Fosse/Verdon

Fosse/Verdon
Promotional poster
GenreBiographical drama
Based onFosse
by Sam Wasson
Developed by
Starring
Theme music composerAlex Lacamoire
ComposerNathan Barr
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of episodes8
Production
Executive producers
Producers
  • Erica Kay
  • Kate Sullivan
  • Brad Carpenter
CinematographyTim Ives
Editors
  • Tim Streeto
  • Kate Sanford
Running time41–59 minutes
Production companies
Original release
NetworkFX
ReleaseApril 9 (2019-04-09) –
May 28, 2019 (2019-05-28)

Fosse/Verdon is an American biographical miniseries starring Sam Rockwell as director–choreographer Bob Fosse and Michelle Williams as actress and dancer Gwen Verdon. The series, which tells the story of the couple's troubled personal and professional relationship, is based on the biography Fosse by Sam Wasson. Norbert Leo Butz and Margaret Qualley are also featured as Paddy Chayefsky and Ann Reinking, respectively. It premiered in eight parts on April 9, 2019, on FX.

At the 71st Primetime Emmy Awards, Fosse/Verdon received seventeen nominations, including Outstanding Limited Series and acting nominations for Rockwell, Williams, and Qualley. Williams received the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie and the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film at the 77th Golden Globe Awards. At the 26th Screen Actors Guild Awards, Rockwell and Williams both won at their respective categories.

Premise

Fosse/Verdon tells the story of the romantic and creative partnership between Bob Fosse and Gwen Verdon. Fosse was a filmmaker and one of theater's most influential choreographers and directors. Verdon was a critically acclaimed actress and Broadway dancer who won 4 Tony Awards.

The story of the entire series unfolds through back-and-forth flashes of the couple's relationship through the years. It includes the reversals of power and status as well as the contexts in which they happened. It also presents Fosse and Verdon's contributions to the entertainment industry.

Cast and characters

Main

Recurring

Episodes

No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateProd.
code
U.S. viewers
(millions)
1"Life Is a Cabaret"Thomas KailStory by : Steven Levenson & Thomas Kail
Teleplay by : Steven Levenson
April 9, 2019 (2019-04-09)1BHR010.614
Following the commercial failure of his filmmaking debut, Sweet Charity, Broadway director-choreographer Bob Fosse is determined to make his next directorial project, Cabaret, a success, even if it means defying producer Cy Feuer and cheating on his wife and creative collaborator, actress-dancer Gwen Verdon.
2"Who's Got the Pain?"Thomas KailSteven LevensonApril 16, 2019 (2019-04-16)1BHR020.425
As Gwen and Bob's marriage deteriorates following the discovery of his latest extramarital affair, Gwen reflects on how they first met during pre-production for Damn Yankees as well as how their personal and professional relationship began at the cost of Bob's marriage to ailing Broadway star Joan McCracken.
3"Me and My Baby"Adam BernsteinDebora CahnApril 23, 2019 (2019-04-23)1BHR030.453
With Bob focused on editing Cabaret, Gwen auditions for the leading role in a straight play that forces her to reflect on her disastrous first marriage and a career change that led to her breakthrough performance in Can-Can.
4"Glory"Jessica YuTracey Scott WilsonApril 30, 2019 (2019-04-30)1BHR040.429
As Gwen struggles with her personal life following the opening (and closing) performance of Children! Children!, Bob juggles dealing with the success of Cabaret, spearheading production on Liza with a Z and Pippin, and grappling with the price of fame.
5"Where Am I Going?"Thomas KailCharlotte StoudtMay 7, 2019 (2019-05-07)1BHR050.312
Three months after Joan Simon's death, and after Bob's stay in psychiatric care, tensions rise during a rainy night in Bob's Southampton summer home among his guests, including Gwen, Neil Simon, Paddy Chayefsky, and Ann Reinking.
6"All I Care About Is Love"Minkie SpiroIke HolterMay 14, 2019 (2019-05-14)1BHR060.364
An overworked Bob suffers a heart attack while balancing the editing of Lenny and the rehearsals for Chicago. In the hospital, he remembers the sexual abuse he endured as a teenager.
7"Nowadays"Thomas KailJoel Fields & Steven LevensonMay 21, 2019 (2019-05-21)1BHR070.367
Gwen and Bob continue work on Chicago, which Bob keeps pulling in a darker direction. The show opens to middling reviews. Later in the run, Gwen gets a vocal infection, and Bob gets Liza Minnelli to go on for her in her absence.
8"Providence"Thomas KailStory by : Joel Fields & Steven Levenson
Teleplay by : Steven Levenson
May 28, 2019 (2019-05-28)1BHR080.495
The final years of Bob's life are portrayed, from filming All That Jazz through directing and choreographing the revival of Sweet Charity, up to the final moment where he has a heart attack in D.C. and collapses in Gwen's arms.

