The Spoils of Babylon

The Spoils of Babylon
Created by Matt Piedmont
Andrew Steele
Written by Matt Piedmont
Andrew Steele
Directed by Matt Piedmont
Starring Tobey Maguire
Kristen Wiig
Tim Robbins
Jessica Alba
Val Kilmer
Haley Joel Osment
Michael Sheen
Will Ferrell
Theme music composer Andrew Feltenstein
John Nau
Country of origin United States
Original language(s) English
Production
Producer(s) Will Ferrell
Adam McKay
Tobey Maguire
Kristen Wiig
Matt Piedmont
Andrew Steele
Nate Young
Pavlina Hatoupis
J.B. Popplewell
Cherie Carter Parks
Cinematography Giles Dunning
Editor(s) David Trachtenberg
Running time 135 minutes
Production company(s) Funny or Die
Release
Original network IFC
Original release January 9 – February 6, 2014
Chronology
Followed by The Spoils Before Dying

The Spoils of Babylon is an American comedy miniseries written by Matt Piedmont and Andrew Steele, directed by Piedmont, and starring Tobey Maguire, Kristen Wiig, Tim Robbins, Jessica Alba, Val Kilmer, Haley Joel Osment, Michael Sheen, and Will Ferrell.[1] It is intended to be a spoof of the epic-scale "TV event" miniseries adapted from bestselling novels (such as The Thorn Birds and Rich Man, Poor Man) prevalent on American network television in the 1970s and 1980s. The miniseries premiered on IFC on January 9, 2014.[1] For her performance as Cynthia Morehouse, Kristen Wiig was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie.

Plot

The entire miniseries is presented as if it had been a real miniseries, with a fictional backstory of how it took three years to film and was originally 22 hours long, and each episode is framed with its author/director Eric Jonrosh sitting in a restaurant discussing it. Patriarch Jonas Morehouse shepherds his daughter Cynthia and adopted son Devon from meager beginnings in the oil fields of Texas to powerful boardrooms in New York City. Cynthia and Devon, entwined in undeniable love, stumble through war-torn battlefields, blazing mansions, filthy drug dens and velvet-sheeted bedrooms on their quest for power and influence. Despite Jonas' best efforts to intervene, Cynthia and Devon's merciless love sets into motion a wave of destruction that crashes down on Devon's graceful wife Lady Anne, his daughter Marianne, his colleague and lover Dixie, Cynthia's hen-pecked husband Chet, her evil son Winston, the scheming Generals and far beyond.

Cast

Production

The miniseries began principal photography on June 2, 2013 in Los Angeles.[1]

Episodes

No. Title Directed by Written by Original air date U.S. viewers
(millions)
1"The Foundling"Matt PiedmontMatt Piedmont & Andrew SteeleJanuary 9, 2014 (2014-01-09)0.440[4]
2"The War Within"Matt PiedmontMatt Piedmont & Andrew SteeleJanuary 9, 2014 (2014-01-09)0.440[4]
3"Kicking the Habit"Matt PiedmontMatt Piedmont & Andrew SteeleJanuary 16, 2014 (2014-01-16)0.155[5]
4"The Rise of the Empire"Matt PiedmontMatt Piedmont & Andrew SteeleJanuary 23, 2014 (2014-01-23)0.208[6]
5"The Age of the Bastard"Matt PiedmontMatt Piedmont & Andrew SteeleJanuary 30, 2014 (2014-01-30)0.151[7]
6"So Sweet the Bells"Matt PiedmontMatt Piedmont & Andrew SteeleFebruary 6, 2014 (2014-02-06)0.077[8]

Companion series

The series was enough of a success for the network to prompt a second Spoils miniseries, The Spoils Before Dying, which debuted on July 8, 2015.[9]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Locker, Melissa (June 3, 2013). "IFC's "The Spoils of Babylon" to feature Jessica Alba, Will Ferrell, Toby Maguire, Kristen Wiig, Tim Robbins and more". IFC. Retrieved June 3, 2013.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Kondolojy, Amanda (June 3, 2013). "Jessica Alba, Val Kilmer, Tobey Maguire, Haley Joel Osment, Michael Sheen, Tim Robbins and Kristen Wiig to Join Will Ferrell in 'The Spoils of Babylon'". TV by the Numbers.
  3. Getlen, Larry (December 28, 2013). "Maguire, Wiig lead all-star spoof of bloated '70s miniseries". New York Post.
  4. 1 2 "Thursday's Cable Ratings & Broadcast Finals: "Big Bang Theory," "Millers" Top Charts". The Futon Critic. January 10, 2014. Retrieved July 7, 2014.
  5. "Ratings – Thursday's Cable Ratings & Broadcast Finals: Night Two of "American Idol" Dominates Viewers, Demos". TheFutonCritic.com. 2014-01-16. Retrieved 2014-02-24.
  6. "Ratings – Thursday's Cable Ratings & Broadcast Finals: "American Idol" Continues Its Reign for FOX". TheFutonCritic.com. 2014-01-23. Retrieved 2014-02-24.
  7. "Ratings – Thursday's Cable Ratings & Broadcast Finals: "Big Bang Theory" Triumphs Over "American Idol"". TheFutonCritic.com. 2014-01-30. Retrieved 2014-02-24.
  8. "Ratings – Thursday's Cable Ratings & Broadcast Finals: Winter Games Hold Off "Big Bang," "Idol"". TheFutonCritic.com. 2014-02-06. Retrieved 2014-02-24.
  9. Berman, Marc (July 9, 2014). IFC Orders Second Season of "Spoils" Franchise. TV Media Insights. Retrieved July 9, 2014.
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