Connecting
Connecting... is an American television sitcom co-created and co-executive produced by Martin Gero and Brendan Gall for Universal Television. The series aired from October 8 to October 29, 2020, on NBC. In November 2020, the series was canceled after four episodes. The remaining episodes were released on NBC.com and Peacock shortly after.
| Connecting | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | |
| Created by | |
| Starring | |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of episodes | 8 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
|
| Camera setup | Single-camera |
| Production companies | Wide Awake Productions Quinn's House Universal Television |
| Original release | |
| Network | NBC |
| Release | October 8 – October 29, 2020 |
| Network | Peacock |
| Release | November 5 – November 16, 2020 |
Connecting... is an American television sitcom co-created and co-executive produced by Martin Gero and Brendan Gall for Universal Television. The series aired from October 8 to October 29, 2020, on NBC.
In November 2020, the series was canceled after four episodes. The remaining episodes were released on NBC.com and Peacock shortly after.[1]
Premise
[edit]Set against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, the series follows the lives of a group of friends who try to stay connected via videotelephony as they navigate through the various nuances of life in a lockdown.
Cast
[edit]Main
[edit]- Otmara Marrero as Annie
- Parvesh Cheena as Pradeep
- Keith Powell as Garrett
- Jill Knox as Michelle
- Shakina Nayfack as Ellis
- Ely Henry as Rufus
- Preacher Lawson as Ben
Recurring
[edit]- Cassie Beck as Jazmin
- Loretta Devine as Dayleen
- Alex Landi as Cameron
Guest
[edit]- Constance Marie as Martha
- Tony Plana as Ramona
- Carl Tart as Wendell
- Jaime Cepero as Kirby
- D'Lo as Zach
Episodes
[edit]| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air/release date | U.S viewers (millions) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NBC | ||||||||||||
| 1 | "Pilot" | Martin Gero | Martin Gero & Brendan Gall | October 8, 2020 | 1.67[2] | |||||||
|
We are introduced to a group of friends who struggle to adjust to life during the COVID Pandemic. | ||||||||||||
| 2 | "Day 30" | Linda Mendoza | Guy Branum | October 15, 2020 | 2.26[3] | |||||||
|
The friends face personal struggles and some revelations strengthen and divide the group. | ||||||||||||
| 3 | "Day 78" | Martin Gero | Ranada Shepard | October 15, 2020 | 0.97[3] | |||||||
|
Ben tries to think about how to tell Annie how he feels and the group tries to help him. | ||||||||||||
| 4 | "Day 82" | Linda Mendoza | Rachel Pegram | October 29, 2020 | 1.15[4] | |||||||
|
The group is trying to stay positive despite the ongoing pandemic. | ||||||||||||
| Peacock | ||||||||||||
| 5 | "Day 90" | Martin Gero | Carl Tart | November 5, 2020 | N/A | |||||||
|
The group struggles with emotions as the Pandemic continues. | ||||||||||||
| 6 | "Day 135" | Linda Mendoza | Eddie Mujica & Shirin Najafi | November 12, 2020 | N/A | |||||||
|
The team continues to forge on despite tensions and emotions as the Pandemic continues. | ||||||||||||
| 7 | "Day 226" | Linda Mendoza | Teleplay by : Chloe Keenan Story by : Chloe Keenan & Naomi Iwamoto | November 16, 2020 | N/A | |||||||
|
Ben tries to get Annie to tell him how she feels. | ||||||||||||
| 8 | "Day 229" | Martin Gero | Teleplay by : Naomi Iwamoto Story by : Naomi Iwamoto & Chloe Keenan | November 16, 2020 | N/A | |||||||
|
The team revels in their happiness after Ben comes to see Annie. | ||||||||||||
Production
[edit]On June 26, 2020, it received a straight-to-series order of 8 episodes by NBC.[5]
The first star to be cast in the series was Otmara Marrero on July 22, 2020, followed by Parvesh Cheena on July 31, 2020.[6][7] The following month, Keith Powell, Jill Knox, Shakina Nayfack, Ely Henry and Preacher Lawson joined the main cast.[8] Shakina Nayfack's casting made her the first transgender person to have a starring role on a major network comedy production.[9]
On November 2, 2020, NBC canceled the series, amid dwindling viewership, after airing only four episodes and pulled it from the network's schedule, with reruns of Superstore taking its place. The remaining episodes were streamed exclusively on NBC.com and Peacock.[1][10]
Release
[edit]On September 10, 2020, NBC released the first official trailer for the series.[11] On August 27, 2020, it was announced that the series would be replacing Brooklyn Nine-Nine in NBC's previously announced Fall schedule and would premiere on October 1, 2020.[12] On September 24, 2020, the series premiere was pushed by one week to October 8, 2020.[13][14]
