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Manhattan is an American period drama television series depicting the Manhattan Project, the United States Army's research and development program which produced the first atomic…
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Manhattan (sometimes styled MANH(A)TTAN) is an American period drama television series depicting the Manhattan Project, the United States Army's research and development program which produced the first atomic weapons during World War II. Set mainly at the Los Alamos Laboratory from 1943 to 1944, the series is a largely fictionalized adaptation of true events.
Manhattan is an American period drama television series depicting the Manhattan Project, the United States Army's research and development program which produced the first atomic weapons during World War II. Set mainly at the Los Alamos Laboratory from 1943 to 1944, the series is a largely fictionalized adaptation of true events.
Manhattan (sometimes styled MANH(A)TTAN) is an American period drama television series depicting the Manhattan Project, the United States Army's research and development program which produced the first atomic weapons during World War II. Set mainly at the Los Alamos Laboratory from 1943 to 1944, the series is a largely fictionalized adaptation of true events.
The show was the first drama production for WGN America since the revival of Tribune Broadcasting's production arm as Tribune Studios. The series premiered on WGN America on July 27, 2014 and earned critical acclaim throughout its run, but failed to secure adequate ratings. As a result, it was canceled after its second season, becoming the first WGN America original series to be canceled.
Set in 1943 and 1944 during the Manhattan Project and World War II, the series focuses on the scientists at Project Y and their families in the newly-created Los Alamos, New Mexico, a town the outside world knows nothing about. The government tells the scientists only what they need to know, while the scientists keep secrets from their families.
John Benjamin Hickey as Dr. Frank Winter, leader of an initially small group of scientists working on an implosion design weapon (loosely based on Seth Neddermeyer and the E-5 Group at the Los Alamos Laboratory)
Olivia Williams as Dr. Liza Winter, Frank's wife and a botanist
Ashley Zukerman as Dr. Charlie Isaacs, a rising young star of the Project
Rachel Brosnahan as Abby Isaacs, Charlie's wife
Daniel Stern as Dr. Glen Babbit, mentor to other scientists (season 1; special guest season 2)
Source: Manhattan (TV series) (CC BY-SA)
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Katja Herbers as Dr. Helen Prins, one of the few women scientists
Harry Lloyd as Paul Crosley, a British scientist who wants to advance at any cost
Alexia Fast as Callie Winter, Frank and Liza's rebellious teenage daughter (season 1; guest season 2)
Christopher Denham as Jim Meeks, a scientist. Loosely based on the atomic spies, in particular Klaus Fuchs
Michael Chernus as Louis "Fritz" Fedowitz, a scientist
William Petersen as Colonel Emmett Darrow (season 2), a United States military officer
Television network WGN America premiered its first scripted show, the historical drama Salem, on April 20, 2014. Peter Liguori, CEO of WGN's parent, Tribune Media, emphasized a strategy of original content production as a way to improve the channel's prestige and profile. TV companies producing the show include Lionsgate Television, Skydance Television and Tribune Studios, a WGN affiliate. When announced in April 2014, 13 episodes were ordered.
The series began filming in mid-March across 12 acres (5 ha) in New Mexico. On October 14, 2014, Manhattan was renewed for a second season. Production on season 2 wrapped on July 24, 2015.
David Saltzberg, a physicist at UCLA, acted as the scientific consultant for the show, and Alex Wellerstein, a historian of science at Stevens Institute of Technology who studies the history of nuclear weapons and secrecy, acted as a historical consultant for the show for Season 2, providing period detail to the writers.
Creator Sam Shaw said although that at first the show seems to be about World War II, and the development of the atomic bomb, it was about two eras: the development of the atomic bomb, and after dropping of it on Japan. Speaking about a potential third season Shaw said "the most complicated and morally fascinating and dramatic aspects of the history don't come until after the end of World War II." Shaw noted that only Fritz, Meeks, and Winter knew exactly what happened at the end of season 2 and that going forward he hoped he would get to write that story. Shaw also said "I hope we'll get to follow characters in this moment when Los Alamos goes from being the best kept secret in the world to being the most famous city on the planet."
Season 1 of Manhattan received highly positive reception from television critics and has a Metacritic score of 78 out of 100, based on 23 "generally favorable" reviews. The review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes reports a 90% critics rating, with an average rating of 8.3/10 based on 31 reviews; the site's consensus reads: "Though slow to start, Manhattan is a top-notch drama thanks to a talented cast, beautiful cinematography, and a keen eye for period detail."
Season 2 received further acclaim, scoring an 80 out of 100 based on nine reviews on Metacritic. Rotten Tomatoes reports a 93% approval rating, with an average rating of 8.7/10 based on 14 reviews, and the site's consensus reading, "Manhattan's slow-building intrigue and sense of impending doom deepen in season two, further enriching an already well-acted period drama."
The series won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Main Title Design for the 67th Primetime Emmy Awards and also won the award for Excellence in Title Design at the 2015 South by Southwest festival. Justin Kirk received a nomination for the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Guest Performer in a Drama Series for the 6th Critics' Choice Television Awards.