Music

Fosse/Verdon released weekly albums, available for streaming and download on multiple platforms, with the release of each new episode. In addition to original music, the soundtracks feature the cast singing popular songs from Bob Fosse and Gwen Verdon's various careers, including "Big Spender" from Sweet Charity and "Corner of the Sky" from Pippin.

Episode 1 ("Life is a Cabaret")
No.TitleArtist(s)Length
1."Big Spender"Bianca Marroquin, Rema Webb & The Fandango Girls3:34
2."Cabaret"Kelli Barrett3:34
3."Fosse/Verdon Theme"Alex Lacamoire1:01
Episode 2 ("Who's Got the Pain?")
No.TitleArtist(s)Length
1."Heart"P. J. Benjamin, Nick Blaemire, Brian Cali & Aaron Kaburick3:00
Episode 3 ("Me and My Baby")
No.TitleArtist(s)Length
1."Mein Herr"Kelli Barrett & The Kit Kat Girls3:17
2."Two Ladies"Ethan Slater, Alysha Umphress & Morgan Weed2:14
Episode 4 ("Glory")
No.TitleArtist(s)Length
1."Corner of the Sky"Tim Young3:17
2."I Guess I'll Miss the Man"Blake Baumgartner2:09
Episode 5 ("Where Am I Going?")
No.TitleArtist(s)Length
1."Pas De Deux"Nathan Barr1:35
2."Where Am I Going?"Alex Lacamoire1:52
Episode 6 ("All I Care About Is Love")
No.TitleArtist(s)Length
1."All That Jazz"Bianca Marroquin2:52
Episode 7 ("Nowadays")
No.TitleArtist(s)Length
1."We Both Reached For The Gun"Tyler Hanes, Sean Patrick Doyle & The Cast of Fosse/Verdon3:45
2."Razzle Dazzle"Michelle Williams & The Cast of Fosse Verdon2:13
Episode 8 ("Providence")
No.TitleArtist(s)Length
1."Mr. Bojangles"Lin-Manuel Miranda4:14

Production

Development

The rights to produce a limited-series based on Sam Wasson's biography Fosse were sold to FX Network by executive producer George Stelzner. In the summer of 2016, with the approval of FX creative executives, Stelzner pursued actor/writer Lin-Manuel Miranda and director Thomas Kail, of Hamilton, to join the project. Both Miranda and Kail were familiar with the Wasson biography as Miranda and Wasson were classmates at Wesleyan University years earlier. Tony Award-winning writer Steven Levenson (Dear Evan Hansen) was next to join the production team. Levenson and Kail would go on to earn the WGA credit designation of "developed for television by" for the limited-series. During the early stages of the development process, the two were instrumental in attracting the participation of Nicole Fosse, the only child of Bob and Gwen and the executor of the Fosse/Verdon estate.

