A Murder at the End of the World
Promotional poster
Genre
Created byBrit Marling
&
Zal Batmanglij
Starring
Composers
  • Danny Bensi
  • Saunder Jurriaans
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of episodes7
Production
Executive producers
ProducerDeb Dyer
CinematographyCharlotte Bruus Christensen
Editors
Running time42–72 minutes
Production companies
  • Mysterium Valley
  • FXP
Original release
NetworkFX on Hulu
ReleaseNovember 14 (2023-11-14) –
December 19, 2023 (2023-12-19)

A Murder at the End of the World is an American psychological thriller drama television miniseries created by Brit Marling and Zal Batmanglij for FX. It stars Emma Corrin as an amateur detective who attempts to solve a murder at an isolated Arctic retreat in Iceland. The supporting cast includes Marling herself, Clive Owen and Harris Dickinson.

The series, which marks the second television project by Marling and Batmanglij after The OA, premiered its first two episodes on Hulu on November 14, 2023, with the rest being released weekly until December 19, 2023. It was originally set to be released on August 29, 2023, but was delayed due to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike.

Premise

The series follows Darby Hart, an amateur detective, who is invited, along with eight other guests, by a reclusive billionaire to participate in a retreat at an isolated Arctic compound in Iceland. When one of the other guests is found dead, Darby must use all of her skills to prove it was murder against a tide of competing interests and before the killer takes another life.[1][2][3][4]

Cast and characters

Main

Recurring

  • Christopher Gurr as Marius[7]
  • Britian Seibert as Dr. Eva Andrews[8]
  • Kellan Tetlow[6] as Zoomer Ronson, Andy and Lee's son
  • Neal Huff[6] as Darby's father
  • Daniel Olson as Tomas[8]
  • Annette Wright as Dorthey
  • Anastasia Lee as young Darby

Episodes

No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date [9]
1"Chapter 1: Homme Fatale"Brit MarlingBrit Marling & Zal BatmanglijNovember 14, 2023 (2023-11-14)
Darby Hart is an amateur detective, skilled hacker, and author of the true crime book The Silver Doe, written about her experience trying to solve cases of female murder victims in the United States with her former partner Bill. She gets invited to a secluded retreat by billionaire Andy Ronson, along with eight other guests. At a welcoming dinner Darby is shocked to see Bill sitting across from her, considering the two had not seen each other in the last six years. Later that night, Darby goes to visit Bill's room, but he does not answer the door when she knocks. She then goes outside to check on him through the window. To her surprise, she sees Bill covered in blood and gasping for his life. When Darby tries to call for help, Bill pleads with her to stay with him as he eventually goes unconscious. In a flashback, Darby and Bill explore the former residence of a suspected serial killer and discover the remains of the first victim in the basement. A mysterious figure suddenly appears and holds Darby and Bill at gunpoint. Presumably the following morning, Darby wakes up to find that Bill had left her.
2"Chapter 2: The Silver Doe"Zal BatmanglijBrit Marling & Zal Batmanglij and Melanie Marnich & Rebecca RoanhorseNovember 14, 2023 (2023-11-14)
Darby goes back inside where, despite Sian's CPR efforts, Bill is pronounced dead. Sian suspects that morphine may have caused his death. When Andy announces Bill's death the next morning Darby's convinced that Bill did not die from an overdose so she enters his room to investigate. With the A.I.'s assistance, she examines Bill's body and finds neither evidence of self-injection nor fingerprints on the syringe. Later, after Darby had observed Lee in secret as she examine Bill's body and searched through his belongings, Darby confides in Lee about her discovery and her suspicion that someone at the retreat is the killer. Lee encourages Darby to hack into the hotel's security system to review the camera footage where Darby identifies David, Ziba, and a mysterious masked figure in the footage. In a series of flashbacks, a younger Darby frequently accompanies her father, a coroner, to crime scenes. On one occasion, Darby finds a pair of silver earrings near some bone remains, takes them home, and begins online research about the earrings. In doing so, Darby meets Bill who shares her interests. The two eventually meet for the first time at a bar.
3"Chapter 3: Survivors"Zal BatmanglijBrit Marling & Zal Batmanglij & Melanie MarnichNovember 21, 2023 (2023-11-21)
4"Chapter 4: Family Secrets"Zal BatmanglijBrit Marling & Zal BatmanglijNovember 28, 2023 (2023-11-28)
5"Chapter 5: Crypt"Brit MarlingBrit MarlingDecember 5, 2023 (2023-12-05)
6"Chapter 6: Crime Seen"Brit MarlingBrit Marling & Zal BatmanglijDecember 12, 2023 (2023-12-12)
7"Chapter 7: Retreat"Zal BatmanglijBrit Marling & Zal BatmanglijDecember 19, 2023 (2023-12-19)

Production

Zal Batmanglij (L) and Brit Marling (R) served as creators, executive producers, directors and writers.

