Tales from the Loop
Tales from the Loop is an American anthology science fiction drama television series developed and written by Nathaniel Halpern based on the art book of the same name by Swedish artist Simon Stålenhag. The eight-episode first season was released in its entirety on Amazon Prime Video on April 3, 2020.[1]
Tales from the Loop | |
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Genre | Anthology Drama Science fiction |
Based on | Tales from the Loop by Simon Stålenhag |
Developed by | Nathaniel Halpern |
Written by | Nathaniel Halpern |
Starring |
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Composers | |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
No. of seasons | 1 |
No. of episodes | 8 |
Production | |
Executive producers |
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Running time | 50–57 minutes |
Production companies | Indio Film 6th & Idaho Moving Picture Company Touchstone Television Amazon Studios |
Distributor | Disney-ABC Domestic Television |
Release | |
Original network | Prime Video |
Picture format | 4K (UHDTV) |
Original release | April 3, 2020 – present |
External links | |
Official website |
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 here that researchers attempt to "make the impossible possible".
Cast and characters
Main
- Rebecca Hall as Loretta,[2] the mother of Jakob and Cole. She works alongside her husband George as a physicist at the Loop.
- Abby Ryder Fortson as Young Loretta
- Paul Schneider as George, the father of Jakob and Cole.
- Emjay Anthony as Young George
- Duncan Joiner as Cole, the youngest son of Loretta and George.
- Shane Carruth as Adult Cole
- Daniel Zolghadri as Jakob, the oldest son of Loretta and George.
- Jonathan Pryce as Russ,[3] the founder of the Loop. He is also the father of George and the husband of Klara.
Recurring
- Jane Alexander as Klara,[3] the wife of Russ and the mother of George.
- Tyler Barnhardt as Danny Jansson
- Ato Essandoh as Gaddis[3]
- Christin Park as Stacey
- Nicole Law as May
- Dan Bakkedahl as Ed
- Lauren Weedman as Kate
- Alessandra de Sa Pereira as Beth
- Leann Lei as Xiu
- Danny Kang as Ethan
- Dominic Rains as Lucas
- Jon Kortajarena as Alex
- Brian Maillard as Kent
- Elektra Kilbey as Alma
- Stefanie Estes as Sarah
Episodes
No. | Title | Directed by | Written by [4] | Original release date [5] | |
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1 | "Loop" | Mark Romanek | Nathaniel Halpern | April 3, 2020 | |
A young girl named Loretta comes home one day to find her mother missing. She investigates the area, and finds a strange black rock that levitates. She meets Cole, a boy around her age who lives in the area, and together they investigate the Loop, a strange facility by their houses. Loretta continues her search for her mother, Alma, and comes across Cole's mother, who is revealed to be a time displaced version of her. Together, they return the black stone to the Loop. Older Loretta comforts Cole, fearing she has not been the best mother. | |||||
2 | "Transpose" | So Yong Kim | Nathaniel Halpern | April 3, 2020 | |
Cole's older brother, Jakob, and his friend Danny discover a strange pod in the forest that allows them to switch bodies. They decide to live each other's lives for a day, but Jakob begins to get jealous of Danny's life, and agree to wait another day til switching bodies. Danny, confused and distraught, switches bodies with a small robot. He finds the pod being taken apart, and Danny reveals himself to his sister, and finds a robot, which houses Jabok's consciousness. | |||||
3 | "Stasis" | Dearbhla Walsh | Nathaniel Halpern | April 3, 2020 | |
4 | "Echo Sphere" | Andrew Stanton | Nathaniel Halpern | April 3, 2020 | |
5 | "Control" | Tim Mielants | Nathaniel Halpern | April 3, 2020 | |
6 | "Parallel" | Charlie McDowell | Nathaniel Halpern | April 3, 2020 | |
7 | "Enemies" | Ti West | Nathaniel Halpern | April 3, 2020 | |
8 | "Home" | Jodie Foster | Nathaniel Halpern | April 3, 2020 |
Production
Background
Tales from the Loop is based on drawings, specifically the 2014 narrative art book of the same name by Swedish artist Simon Stålenhag; also drawing inspiration from the fact Stålenhag never fully explains what the science fiction objects he depicts do or where they come from.
