, and decides to try it out too, partially to get over her parents' divorce. Even though the coach is resistant to the girls being on the team, they gain weight by exercising, but after learning that the boys were making insults about them they leave the team. Sam feels bad that he insulted them, as he did not know it would make them feel that bad. However, he still continues to spend time with Brandt and that group instead of his real friends, who are surprised that he has left them. | ||||||||||||
| 13 | 3 | "Vendy Wiccany" | Sam Zvibleman | Anna Konkle | September 18, 2020 | |||||||
| After seeing how her friend is having trouble dealing with her parents' divorce and worsening relationship, Maya tries to make Anna think that she is becoming a magical witch. They discover a business card for a psychic named Vendy Wiccany and take it as a sign, so they use their newfound fake abilities to force the boys at school to like them. In the end, it doesn't work. Maya confronts Brandt, wanting to talk to him, but Brandt tells her that he hates her and never wants to see her again. Dejected and sad, Maya goes to talk to Anna, and they use magic to make themselves feel better. Some kids start spying on them, and when they start acting weird, they call the principal of the school. | ||||||||||||
| 14 | 4 | "Three" | Sam Zvibleman | Vera Santamaria | September 18, 2020 | |||||||
| Maya and Anna make a new friend, named Maura, who they immediately warm up to. Maura campaigns for them to try out for the "Best Best Friends" position at school, and they readily accept. However, unbeknownst to Maya and Anna, Maura is bribing other kids with candy to vote for her, and lying about it. Maura invites the friends over to her house, where she brags about her old friend, who she had to leave behind to move to the city and was a doctor. The way she acts rubs off on Maya and Anna, and during a shopping trip to the mall, they call their parents bad names and stalk off. The group wins the "Best Best Friends" title and, during a picture, Maura gives the group one piece of a heart neckless, but wants Maya to take her previous one off. | ||||||||||||
| 15 | 5 | "Sleepover" | Sam Zvibleman | Josh Levine | September 18, 2020 | |||||||
| Maura invites Maya and Anna over for a sleepover with two other girls, one of whom is only there because her mother made her do it. Anna and Maya grow further apart when Maya and Anna trap Maya in the bathroom and make her do a Bloody Mary and Maya and Maura draw on Anna's face. Maura insists that the group stay up all night, ignoring Maya's protests, but soon enough she is accused of clogging the toilet, leading to the fact that Maya had her period being revealed. Maura and the other girls comfort Anna, who is shocked that Maya didn't even tell her, but she later discovers that Maura's friend who she has to leave behind when she moved was really cutout from a magazine. | ||||||||||||
| 16 | 6 | "Play" | Sam Zvibleman | Maya Erskine | September 18, 2020 | |||||||
| Maya becomes boyfriend-girlfriend with Gabe as they rehearse for a play together. Anna, upset that she did not get a role, joins the technical crew as the two begin to feud. | ||||||||||||
| 17 | 7 | "Opening Night" | Sam Zvibleman | Sam Zvibleman | September 18, 2020 | |||||||
| A still-feuding Maya and Anna are reunited as best friends when Anna helps her remember her lines during the play. Gabe is uncomfortable being intimate with Maya and the two break up. | ||||||||||||
| Part 2 | ||||||||||||
| 18 | 8 | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA | |||||||
| 19 | 9 | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA | |||||||
| 20 | 10 | "Shadow" | TBA | Story by : Rachele Lynn Teleplay by : Rachele Lynn & Diana Tay | TBA | |||||||
| 21 | 11 | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA | |||||||
| 22 | 12 | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA | |||||||
| 23 | 13 | "Luminaria" | Anna Konkle | Anna Konkle | TBA | |||||||
| 24 | 14 | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA | |||||||
Release
On November 19, 2018, a video was released announcing the premiere date of the series.[8] On December 20, 2018, a teaser trailer for the series was released.[14] On January 18, 2019, an official trailer and poster were released.[15] The first season was released on Hulu on February 8, 2019, and the first seven episodes of the second season were released on September 18, 2020.
