SummaryTom and Louise (Chris O'Dowd and Rosamund Pike) meet up in a pub to decide on what to say during their weekly marital therapy sessions in this 10-part short-form comedy series written by Nick Hornby.
Created By:Nick Hornby
State of the Union
Season 1 Premiere:
May 6, 2019
Metascore
Generally Favorable
79
User score
Generally Favorable
7.7
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All Seasons
Metascore
Generally Favorable
79
88% Positive
15 Reviews
15 Reviews
12% Mixed
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Dec 4, 2019
100
They [Nick Hornby, Stephen Frears, Rosamund Pike and Chris O’Dowd] have created something close to a masterpiece (or 10). It seems like a double-marriage of true minds. The quartet make it look effortless, even artless, but every aspect, every frame, every word, every beat is a perfectly considered, crafted and curated thing that creates something even greater than the sum of its parts.
Feb 14, 2022
80
The season gets better as it goes along, and by the end, thanks especially to the appeal of stars Brendan Gleeson and Patricia Clarkson, it has a lot to recommend it — and nothing so much as how easy it is to coast past a stretch of so-so episodes when they’re only 10 minutes apiece.
May 10, 2019
80
The narrowness of the show helps it wear its drawing-room lightness well, and it is littered with tiny delights.
May 6, 2019
80
Even when the writing feels a little vague or forced, Pike and O’Dowd make the scenes work. ... It’s hard to be pessimistic, because both performances are so expressive, aware and alive.
Jan 29, 2019
80
The conversations that Tom and Louise have are generally funny, skipping around pop culture references ranging from Call the Midwife to the films of Preston Sturges to generational confusion about modern dating. They're also utterly lacerating, things they can't bring themselves to say to a stranger, but know they need to say out loud, even in a public place.
Feb 14, 2022
75
Ben Travers [B+]: I found most every episode to be as engaging, sharply written, and splendidly acted as Season 1. Steve Greene [B-]: When Season 2 locks into an honest conversation about what they want from the future (instead of surface-level spats about things out of their control), Clarkson and Gleeson really take all of that swirling anxiety and channel it into special moments. I just wish it felt more like a natural progression for both of them.
May 24, 2022
60
It is unusual, in a dramatic sense, in that it feels slovenly and sticky when it is all about conflict, but vastly improves when the tension between Ellen and Scott dissipates. Once they begin to have more even-handed chats – about the nature of intimacy and sex; about what they expect from life, now that they have reached this point; and about what it means not only to be happy, but to pursue happiness – then it becomes endearing, and plays to everyone’s strengths.
User score
Generally Favorable
7.7
81% Positive
26 Ratings
26 Ratings
13% Mixed
4 Ratings
4 Ratings
6% Negative
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
Jun 20, 2019
5
An admirable attempt but after these many snippets all I could hope for is, they stay in the bar. State Of The Union Nick Hornby (the creator) and Stephen Frears (the director) has a good equation in this project; certainly better than the characters they are working on. But this art house project, almost looks like, came from that tingling sensation of "What If" bar chat. Hence, the publicity is naturally oozed from the virginity of it, in the market. But how much can this fascination last? And don't get me wrong, the work put up on creating this scenario is marvellous. Yet, I find myself struggling to tap to its rhythm. The series has to and does come with a baggage. Fortunately not the emptiness In your mind regarding the length of each chapter. But the urge to inform the viewers within a short period that ought to be uncomfortable to swallow since the conversation perpetually tries to be practical- which is just like any free bird that tries to fly away from the arena it is supposed to hover around- but then is also obliged to or anchored down by the pace of the storytelling advancing along with character's development. In fact the series is staged in a way to be repetitive. And like some Shakespearean play it expresses its uncalled views to its characters; but actually it's the viewers they are aiming towards. It makes you feel a lot that having a narrator would have been a lot better. It doesn't have the room to derail or flaunt like say for instance, Before Trilogy did. The "Snack" of the web series, as they are calling it- can't afford on pretending to be a healthy meal. Rosamund Pike is the reserved one which takes time to cope up with since "Gone Girl", you'll find yourself all the way waiting for her to snap. And Chris O'Dowd is goofy just as same, think how would the State Of The Union be where policies are written by them, quirky yet homely.
Production Company:
- See-Saw Films
- SundanceTV
Initial Release Date:May 6, 2019
Number of seasons:2 Seasons
Rating:TV-MA
Awards
Primetime Emmy Awards
• 4 Wins & 5 Nominations
Casting Society (CSA)
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
Women's Image Network Awards
• 1 Nomination
