Crash (2008 TV series)

Crash
Intertitle of Crash
Created by Glen Mazzara
Starring Dennis Hopper
Arlene Tur
Ross McCall
Jocko Sims
Moran Atias
Tom Sizemore
Dana Ashbrook
Eric Roberts
Jake McLaughlin
Julie Warner
Keith Carradine
Linda Park
Tess Harper
Valerie Perrine
Country of origin United States
No. of seasons 2
No. of episodes 26 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s) Glen Mazzara
Paul Haggis
Robert Moresco
Bob Yari
Location(s) Albuquerque, New Mexico
Camera setup Single-camera
Running time 43 minutes
Production company(s) Starz Inc.
Lionsgate Television
Broadcast
Original channel Starz
Picture format 480i SDTV
1080i HDTV
Audio format Dolby Digital 5.1
Original run October 17, 2008 – December 18, 2009

Crash is an American television drama series set in Los Angeles, California that starred Dennis Hopper and Eric Roberts. It is the first original series produced by the Starz network. The network ordered a 13 episode season which premiered on October 17, 2008. The series is based on the 2004 film of the same name. It was developed for television by Glen Mazzara. In Canada, Crash can be seen on Super Channel. Starz ordered a second season that premiered in September 2009 before concluding in December 2009. Lead actor Dennis Hopper died in May 2010 and the series did not continue.

Production

Conception

Starz began looking to develop original television series after the success of series developed by its rivals Showtime and HBO and advertised funding and creative freedom for original programming projects. Crash is the network's first foray into original scripted drama and is based on the Academy Award winning 2004 film of the same name. The writers of the film, Paul Haggis and Robert Moresco, were interested in developing a series based on the property. Lionsgate and Starz collaborated on developing the series for television.

Television writer and producer Glen Mazzara was brought in as an executive producer for the series. Mazzara has worked extensively as a writer and producer on The Shield and had developed new projects for the other networks including Life and Standoff.[1]

Crew

Glen Mazzara served as the series executive producer and showrunner.[1] The film's writers Paul Haggis and Robert Moresco and producer Bob Yari joined Mazzara as executive producers.[2] Thomas Becker, Mark R. Harris, Tom Nunan, and Jorg Westerkamp all worked as producers or production executives on the original film project and are credited as co-executive producers on the series.[2] Movie actor Don Cheadle, who was a star and producer of the 2004 film, is also on board as a co-executive producer.[1]

Mazzara hired a writing staff that he felt was used to coping with edgier material. Co-executive producer and writer Frank Renzulli had previously worked on HBO drama The Sopranos. Co-executive producer and writer Ted Mann worked on HBO drama Deadwood. Producer and writer Stacy Rukeyser worked with Mazzara on Standoff. Executive story editor Chris Collins came from the recently completed HBO drama The Wire. Executive story editor Randy Huggins had previously worked with Mazzara on The Shield.[1]

The pilot episode was directed by Sanford Bookstaver.[2]

Cast

The one season starred:

In season 2 new cast members:

Battaglia is a security guard and then begins working for Blanchard and some of the cast members from season 1, Tur, Carey, Sweeney, Tee, Chavez, Tarabay and Sizemore do not return for season 2. Jenny Mollen plays Tess, the new girlfriend to Kenny Battaglia.

Episodes

Season 1 (2008–2009)

No. in
series
No. in
season
Title Directed by Written by Original air date
11"Episode One"Sanford BookstaverGlen MazzaraOctober 17, 2008
22"The Doctor Is in"Robert MorescoFrank RenzulliOctober 17, 2008
33"Panic"Seith MannStacy RukeyserOctober 24, 2008
44"Railroaded"Allison LiddiSang Kyu KimOctober 31, 2008
55"Your Ass Belongs to the Gypsies"Sanford BookstaverTed MannNovember 7, 2008
66"Clusterfuck"Guy FerlandRandy HugginsNovember 14, 2008
77"Los Muertos"Robert MorescoChris CollinsNovember 21, 2008
88"Three Men and a Bebe"Stefan SchwartzGlen MazzaraDecember 5, 2008
99"Pissing in the Sandbox"Stefan SchwartzSang Kyu KimDecember 12, 2008
1010"The Future Is Free"David BarrettStacy RukeyserDecember 19, 2008
1111"F-36, Sprint Left, T-4"Phil AbrahamMichael ThomasDecember 26, 2008
1212"Ring Dings"Stefan SchwartzFrank RenzulliJanuary 2, 2009
1313"The Pain Won't Stop"Stefan SchwartzGlen MazzaraJanuary 9, 2009

Season 2 (2009)

No. in
series
No. in
season
Title Directed by Written by Original air date
141"You Set the Scene"Andrew BernsteinIra Steven BehrSeptember 18, 2009
152"Always See Your Face"Andrew BernsteinJames DeMonacoSeptember 25, 2009
163"The World's a Mess, It's in My Kiss"Stefan SchwartzTodd HarthanOctober 3, 2009
174"Can't Explain"Stefan SchwartzDevon ShepardOctober 9, 2009
185"You, I'll Be Following"Bill EaglesElizabeth BenjaminOctober 16, 2009
196"No Matter What You Do"Vincent MisianoJennifer SchuurOctober 30, 2009
207"Johnny Hit and Run Pauline"John BehringAdam LevyNovember 6, 2009
218"Lovers in Captivity"Stefan SchwartzJames DeMonacoNovember 13, 2009
229"Endangered Species"Colin BuckseyTodd HarthanNovember 20, 2009
2310"Master of Puppets"Peter MarkleElizabeth BenjaminNovember 27, 2009
2411"Calm Like a Bomb"Jerry LevineJennifer SchuurDecember 4, 2009
2512"Alone Again Or…"Bill EaglesIra Steven BehrDecember 11, 2009
2613"Los Angeles"Vincent MisianoIra Steven BehrDecember 18, 2009

Reception

Reviews of the series have been mixed: "Crash has a noirish appeal, and ambitions to tell a big story" said Ginia Bellafante of The New York Times; Mike Hughes of the Detroit Free Press said "Crash debut is masterful, intense"; and "Politically and socially ambitious" said the Los Angeles Times. However, Variety's Brian Lowry wrote; "There's not a whit of originality to it," and "The show possesses less substance than a brisk Santa Ana wind."[2] According to Matthew Gilbert of The Boston Globe, "None of the stories or characters is remotely interesting",[3] but Newsday wrote, "Gritty, jarring, profane, and smartly produced" (Verne Gay).

Release

The first series of Crash was released on DVD in the USA on September 15, 2009. The second series was released through Amazon.com on September 15, 2010.

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 John Dempsey (2008-09-26). "Starz brakes for 'Crash'". Variety. Retrieved 2008-10-12.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Brian Lowry (2008-10-10). "Crash review". Variety. Retrieved 2008-10-12.
  3. Matthew Gilbert (2008-10-17). "As a series, 'Crash' flails to be daring". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 2008-10-17.

External links