Development

On August 13, 2021, it was announced that FX had ordered the limited series, then titled Retreat, created by Brit Marling and Zal Batmanglij, who would serve as executive producers and also write and direct. The two had worked together for over a decade, including as the creators of the Netflix mystery-science fiction drama series The OA (2016–2019). Aside from Marling and Batmanglij, Andrea Sperling, Melanie Marnich and Nicki Paluga would also serve as an executive producer.[1][6] The story began to be developed by Marling and Batmanglij in 2019, inspired by their interests in stories about amateur sleuths and young female detectives, and the idea of how much knowledge Gen Z could obtain from the internet.[10]

Casting

Along with the series' announcement, Marling was also set to co-star in a key role.[1] On October 11, 2021, Emma Corrin was cast in the lead role of Darby Hart.[2] On February 11, 2022, Clive Owen, Harris Dickinson, Alice Braga, Jermaine Fowler, Joan Chen, Raúl Esparza, Edoardo Ballerini, Pegah Ferydoni, Ryan J. Haddad, and Javed Khan were cast in main roles.[3] On April 6, 2022, Daniel Olson and Britian Seibert were cast in recurring roles.[8]

Filming

The series began principal photography on February 7, 2022, with filming taking place in Kearny, New Jersey,[11] Utah, and Iceland.[12] In April 2022, filming also took place for three days at the Readington River Buffalo Farm in Readington, New Jersey.[13] A scene that shows Darby riding and walking a bike, with a glimpse of the Mill Lane Tavern, was filmed in Rockaway Boro, New Jersey.[14] On September 2, 2022, Marling posted on her Instagram account that it was the final day of shooting.[15] In late December 2022, the Los Angeles Times stated that the series had finished filming.[16]

Release

In the United States, the seven-episode miniseries premiered on November 14, 2023, on Hulu, with the first two episodes available immediately and the rest debuting on a weekly basis.[17] It was originally set to debut on August 29, 2023,[18][6] but was delayed due to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike.[19] Internationally, the series premiered on Disney+, while in Latin America it premiered on Star+.[20]

Reception

Audience viewership

According to ReelGood, which tracks real-time data from 5 million users in the United States across subscription and advertisement-based video on demand services for streaming programs and movies, A Murder at the End of the World became the most watched content during the week of November 23.[21] Meanwhile, JustWatch reported that the series became the second most streamed TV show in the United States during the weeks of November 19 and 26.[22][23]

According to data from Television Stats, the series has topped the Hulu's Top TV Shows chart on November 14, 2023,[24] where it has remained in the position as of November 27, 2023.[25]

Critical response

The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reports a approval rating of 89%, with an average rating of 6.9/10, based on 55 reviews. The critics consensus reads, "Confounding as it is seductive, Murder at the End of the World is a worthy brain-teaser for fans of Brit Marling and Zal Batmanglij's offbeat storytelling."[26] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the show a score of 73 out of 100 based on 32 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[27]

A Murder at the End of the World was named among the best TV shows of 2023 by Variety, Elle, Rolling Stone, LA Times, Boston Globe, The New York Post, The New Republic, The Wrap, Collider, The Ringer and Vulture.[28][29][30]

