Mrs. Fletcher is an American comedy miniseries based on the 2017 novel of the same name written by Tom Perrotta.[1] The series stars Kathryn Hahn and was given a series order by HBO.[2] The pilot was written by Perrotta and directed by Nicole Holofcener.[2]

Mrs. Fletcher
Genre
Created byTom Perrotta
Based onMrs. Fletcher
by Tom Perrotta
Starring
Music byCraig Wedren
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes7 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
Producers
  • Kathryn Hahn
  • Jeffrey T. Bernstein
CinematographyJeffrey Waldron
EditorMark Sadlek
Camera setupSingle-camera
Running time30 minutes
Production companyRubber Stamp
Original release
NetworkHBO
ReleaseOctober 27 (2019-10-27) –
December 8, 2019 (2019-12-08)

On August 16, 2019, it was announced that the series would premiere on October 27, 2019.[3][4] In advance of its broadcast premiere, several episodes of the series received a preview screening in the Primetime program of the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival.[5]

Premise

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Mrs. Fletcher is a coming of age story of Mrs. Eve Fletcher (Hahn) and her son Brendan (White).[6] Eve is a divorcée and is undergoing a mid-life crisis. She decides she no longer wants to be her old self[7] when her son Brendan goes to college as a freshman.[1] She experiences sexual reawakening and sexual fulfillment that eluded her in her younger years by bonding with a younger man and his friends.[8] Brendan also undergoes his own sexual troubles as he navigates the complexities of college life.

Cast and characters

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Main

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  • Kathryn Hahn as Eve Fletcher (née Mackie), a divorcee in her mid 40s with an unsatisfying job as the manager of a senior center. The departure of her son for college prompts her to undergo a sexual and personal transformation[9]
  • Jackson White as Brendan Fletcher, Eve's college-age son[9]
  • Owen Teague as Julian, Brendan's high school classmate, later a classmate in Eve's creative writing course. He and Eve develop a semi-romantic relationship[9]
  • Cameron Boyce as Zach, Brendan's college roommate[10]
  • Domenick Lombardozzi as George, Roy's adult son[11]
  • Jen Richards as Margo, a transgender woman who teaches a college-level creative writing course Eve enrolls in[9]
  • Ifádansi Rashad as Curtis, a classmate in Eve's creating writing course
  • Katie Kershaw as Amanda Olney, Eve's coworker and friend[9]

Recurring

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Episodes

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No.Title [13]Directed by [13]Written by [13]Original air date [13]U.S. viewers
(millions)
1"Empty Best"Nicole HolofcenerTom PerrottaOctober 27, 2019 (2019-10-27)0.312[14]
Single mother and divorcee Eve Fletcher works at an assisted living facility. One resident, Roy, is caught watching porn in front of other residents, and Eve has an argument with his son George when she asks him to move Roy out of the facility. At home, Eve prepares for her son Brendan to leave for college the following day. Brendan rudely cuts their last dinner at home together short to attend a party with his friends. Eve is discouraged to learn that her ex-husband Ted will not be available to help her with Brendan's move. Her friend Jane comes over to commiserate about their children moving away and encourages her to open up to new experiences. After she drives Brendan to college, Eve begins adjusting to living alone. That night, she googles "MILF" - a term Jane earlier used to compliment her - and watches a pornographic video out of curiosity. Later, Eve arrives at a local community college after enrolling in a creative writing course and meets Julian, one of her classmates.
2"Free Sample"Liesl TommyDana FishNovember 3, 2019 (2019-11-03)0.270[15]
Alone for the first time in many years, Eve fills her life by spending time with her friends and goes out on a date with a new man, only to eventually reject him. She begins to rediscover sexual pleasures she had repressed throughout her marriage and struggles to decide what she really wants in life. At work, she learns that Roy exposed himself and masturbated during a film screening and finally works up the nerve to expel him from the facility. At college, Brendan begins to learn the importance of self-organization and discipline given he no longer depends on an external schedule and can no longer rely on his mother.
3"Care Package"Liesl TommyJeremy BeilerNovember 10, 2019 (2019-11-10)0.256[16]
Eve prepares a care package for her son as she continues to experiment with masturbation and porn, but her weekend plan is wrecked by her ex-husband Ted. He informs her he’ll be spending the weekend with Brendan, and Eve is enraged that her son would choose his father over her. She goes to her creative writing class and the teacher Margo decides to finish the day by taking everyone out to a bar. Eve and her three classmates hang out and have fun drinking and sharing personal confessions. Eve gets flirty with Julian and they both dance to "I Melt with You". Eve then goes back home drunk and alone, rips up the care package, and eats the cookies she made for her son while masturbating to porn.
4"Parents' Weekend"Carrie BrownsteinEric LedginNovember 17, 2019 (2019-11-17)0.275[17]
Eve continues to have crazy sex fantasies, and starts spending hours just watching videos of middle-aged women expressing their sexual preferences. She receives the news about Roy's death and goes with her coworker and friend Amanda to the funeral service. George blames her for his father losing the only home he had and forces her and Amanda to leave. Looking forward to a weekend with his dad, Brendan finds himself in the uncomfortable position of instead having to spend time with Tim's new wife and his stepchildren. Eve and Amanda get in a hot tub and start drinking and talking, which leads to Eve suddenly kissing Amanda on the lips. Margo and one of her students, Curtis, start to have feelings for each other.
5"Invisible Fence"Carrie BrownsteinElle McLelandNovember 24, 2019 (2019-11-24)0.190[18]
Embarrassed by kissing Amanda, Eve fakes sickness to avoid going to work. Instead, she spends the day exploring her newfound sexual desires. While getting a manicure, she admits to Jane that she's been on a "dry spell" for a long time. Brendan joins Chloe in an underwear party. There, he spots his roommate Zach dancing with another guy and finds out he's gay. Margo tells Eve she feels like Curtis can't make romantic advances towards her because she's transgender. They both go to a party, and to Margo's surprise, Curtis is there too. Eve decides to have a sexual adventure; she picks up a stranger, acts confident, and they have sex.
6"Solar Glow"Gillian RobespierreKate ThulinDecember 1, 2019 (2019-12-01)0.259[19]
While talking to her son, Eve receives flirty text messages from Julian, who can't stop thinking about her. Looking energetic and refreshed for the first time in years, she drives to go see Jane. To her shock, Jane reveals that she recently discovered her husband Dave's long affair with a masseuse at a local salon. Julian keeps texting Eve, asking her out, and she finally accepts. When they meet, he opens up about his feelings for her but Eve, disturbed by the thought of dating a man decades younger than her and still reeling from the truth of Jane's marital issues, refuses to have a sexual relationship with him.
7"Welcome Back"Gillian RobespierreTom PerrottaDecember 8, 2019 (2019-12-08)0.233[20]
Eve decides to formally change her last name back to her maiden name of Mackie ten years after her divorce and throws a party with her new friends to celebrate, but not before falling and injuring her ankle. Brendan is overwhelmed at college between his bad grades and the realization that he's at fault for what happened with Chloe, and he gets a ride home. After the party, Amanda sets up a threesome with her, Eve, and Julian which Brendan walks in on. Brendan, horrified to see his mother having sex, sits on the front porch as Amanda and Julian leave. Then Eve walks out, unsure of what to say.