Development
On July 17, 2018, it was announced that Amazon had given the production 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.[6][7][8] The first season, which consists of eight episodes, was release in its entirety on April 3, 2020. A first trailer was released on February that year.[1]
Filming
The team, headed by visual effects producer Andrea Knoll, attempted to preserve the "painterly feeling" of Stålenhag's artwork,[9] earning them an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Special Visual Effects in a Supporting Role.[10] In his attempts to "crack the code" of Stålenhag cinematographer Jeff Cronenweth chose to shoot night scenes during dusk instead.[11]
Reception
Critical response
On Rotten Tomatoes, season 1 has a "certified fresh" approval rating of 85% based on 65 reviews, with an average rating of 7.23/10. The website's critical consensus reads: "Though the show around them burns a bit too slowly, Tales from the Loop beautifully transposes Simon Stålenhag's paintings into moving art and provides a welcome dose of warmth and humanity with its sci-fi."[12] On Metacritic, season 1 has a score of 68/100 based on reviews from 15 critics.[13]
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".[14] Joshua Thomas from The Michigan Daily simply considers it "superb sci-fi"; "exactly what good sci-fi should look like."[15] 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".[16] According to The Verge's Joshua Rivera, "Tales from the Loop is so pretty it breaks your heart."[17] Writing for /Film, 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".[18] Polygon' Charlie Hall meanwhile, was left "feeling uneasy and confused."[19]
Awards and nominations
Association | Category | Recipient | Results | Ref |
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Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Special Visual Effects in a Supporting Role | Andrea Knoll, Ashley Bernes, Eduardo Anton, Julien Hery, Laurent Pancaccini, Andrew Kowbell, Alan Scott, David Piombino, Rajesh Kaushik (For "Loop") | Nominated | [20] |
Outstanding Cinematography for a Single-Camera Series (One Hour) | Jeff Cronenweth (For "Loop") | Nominated | ||
References
- "Video: "Tales from the Loop" - Official Trailer". The Futon Critic. February 27, 2020. Retrieved February 5, 2021.
- Andreeva, Nellie; Petski, Denise (March 1, 2019). "'Tales From The Loop': Rebecca Hall To Star In Amazon Series Based On Simon Stålenhag Art". Deadline. Retrieved March 3, 2019.
- D'Addario, Daniel (April 2, 2020). "'Tales From The Loop': TV Review". Variety. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
- "Tales From The Loop". Writers Guild of America West. Retrieved March 3, 2020.
- "Tales from the Loop – Listings". The Futon Critic. Retrieved March 5, 2020.
- Andreeva, Nellie (July 17, 2018). "'Tales From The Loop': Amazon Studios Orders Genre Series Based On Simon Stålenhag Art From Matt Reeves & Fox 21". Deadline. Retrieved July 17, 2018.
- Goldberg, Lesley (July 17, 2018). "'Tales From the Loop' TV Series Set at Amazon". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 17, 2018.
- Holloway, Daniel (July 17, 2018). "Amazon Orders Sci-Fi Series 'Tales From the Loop'". Variety. Retrieved July 17, 2018.
- Grobar, Matt (August 18, 2020). "'Tales from the Loop' VFX Producer Andrea Knoll On Translating Painterly Aesthetic Of Swedish Artist Simon Stålenhag's Work To Sci-Fi Drama". Deadline. Retrieved February 5, 2021.
- "Tales From The Loop Receives Emmy Nomination for Outstanding Visual Effects in a Supporting Role". Moving Picture Company. July 28, 2020. Retrieved February 5, 2021.
- Desowitz, Bill (August 28, 2020). "'Tales from the Loop': Shooting the Sci-Fi Series with Inspiration from Simon Stålenhag's Surreal Paintings". IndieWire. Retrieved February 5, 2021.
- "Tales From the Loop: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
- "Tales From the Loop". Metacritic. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
- Baird, David (May 13, 2020). "Tales from the Loop: perennial questions in a retrofuturism setting". The B.C. Catholic. Retrieved February 5, 2021.
- Thomas, Joshua (April 5, 2020). "'Tales from the Loop' is superb sci-fi". The Michigan Daily. Retrieved February 5, 2021.
- Srihari, Prahlad (April 6, 2020). "Tales from the Loop review: Amazon's quasi-anthology series is low on sci-fi spectacle, high on introspective drama". Firstpost. Retrieved February 5, 2021.
- Rivera, Joshua (April 6, 2020). "Tales from the Loop turns small-town America into a sci-fi feelings machine". The Verge. Retrieved February 5, 2021.
- Bui, Hoai-Tran (March 27, 2020). "'Tales From the Loop' Review: Amazon's Striking New Sci-Fi Series is a Serene Ode to Humanity". /Film. Retrieved February 5, 2021.
- Hall, Charlie (April 3, 2020). "Tales from the Loop tries to adapt a series of mysterious paintings". Polygon. Retrieved February 5, 2021.
- "2020 Primetime Emmy" (Press release). Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. July 28, 2020. Retrieved September 28, 2020.