On July 5, 2018, FX announced an eight-episode order for a limited-series entitled Fosse/Verdon, with Sam Rockwell playing the role of Bob Fosse and Michelle Williams playing Gwen Verdon. On October 25, 2018, it was reported that Kail would direct at least four of the series' eight episodes. and he would go on to direct a total of five episodes. Executive producers included Levenson, Kail, Miranda, Stelzner, Rockwell and Williams, with Nicole Fosse as a co-executive producer, and choreographer Andy Blankenbuehler (Hamilton) as co-producer. On October 26, 2018, it was announced that Joel Fields, the showrunner of the acclaimed FX Network drama series The Americans would join the Fosse/Verdon production as an additional writer and executive producer. On January 23, 2019, the premiere date of April 9, 2019 was announced.

Casting

Alongside the series order announcement, it was confirmed that Rockwell and Williams had been cast as the leads. On November 19, 2018, it was announced Margaret Qualley and Norbert Leo Butz had been cast in series regular roles and that Aya Cash, Nate Corddry, Susan Misner, Bianca Marroquín, Kelli Barrett, Evan Handler, Rick Holmes, Paul Reiser, Ethan Slater, Byron Jennings, and Laura Osnes had joined the cast in a recurring capacity.

Qualley consulted heavily with Reinking on her performance, with the two holding chats twice a week for the duration of the shoot. Reinking was not a consultant on the series but praised the performances of Rockwell and Williams, though she was conflicted about the portrayal of Fosse as an abusive partner.

Filming

Principal photography for the series commenced in late October 2018 in New York City at Silvercup Studios, and lasted until late March 2019.

Release

On January 6, 2019, a teaser trailer for the series was released. In the United Kingdom, the BBC picked up the rights and the show premiered on BBC Two.

Reception

Critical response

On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds an approval rating of 81% based on 88 reviews, and an average rating of 7.12/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Sam Rockwell and Michelle Williams give viewers plenty of razzle and dazzle in Fosse/Verdon - a straightforward miniseries that is hampered by rote biographical tropes, but still shimmies with the requisite glitz, grit, and all that jazz audiences crave." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the series a score of 68 out of 100, based on 34 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

Ratings

Viewership and ratings per episode of Fosse/Verdon
No. Title Air date Rating
(18–49)
Viewers
(millions)
DVR
(18–49)
DVR viewers
(millions)
Total
(18–49)
Total viewers
(millions)
1 "Life Is a Cabaret" April 9, 2019 0.1 0.614 0.2 0.729 0.3 1.344
2 "Who's Got the Pain?" April 16, 2019 0.1 0.425 0.597 1.023
3 "Me and My Baby" April 23, 2019 0.1 0.453 0.505 0.959
4 "Glory" April 30, 2019 0.1 0.429 0.480 0.910
5 "Where Am I Going?" May 7, 2019 0.1 0.312 0.565 0.878
6 "All I Care About Is Love" May 14, 2019 0.1 0.364 0.442 0.806
7 "Nowadays" May 21, 2019 0.1 0.367 0.492 0.859
8 "Providence" May 28, 2019 0.1 0.495 0.497 0.992