Accolades

Year Award Category Nominee(s) Result Ref.
2024 Art Direction Guild Awards Excellence in Production Design for a Television Movie or Limited Series Alex DiGerlando Pending [31]
Critics' Choice Awards Best Limited Series A Murder at the End of the World Pending [32]
Independent Spirit Awards Best Lead Performance in a New Scripted Series Emma Corrin Pending [33]
Visual Effects Society Awards Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects in a Photoreal Episode Aaron Raff, Tavis Larkham, Douglas Stichbury, Mat Ellin
(for Crypt)		 Pending [34]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Andreeva, Nellie (August 13, 2021). "'Retreat' Limited Series From Brit Marling & Zal Batmanglij Ordered By FX With Marling Co-Starring". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on January 3, 2023. Retrieved December 24, 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 Porter, Rick (October 11, 2021). "Emma Corrin to Star in FX Mystery Drama 'Retreat'". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on December 25, 2022. Retrieved December 24, 2022.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Otterson, Joe (February 11, 2022). "Clive Owen, Jermaine Fowler, Alice Braga Among 10 Cast in FX Mystery Drama 'The Retreat'". Variety. Archived from the original on March 23, 2023. Retrieved December 24, 2022.
  4. ↑ Petski, Denise (June 13, 2023). "FX's Murder Mystery Series Starring Emma Corrin Gets New Title, Premiere Date, First Images". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on June 14, 2023. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
  5. ↑ "A Murder at the End of the World". FX Networks. Archived from the original on November 20, 2023. Retrieved July 2, 2023.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 Petski, Denise (June 27, 2023). "'A Murder At The End Of The World' Gets Premiere Date At FX, Unveils Teaser – Update". Deadline. Archived from the original on June 14, 2023. Retrieved June 27, 2023.
  7. ↑ "IMDB Christopher Gurr". IMDB. Archived from the original on May 26, 2023. Retrieved May 26, 2023.
  8. 1 2 3 Petski, Denise (April 6, 2022). "'Retreat': FX Limited Series Adds Daniel Olson & Britian Seibert To Cast". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on December 24, 2022. Retrieved December 24, 2022.
  9. ↑ "Shows A-Z - murder at the end of the world, a on fx on hulu". The Futon Critic. Retrieved July 23, 2023.
  10. ↑ "Emma Corrin Is Trapped in 'A Murder at the End of the World'". Vanity Fair. September 7, 2023. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
  11. ↑ "Retreat". Production List. December 27, 2021. Archived from the original on December 24, 2022. Retrieved December 24, 2022.
  12. ↑ Press, Joy (February 15, 2023). "Emma Corrin Hopes for Roles of All Genders". Vanity Fair. Archived from the original on March 19, 2023. Retrieved March 1, 2023.
  13. ↑ Deak, Michael (March 15, 2022). "FX to film TV series at Readington farm next month". Courier News. Archived from the original on January 15, 2023. Retrieved December 24, 2022.
  14. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on November 17, 2023. Retrieved December 15, 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  15. ↑ Brit Marling (September 2, 2022). "day 6 snow storms… day 86 dust storms… today is day 94 and our final day of shooting RETREAT…". Archived from the original on March 1, 2023. Retrieved March 1, 2023 – via Instagram.
  16. ↑ Zemler, Emily (December 27, 2022). "Emma Corrin explores freedom and repression in two films". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on January 3, 2023. Retrieved January 3, 2023.
  17. ↑ Petski, Denise (August 17, 2023). "'A Murder At The End Of The World' Sets New Premiere Date At FX". Deadline. Archived from the original on October 30, 2023. Retrieved August 17, 2023.
  18. ↑ Pedersen, Erik (April 30, 2023). "2023 Premiere Dates For New & Returning Series On Broadcast, Cable & Streaming". Deadline. Archived from the original on July 28, 2023. Retrieved May 2, 2023.
  19. ↑ Nemetz, Dave (July 28, 2023). "Hulu Pushes Back A Murder at the End of the World Release Date to November". TVLine. Archived from the original on July 29, 2023. Retrieved July 28, 2023.
  20. ↑ Palmer, Roger (November 10, 2023). "A Murder At The End Of The World – First Look". What's On Disney Plus. Archived from the original on November 20, 2023. Retrieved November 20, 2023.
  21. ↑ Gruenwedel, Erik (November 24, 2023). "Reelgood: Hulu's 'A Murder at the End of the World' Topped Weekly Streaming Through Nov. 23". Media Play News. Archived from the original on December 8, 2023. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
  22. ↑ Gruenwedel, Erik (November 20, 2023). "JustWatch: Netflix's 'The Killer' Repeats as Most-Streamed Movie Through Nov. 19". Media Play News. Archived from the original on December 8, 2023. Retrieved November 23, 2023.
  23. ↑ Gruenwedel, Erik (November 28, 2023). "JustWatch: 'Oppenheimer,' 'Fargo,' Top Weekly Digital Movie, TV Show Through Nov. 26". Media Play News. Archived from the original on December 8, 2023. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
  24. ↑ "Top Hulu TV Shows on Thursday, November 14, 2023". Television Stats. November 14, 2023. Archived from the original on November 18, 2023. Retrieved November 18, 2023.
  25. ↑ "Top Hulu TV Shows on Monday, November 27, 2023". Television Stats. November 27, 2023. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
  26. ↑ "A Murder at the End of the World: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved December 17, 2023.
  27. ↑ "A Murder at the End of the World: Season 1". Metacritic. Retrieved December 17, 2023.
  28. ↑ "The Best TV Shows of 2023". Elle. December 4, 2023. Archived from the original on December 6, 2023. Retrieved December 6, 2023.
  29. ↑ Surrey, Miles (December 4, 2023). "The Best TV Shows of 2023". The Ringer. Archived from the original on December 6, 2023. Retrieved December 6, 2023.
  30. ↑ Chaney, Jen; Hadadi, Roxana; VanArendonk, Kathryn (December 4, 2023). "The Best TV Shows of 2023". Vulture. Archived from the original on December 4, 2023. Retrieved December 6, 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  31. ↑ Tangcay, Jazz (January 9, 2024). "'Saltburn,' 'Oppenheimer,' 'Killers of the Flower Moon' Lead Art Directors Guild 2024 Nominations". Variety. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
  32. ↑ Pedersen, Erik (December 5, 2023). "'The Morning Show' & 'Succession' Lead Critics Choice Awards TV Nominations". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on December 5, 2023. Retrieved December 6, 2023.
  33. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (December 5, 2023). "Film Independent Spirit Awards Nominations". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on December 6, 2023. Retrieved December 6, 2023.
  34. ↑ Giardina, Carolyn (January 16, 2024). "'The Creator' Leads Visual Effects Society Feature Competition With 7 Nominations". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
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