Reception

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On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds an approval rating of 82% based on 50 reviews, with an average rating of 7.23/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Mrs. Fletcher is an empathetic and poignant—if at times incomplete—character study that proves the perfect showcase for the luminous Kathryn Hahn."[21] On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 72 out of 100, based on 20 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[22]

References

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  1. ^ a b Sharf, Zack (2019-06-29). "'Mrs. Fletcher' First Trailer: Kathryn Hahn Is Sexually Awakened in HBO Comedy From 'Leftovers' Creator". IndieWire. Retrieved 2019-07-19.
  2. ^ a b Andreeva, Nellie (August 21, 2018). "'Mrs. Fletcher': HBO Picks Up Comedy Pilot Starring Kathryn Hahn To Series". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 21, 2018.
  3. ^ "Video: "Mrs. Fletcher" - Official Teaser - HBO". The Futon Critic. June 28, 2019.
  4. ^ "Limited Series "Mrs. Fletcher" Debuts October 27; Created by Executive Producer and Writer Tom Perrotta". The Futon Critic. August 16, 2019.
  5. ^ Debra Yeo, "Think programming more than 300 TIFF movies is hard? Try filling just six TV slots". Toronto Star, September 6, 2019.
  6. ^ Isaac, Feldberg (July 2, 2019). "First look at HBO's 'Mrs. Fletcher' teases Kathryn Hahn's 'sexual awakening'". The Boston Globe. Retrieved July 19, 2019.
  7. ^ Risi, Craig (July 3, 2019). "Kathryn Hahn doesn't want to be a good girl anymore in this trailer for HBO's Mrs Fletcher". Critical Hit. Retrieved 2019-07-19.
  8. ^ Hoai-Tran, Bui (July 3, 2019). "'Mrs. Fletcher' Trailer: Kathryn Hahn Gets Her Groove Back". /Film. Retrieved 2019-07-19.
  9. ^ a b c d e f Canfield, David (August 21, 2018). "Kathryn Hahn HBO comedy 'Mrs. Fletcher' picked up to series". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved August 21, 2018.
  10. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (January 17, 2019). "'Descendants' Star Cameron Boyce Joins HBO Comedy Series 'Mrs. Fletcher'". Deadline. Retrieved January 19, 2019.
  11. ^ Petski, Denise (February 1, 2019). "'Mrs. Fletcher': Domenick Lombardozzi To Co-Star In HBO Comedy Series". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 1, 2019.
  12. ^ Petski, Denise (January 25, 2019). "'Mrs. Fletcher': Jasmine Cephas Jones To Recur On HBO Comedy Series". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 1, 2019.
  13. ^ a b c d "Limited Series MRS. FLETCHER Debuts October 27; Created by Executive Producer and Writer Tom Perrotta". HBO. September 16, 2019. Retrieved September 18, 2019.
  14. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (October 29, 2019). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 10.27.2019". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on October 29, 2019. Retrieved October 29, 2019.
  15. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (November 5, 2019). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 11.3.2019". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on November 5, 2019. Retrieved November 5, 2019.
  16. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (November 12, 2019). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 11.10.2019". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on November 12, 2019. Retrieved November 12, 2019.
  17. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (November 19, 2019). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 11.17.2019". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on November 20, 2019. Retrieved November 19, 2019.
  18. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (November 26, 2019). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 11.24.2019". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on November 27, 2019. Retrieved November 26, 2019.
  19. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (December 4, 2019). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 12.1.2019". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on December 4, 2019. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
  20. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (December 10, 2019). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 12.8.2019". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on December 10, 2019. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
  21. ^ "Mrs. Fletcher: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
  22. ^ "Mrs. Fletcher: Season 1". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved October 27, 2019.
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