Reception
On the review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds a "Certified Fresh" 93% approval rating with an average rating of 8.04 out of 10 based on 46 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, "Viewers willing to suspend their disbelief will find much to enjoy in Pen15, wherein Maya Erskine and Anna Konkle reprise their adolescent selves – stirring up plenty of yucks and pathos amidst the farce."[16] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the series a score of 82 out of 100 based on 17 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[17]
On Rotten Tomatoes, season two holds a 100% approval rating with an average rating of 8.82/10. The critical consensus reads, "An excellent showcase for Maya Erskine, Anna Konkle, and their well-cast classmates, PEN15's sophomore season goes deeper into the nuances of middle school life without losing any of its cringey charm."[18] On Metacritic, season 2 received a score of 93 out of 100 based on 11 critical reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[19]
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primetime Emmy Awards[20] | Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series | Maya Erskine, Anna Konkle and Stacy Osei-Kuffour (for "Anna Ishii-Peters") | Nominated | |
| Gotham Awards[21] | Breakthrough Series – Short Form | PEN15 | Won | |
| Critics' Choice Television Awards[22] | Best Comedy Series | Nominated | ||
| Casting Society of America[23] | Television Pilot & First Season – Comedy | Melissa DeLizia | Nominated | |
| Writers Guild of America Awards[24] | Comedy Series | Jeff Chan, Maya Erskine, Anna Konkle, Gabe Liedman, Stacy Osei-Kuffour, Andrew Rhymer, Jessica Watson and Sam Zvibleman | Nominated | |
| New Series | Nominated | |||
| Critics' Choice Television Awards[25] | Best Comedy Series | PEN15 | Pending | |
| Writers Guild of America Awards[26] | Comedy Series | Alyssa DiMari, Maya Erskine, Anna Konkle, Josh Levine, Gabe Liedman, Rachele Lynn, Vera Santamaria, Diana Tay and Sam Zvibleman | Pending |
References
- Rolli, Bryan (2 February 2019). "'PEN15' is a painfully accurate cringe comedy with an emotional core". The Daily Dot. Retrieved 2020-01-04.
- VanDerWerff, Emily Todd (2019-03-07). "PEN15". Vox. Retrieved 2020-01-05.
- Lindsay, Benjamin. "Partners in 'Pen15'". Backstage. Retrieved 2020-01-05.
- Petski, Denise (April 19, 2018). "Hulu Picks Up Middle School Comedy Series 'PEN15'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 20, 2018.
- Nemetz, Dave (April 19, 2018). "Hulu Orders Twisted, Adult-Themed Middle School Comedy PEN15". TVLine. Retrieved April 20, 2018.
- Goldberg, Lesley (April 19, 2018). "Hulu Picks Up Middle School-Set Adult Comedy 'PEN15' From Lonely Island (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 20, 2018.
- Arthur, Kenneth (April 19, 2018). "Hulu Picks Up New Comedy Produced by The Lonely Island". Splitsider. Retrieved April 20, 2018.
- Franklin, Garth (November 20, 2018). "Lonely Island's "PEN15" Revealed Feb 8th". Dark Horizons. Retrieved December 23, 2018.
- Pedersen, Erik (May 1, 2019). "'Pen15' & 'Ramy' Renewed For Season 2 On Hulu". Deadline Hollywood.
- ""Pen15" Season Two Premieres September 18th Only on Hulu". The Futon Critic. July 8, 2020.
- "PEN15 – Listings". The Futon Critic. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
- "PEN15". Hulu Press. Archived from the original on August 7, 2020. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
- "PEN15". Writers Guild of America West. Retrieved January 21, 2021.
- Wright, Megh (December 20, 2018). "Here's Your First Look at PEN15, Already Our Favorite Show of 2019". Vulture. Retrieved December 23, 2018.
- Petski, Denise (January 18, 2019). "'PEN15' Trailer: First Look At Hulu's Middle School Comedy From Lonely Island". Deadline Hollywood.
- "PEN15: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
- "PEN15: Season 1". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved February 14, 2019.
- "PEN15: Season 2". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved September 23, 2020.
- "PEN15: Season 2". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
- Nordyke, Kimberly (July 16, 2019). "Emmys: HBO, 'Game of Thrones' Dominate Nominations". The Hollywood Reporter.
- "'Marriage Story' Sweeps Gotham Awards; Full Winners List". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
- Turchiano, Danielle (December 8, 2019). "'When They See Us,' 'This Is Us,' 'Schitt's Creek' Lead 25th Annual Critics' Choice Awards TV Noms". Variety. Retrieved December 19, 2019.
- Lewis, Hillary (September 24, 2019). "Artios Awards: 'Succession,' 'Pose,' 'Dead to Me' Among Casting Society TV, Theater Nominees". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 2, 2020.
- McNary, Dave (December 5, 2019). "Writers Guild Unveils 2020 TV Award Nominees". Variety.
- Schneider, Michael (January 18, 2021). "'Ozark,' 'The Crown' and Netflix Lead 26th Annual Critics' Choice Awards TV Nominations". Variety. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
- Schneider, Michael (February 3, 2021). "Writers Guild Unveils 2021 TV Award Nominees". Variety. Retrieved February 3, 2021.
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