The Curse (American TV series)

The series explores "How an alleged curse disturbs the relationship of a newly married couple as they try to conceive a child while co-starring on their problematic new HGTV show, Fliplanthropy." ==Cast and characters==

Main • Emma Stone as Whitney Siegel, Asher's wife and co-star of an HGTV show about passive homes • Nathan Fielder as Asher Siegel, Whitney's husband and co-star of the HGTV show • Benny Safdie as Dougie Schecter, the producer of the HGTV show and Asher's friend Recurring • Constance Shulman and Corbin Bernsen as Elizabeth and Paul, Whitney's slumlord parents • Hikmah Warsame as Nala, a young girl who curses Asher • Dahabo Ahmed as Hani, Nala's older sister • Christopher Calderon as Fernando, an economically struggling local employed by Whitney • Barkhad Abdi as Abshir, Nala and Hani's father • Gary Farmer as James Toledo, Governor of the San Pedro Pueblo • Nizhonniya Luxi Austin as Cara Durand, a Picuris Pueblo artist working with Whitney Guest • Dean Cain as Mark Rose, a home buyer • GiGi Erneta as Martha, an HGTV executive • Rachael Ray as herself • Vincent Pastore as himself == Episodes ==

The Curse was given the green-light by Showtime in February 2020. Fielder was bothered by her words and withdrew cash from an ATM, returned to the woman, and gave her twenty dollars, prompting her to declare the curse lifted. Fielder stated "I don't believe in that stuff, but I can't get those things out of my head. Sometimes if someone says something to you, even conversationally, where you feel like you messed up something, it can linger in your mind and grow and consume you. Then we just started riffing on that idea, like, 'Wouldn't it be interesting if that vibe was hanging over an entire show?'" In July 2022, Corbin Bernsen, Barkhad Abdi and Constance Shulman joined the cast. Principal photography took place in Santa Fe and Española, New Mexico, from June to early October 2022. The original score for the series was composed and performed by frequent Safdie collaborator Daniel Lopatin and John Medeski. Additionally, the music of Alice Coltrane is featured heavily in the series. ==Reception==

Critical response On Metacritic, the series has a weighted average score of 76 out of 100, based on 34 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews. The Curse was named among the best TV shows of 2023 by Entertainment Weekly, IndieWire, Elle, Time, The A.V. Club, and The New Yorker. Director Christopher Nolan described The Curse as "an incredible show" and likened it to Twin Peaks, The Prisoner, and The Singing Detective as "genuinely [having] no precedents" in television. Safdie said that Nolan texted him after the finale asking "How did you guys do that?" in regard to its stunts. Accolades ==Future==

In a January 2024 interview, Safdie addressed the possibility of a second season, saying, "It's not off the table. There are ideas, but it's definitely too premature to put them out into the world." In April 2024, Fielder stated that "there definitely could be" another season, and "from the start, we had it mapped out beyond the first season". ==References==