The Rook (miniseries)

The Rook is an American television series that is loosely based on the novel of the same name by Daniel O'Malley, and originally adapted by Stephenie Meyer. It was ordered direct-to-series at Starz in July 2017.[1] Meyer left the series due to creative differences as the first and second episodes were being filmed.[2] It premiered on June 30, 2019 in the United States on Starz[3] and on July 1, 2019 in the United Kingdom on the Virgin TV Ultra HD channel.[4] On March 4, 2020, Starz confirmed that the series would not continue beyond the original eight episode miniseries.[5] The Port of Dover was used in the series when production filmed inside Cruise Terminal Two, outside quayside and along Cruise Terminal.[6]

The Rook
Genre
  • Drama
Based onThe Rook
by Daniel O'Malley
Written by
  • Sam Holcroft
  • Al Muriel
Directed by
  • Kari Skogland
Starring
Country of originUnited States
Original language(s)English
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes8 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)
  • Kari Skogland
  • Karyn Usher
  • Lisa Zwerling
  • Meghan Hibbett
  • Stephen Garrett
  • Stephenie Meyer
Producer(s)
  • Sam Holcroft
  • Al Muriel
Production location(s)London
Production company(s)
DistributorLionsgate
Release
Original networkStarz
Picture format1080i (HDTV)
Original releaseJune 30 (2019-06-30) –
August 18, 2019 (2019-08-18)
External links
Website

Premise

Myfanwy Thomas finds herself at Millennium Bridge in London surrounded by dead bodies with no memory of how she came to be there. She soon discovers that she is an agent with supernatural abilities in a British secret service called the Checquy.

Cast

Main
  • Emma Greenwell as Myfanwy Thomas, a Rook in the inner court of the Checquy
  • Joely Richardson as Linda Farrier, the King in the Checquy
  • Jon Fletcher as Teddy and Alex Gestalt, two of the four bodies sharing one mind, the Rook Gestalt
  • Ronan Raftery as Robert Gestalt, a third body of the Rook Gestalt
  • Catherine Steadman as Eliza Gestalt, a fourth body of the Rook Gestalt
  • Adrian Lester as Conrad Grantchester, the Queen in the Checquy
  • Olivia Munn as Monica Reed, an agent from the American BVA, a Checquy sister agency

Recurring
  • Ruth Madeley as Ingrid Woodhouse, a Pawn in the Checquy
  • Shelley Conn as Danielle Wulff, a Chevalier in the Checquy, their PR expert
  • Gina McKee as Jennifer Birch, senior UK Government Minister responsible for the Checquy
  • Barry Atsma as Peter Van Syoc
  • Michael McElhatton as Lorik, a senior representative of the Lugate
  • Aidan O'Callaghan as Apex Analyst
  • Tamsin Topolski as Bronwyn, Myfanwy's sister
  • James D'Arcy as Andrew Bristol, a former therapist for the Checquy
  • Michael Karim as Nazim, an EVA with the ability to erase people's memory

Episodes
No.TitleDirected by [7]Written by [7]Original air date [8]U.S. viewers
(millions)
1"Chapter 1"Kari SkoglandAl Blyth & Sam HolcroftJune 30, 2019 (2019-06-30)0.307[9]
2"Chapter 2"Kari SkoglandAl Blyth & Sam HolcroftJuly 7, 2019 (2019-07-07)0.288[10]
3"Chapter 3"China Moo-YoungFrancesca GardinerJuly 14, 2019 (2019-07-14)0.228[11]
4"Chapter 4"Sunu GoneraAl Blyth & Sam HolcroftJuly 21, 2019 (2019-07-21)0.220[12]
5"Chapter 5"China Moo-YoungAl Blyth & Sam HolcroftJuly 28, 2019 (2019-07-28)0.216[13]
6"Chapter 6"Sunu GoneraFrancesca GardinerAugust 4, 2019 (2019-08-04)0.157[14]
7"Prologue"Rebecca JohnsonAl Blyth & Sam HolcroftAugust 11, 2019 (2019-08-11)0.190[15]
8"Chapter 8"China Moo-YoungKaryn Usher & Lisa ZwerlingAugust 18, 2019 (2019-08-18)0.192[16]

Reception

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes, the series received an approval of 44%, and a 5.83/10 average rating from 16 reviews. The critics' consensus states, "Though it teases some appealingly pulpy puzzle pieces, The Rook's dour tone and convoluted machinations overshadow its intriguing premise."[17] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the series a score of 62 out of 100 based on 6 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[18]

References
  1. Clarke, Stewart (July 28, 2017). "Starz Orders Drama 'The Rook' From Stephenie Meyer and Lionsgate". Variety. Retrieved April 23, 2018.
  2. Andreeva, Nellie (June 1, 2018). "'The Rook': Lisa Zwerling & Karyn Usher Join As Showrunners, EP Stephenie Meyer Exits Starz Spy Series". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 8, 2019.
  3. Petski, Denise (May 8, 2019). "'The Rook' Gets Season 1 Premiere Date On Starz". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 8, 2019.
  4. "First look at The Rook". Virgin TV Edit. May 20, 2019. Retrieved August 18, 2019.
  5. Roots, Kimberly (March 4, 2020). "The Rook Cancelled at Starz". TVLine. Retrieved April 8, 2020.
  6. Kent Film Office. "Kent Film Office The Rook article".
  7. "The Rook – Crew". Starz. Retrieved June 14, 2019.
  8. "The Rook – Listings". The Futon Critic. Retrieved June 13, 2019.
  9. Metcalf, Mitch (July 2, 2019). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 6.30.2019". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved July 2, 2019.
  10. Metcalf, Mitch (July 10, 2019). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 7.7.2019". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved July 10, 2019.
  11. Metcalf, Mitch (July 16, 2019). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 7.14.2019". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved July 16, 2019.
  12. Metcalf, Mitch (July 23, 2019). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 7.21.2019". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
  13. Metcalf, Mitch (July 30, 2019). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 7.28.2019". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved July 30, 2019.
  14. Metcalf, Mitch (August 6, 2019). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 8.4.2019". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved August 6, 2019.
  15. Metcalf, Mitch (August 13, 2019). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 8.11.2019". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved August 13, 2019.
  16. Metcalf, Mitch (August 20, 2019). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 8.18.2019". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved August 20, 2019.
  17. "The Rook: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved July 7, 2019.
  18. "The Rook: Season 1". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved July 7, 2019.
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