The Slap (Mary-Louise Parker, Peter Sarsgaard)

[djgeneral]

NBC has enlisted two acclaimed actors to star in its provocative upcoming miniseries The Slap.

Mary-Louise Parker and Peter Sarsgaard will headline the complex family drama about what happens after a man slaps another couple’s misbehaving child. “The seemingly minor domestic dispute pulls the family apart, begins to expose long-held secrets and ignites a lawsuit that challenges the core American values of all who are pulled into it,” according to the show’s official description.

Mary-Louise Parker (Weeds) will play Anouk, a close friend of Hector’s who’s the head writer on a TV show and is now dating the younger leading man. Sarsgaard (The Killing) will play Hector, a husband and father who “loves his wife and family but shows signs of weakness when he finds himself succumbing to the advances of his wife’s teenaged receptionist during his own party.”

NBC has ordered eight episodes of the event series from writer Jon Robin Baitz (Brothers and Sisters) and director Lisa Cholodenko (The Kids Are All Right).

http://insidetv.ew.com/2014/07/25/ma...rker-the-slap/

[LordCrumb]

Just in case no one knows, it's a remake of an Australian series, which was based off a book.

[KilloWertz]

While the basis for the premise is silly, they had me at Mary-Louise Parker...

[Hubunkey]

I somewhat remember watching an episode of the original on DirecTV Audience Network, it was OK

[Todd Tomorrow]

Originally Posted by KilloWertz

While the basis for the premise is silly, they had me at Mary-Louise Parker...

I didn't think the premise was silly when I saw the Australian original, which was pretty good.

[djgeneral]

Zachary Quinto and Brian Cox have been cast in NBC's upcoming miniseries "The Slap."

Quinto will play Harry. Married, with a 15-year-old son, he is a mechanic/dealer specializing in expensive European automobiles, and lives with his family in a Brooklyn loft. Perennially angry but seemingly pleased with his life, he's something of a Neanderthal, "always trying to pick a fight." However, Harry picks on the wrong guy when he slaps the horribly misbehaving child of another couple.

Brian Cox will be playing Manolis. He is the bearded patriarch of the family, a stern yet magnanimous man. Manolis is also the peacemaker in the family, quick to defray any tension. He's a strong man with old world values, good-hearted and clearly devoted to his family.

NBC has ordered eight episodes of the miniseries "The Slap," based on the critically-acclaimed Australian project of the same name that aired in 2011. No air date has been set.

Written by Jon Robin Baitz ("The West Wing," "Brothers & Sisters") and also produced by Universal Television, "The Slap" is a complex family drama that explodes from one small incident where a man slaps another couple's misbehaving child. This seemingly minor domestic dispute pulls the family apart, begins to expose long-held secrets, and ignites a lawsuit that challenges the core American values of all who are pulled into it.

Baitz, who was a Pulitzer finalist for his semi-autobiographical play "A Fair Country," will write all episodes and executive produce with Walter Parkes, Laurie MacDonald, Ted Gold and Tony Ayres.

Read more at http://thefutoncritic.com/news/2014/...v0BBT47MxE7.99

[jwerk]

Concept sounds like a comedy, but the description sounds like a drama. What was the Australian show like?

[jwerk]

The Australian version is now available to stream on Netlix, FYI