What Is Olive Kitteridge? Here's What to Know About the Emmys' Big Winner
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As Emmys host Andy Samberg pointed out, there is a lot of good TV out there these days. So we simply can't blame you if you didn't watch (or have literally never heard of) Olive Kitteridge. You may have seen the name pop up on the list of Emmy nominees, but you probably didn't expect a show you've barely paid attention to to win seven Emmys — especially when it was up against the likes of American Horror Story: Freak Show. In case you're still in the dark about what this mysterious, Emmy-winning beast is, allow us to shed some light on it.
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What is Olive Kitteridge?
Olive Kitteridge is a four-part miniseries that aired on HBO. Each part shows a different time period in the lives of the Kitteridges, a middle-class family living in Maine. Though it isn't as splashy as some of HBO's other miniseries (looking at you, The Jinx), critics loved it.
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Who is in HBO's version?
Frances McDormand stars as the titular character, opposite Richard Jenkins as her husband and Zoe Kazan as their daughter. All three were nominated for Emmys, and McDormand and Jenkins won. John Gallagher Jr. (The Newsroom), Rosemarie DeWitt, Jesse Plemons, and Bill Murray also star on two to three episodes each.
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Who made it?
Lisa Cholodenko directed the miniseries and subsequently won an Emmy for her work. You may recognize her name because she was nominated for an Oscar and a Golden Globe for 2010's The Kids Are All Right.
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When was this even on?
One good reason that Olive Kitteridge doesn't sound familiar is because all four parts aired on Nov. 2 and Nov. 3 of 2014, meaning it's been almost a year since the series aired.
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Can I still watch it?
Sure! You can catch it on HBO Now. Unfortunately, Andy Samberg's login info doesn't work anymore, so hopefully you have your own account. Watch it here.