Awards and nominations

Award Category Nominee(s) Result Ref.
Art Directors Guild Awards Television Movie or Limited Series Alex DiGerlando Nominated
Casting Society of America Limited Series Bernard Telsey, Tiffany Little Canfield & Amelia Rasche McCarthy Nominated
Costume Designers Guild Awards Excellence in Period Television Melissa Toth & Joseph La Corte (for "Life is a Cabaret") Nominated
Critics' Choice Television Awards Best Limited Series Fosse/Verdon Nominated
Best Actor in a Limited Series or Television Movie Sam Rockwell Nominated
Best Actress in a Limited Series or Television Movie Michelle Williams Won
Best Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Television Movie Margaret Qualley Nominated
Directors Guild of America Awards Outstanding Directing – Movies for Television and Limited Series Thomas Kail (for "Nowadays") Nominated
Minkie Spiro (for "All I Care About Is Love") Nominated
Jessica Yu (for "Glory") Nominated
Golden Globe Awards Best Limited Series or Television Film Fosse/Verdon Nominated
Best Actor – Limited Series or Television Film Sam Rockwell Nominated
Best Actress – Limited Series or Television Film Michelle Williams Won
Make-Up Artists and Hair Stylists Guilds Television Series, Mini-Series or New Media – Best Period and/or Character Make-Up Debbie Zoller, Dave Presto & Jackie Risotto Won
Television Series, Mini-Series or New Media – Best Special Make-Up Effects Debbie Zoller, Dave Presto & Jackie Risotto Nominated
Television Series, Mini-Series or New Media – Best Period and/or Character Hair Styling Christopher Fulton, Christen Edwards & Christine Cantrell Won
Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Limited Series Steven Levenson, Thomas Kail, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Joel Fields, George Stelzner, Sam Rockwell, Michelle Williams, Nicole Fosse, Charlotte Stoudt, Tracey Scott Wilson, Kate Sullivan, Brad Carpenter & Erica Kay Nominated
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie Sam Rockwell Nominated
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie Michelle Williams Won
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie Margaret Qualley Nominated
Outstanding Directing for a Limited Series, Movie, or Dramatic Special Thomas Kail (for "Who's Got the Pain") Nominated
Jessica Yu (for "Glory") Nominated
Outstanding Writing for a Limited Series, Movie, or Dramatic Special Joel Fields & Steven Levenson (for "Providence") Nominated
Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards Outstanding Casting for a Limited Series, Movie, or Special Tiffany Little Canfield & Bernie Telsey Nominated
Outstanding Period Costumes Joseph La Corte, Melissa Toth, Catherine Crabtree, Kristin Isola, Isabelle Simone & Virginia Patton (for "Life is a Cabaret") Nominated
Outstanding Hairstyling for a Limited Series or Movie Christopher Fulton, Christen Edwards, Nicole Bridgeford, Christine Cantrell & Charlene Belmond Won
Outstanding Make-up for a Limited Series or Movie (Non-Prosthetic) Debbie Zoller, Blair Aycock, Dave Presto, Sherri Laurence, Nicky Pattison Illum & Jackie Risotto Won
Outstanding Prosthetic Makeup for a Series, Limited Series, Movie or Special Debbie Zoller, Dave Presto, Jackie Risotto, Yoichi Art Sakamoto & Vincent Van Dyke Nominated
Outstanding Music Direction Alex Lacamoire (for "Life Is a Cabaret") Won
Outstanding Music Supervision Steven Gizicki (for "Life Is a Cabaret") Nominated
Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Limited Series or Movie Tim Streeto (for "Life Is a Cabaret") Nominated
Outstanding Production Design for a Narrative Period or Fantasy Program (One Hour or More) Alex DiGerlando, Anu Schwartz & Lydia Marks Nominated
Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Limited Series or Movie Tony Volante, Joseph White Jr., Robert Johanson & Derik Lee (for "All I Care About is Love") Nominated
Producers Guild of America Awards Outstanding Producer of Limited Series Television Thomas Kail, Steven Levenson, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Joel Fields, George Stelzner, Sam Rockwell, Michelle Williams, Tracey Scott Wilson, Charlotte Stoudt, Nicole Fosse, Erica Kay, Kate Sullivan & Brad Carpenter Nominated
Satellite Awards Best Miniseries Fosse/Verdon Nominated
Best Actor in a Miniseries or TV Film Sam Rockwell Nominated
Best Actress in a Miniseries or TV Film Michelle Williams Won
Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie Sam Rockwell Won
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie Michelle Williams Won
TCA Awards Outstanding Achievement in Movies, Miniseries and Specials Fosse/Verdon Nominated
Individual Achievement in Drama Michelle Williams Won
Writers Guild of America Awards Long Form – Adapted Debora Cahn, Joel Fields, Ike Holter, Thomas Kail, Steven Levenson, Charlotte Stoudt & Tracey Scott Wilson
Based on the book Fosse by Sam Wasson
Won

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