Reception
[edit]Critical response
[edit]On Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds an approval rating of 67% with an average rating of 6.33/10, based on 9 reviews.[15] On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 65 out of 100, based on 8 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[16]
Ratings
[edit]Overall
[edit]| Season | Timeslot (ET) | Episodes | First aired | Last aired | TV season | Viewership rank |
Avg. viewers (millions) |
18–49 rank |
Avg. 18–49 rating | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Viewers (millions) |
Date | Viewers (millions) | ||||||||
| 1 | Thursday 8:00 p.m. (1) Thursday 9:00 p.m. (2) Thursday 9:30 p.m. (3) Thursday 8:30 p.m. (4) |
4 | October 8, 2020 | 1.67[2] | October 29, 2020 | 1.15[4] | 2020–21 | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD |
Season 1
[edit]| No. | Title | Air date | Rating (18–49) |
Viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Pilot" | October 8, 2020 | 0.0 | 1.67[2] |
| 2 | "Day 30" | October 15, 2020 | 0.1 | 2.26[3] |
| 3 | "Day 78" | October 15, 2020 | 0.2 | 0.97[3] |
| 4 | "Day 82" | October 29, 2020 | 0.3 | 1.15[4] |
References
[edit]- ^ a b Petski, Denise (November 2, 2020). "'Connecting' Pulled From NBC Schedule, Remaining 4 Episodes To Stream Online". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on November 3, 2020. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
- ^ a b c Metcalf, Mitch (October 9, 2020). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Thursday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 10.8.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on October 12, 2020. Retrieved October 11, 2020.
- ^ a b c d Metcalf, Mitch (October 16, 2020). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Thursday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 10.15.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on October 16, 2020. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
- ^ a b c Metcalf, Mitch (October 30, 2020). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Thursday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 10.29.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on November 1, 2020. Retrieved October 30, 2020.
- ^ Roots, Kimberly (June 26, 2020). "Blindspot EP's Video-Chat Comedy Connecting Ordered to Series at NBC". TVLine. Archived from the original on June 28, 2020. Retrieved September 20, 2020.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (July 22, 2020). "'Connecting': Otmara Marrero To Star In NBC's Coronavirus-Era Comedy Series From Martin Gero & Brendan Gall". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on July 22, 2020. Retrieved September 20, 2020.
- ^ Petski, Denise (July 31, 2020). "'Connecting': Parvesh Cheena Joins NBC's Coronavirus- Era Comedy Series From Martin Gero & Brendan Gall". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on August 2, 2020. Retrieved September 20, 2020.
- ^ Petski, Denise (August 5, 2020). "'Connecting': Five Cast In NBC's Coronavirus-Era Comedy Series From Martin Gero & Brendan Gall". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on August 6, 2020. Retrieved September 20, 2020.
- ^ Reynolds, Daniel (October 8, 2020). "Connecting's Shakina Nayfack on Making Trans History on Network TV". The Advocate. Archived from the original on October 11, 2020. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
- ^ Nemetz, Dave (November 3, 2020). "Connecting Cancelled at NBC, Remaining Episodes to Air on Peacock". TVLine. Archived from the original on November 3, 2020. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
- ^ Yohannes, Alamin (September 10, 2020). "These friends are sick of isolation in first trailer for NBC comedy Connecting". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on September 12, 2020. Retrieved September 20, 2020.
- ^ Nakamura, Reid (August 27, 2020). "'This Is Us,' Dick Wolf's 'Chicago' Franchise, 'The Voice' Get Fall Premiere Dates at NBC". TheWrap. Archived from the original on August 27, 2020. Retrieved September 20, 2020.
- ^ Schwartz, Ryan (September 24, 2020). "Superstore Season 6 Premiere Delayed". TVLine. Archived from the original on September 24, 2020.
- ^ "Connecting – Listings". The Futon Critic. Retrieved September 22, 2020.
- ^ "Connecting...: Season 1 (2020)". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on March 27, 2021. Retrieved November 6, 2020.
- ^ "Connecting...: Season 1". Metacritic. Archived from the original on October 20, 2020. Retrieved November 6, 2020.