Conversations with Friends is an Irish television serial based on the 2017 novel of the same name by the Irish author Sally Rooney. Developed by Element Pictures for BBC Three and Hulu in association with RTÉ,[1] it is the second adaptation by this crew of a Rooney novel after Normal People in 2020. Conversations with Friends was first broadcast on 15 May 2022. The series received mixed reviews with praise for the performance of lead cast and aesthetics.
| Conversations with Friends | |
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| Based on | Conversations with Friends by Sally Rooney |
| Written by |
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| Directed by |
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| Starring | |
| Country of origin |
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| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 12 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
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| Producers |
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| Running time | 25–31 minutes |
| Production company | |
| Original release | |
| Network | |
| Release | 15 May 2022 |
| Related | |
| Normal People | |
Cast
editMain
edit- Alison Oliver as Frances Flynn
- Sasha Lane as Bobbi Connolly
- Joe Alwyn as Nick Conway
- Jemima Kirke as Melissa Baines
Supporting
edit- Alex Murphy as Philip, Frances and Bobbi's friend
- Caoimhe Coburn Gray as Aideen, Frances and Bobbi's friend
- Justine Mitchell as Paula Flynn, Frances' mother
- Tommy Tiernan as Dennis Flynn, Frances' alcoholic father
- Kerry Fox as Valerie Taylor-Gates, Melissa's agent
- Tadhg Murphy as Derek, a long time friend of Nick and Melissa
- Sallay Garnett as Evelyn, Melissa and Nick's friend
- Emmanuel Okoye as Andrew, Aideen's boyfriend
Episodes
edit| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | U.K. viewers (millions) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Episode 1" | Lenny Abrahamson | Alice Birch | 15 May 2022 | N/A | |
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Best friends and former lovers Frances and Bobbi meet Melissa, an author, and Nick, her actor husband. | ||||||
| 2 | "Episode 2" | Lenny Abrahamson | Mark O'Halloran | 15 May 2022 | N/A | |
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Melissa invites the friends to her birthday party. Frances kisses Nick. Later Nick invites Frances to come over while Melissa is away. | ||||||
| 3 | "Episode 3" | Lenny Abrahamson | Mark O'Halloran | 15 May 2022 | N/A | |
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Frances and Nick have sex. They get to know each other. Melissa invites the girls to a holiday in Croatia. | ||||||
| 4 | "Episode 4" | Lenny Abrahamson | Meadhbh McHugh and Susan Soon He Stanton | 15 May 2022 | N/A | |
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The girls arrive in Croatia. They eat, drink and explore the town and countryside. Nick comes to Frances' room. | ||||||
| 5 | "Episode 5" | Lenny Abrahamson | Meadhbh McHugh and Susan Soon He Stanton | 15 May 2022 | N/A | |
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Melissa is nervous. Her agent is coming to see her. After a boozy dinner Nick comes to Frances' room. Bobbi interrupts them. | ||||||
| 6 | "Episode 6" | Leanne Welham | Meadhbh McHugh | 15 May 2022 | N/A | |
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After the holiday, Frances goes to see her mother. She starts bleeding and is taken to A&E. She has not suffered a miscarriage. She returns to Dublin and tries to make amends with Bobbi. | ||||||
| 7 | "Episode 7" | Leanne Welham | Meadhbh McHugh | 15 May 2022 | N/A | |
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Bobbi moves in with Frances. Nick returns from Croatia and starts coming round to Frances' flat. He wants to tell Melissa. | ||||||
| 8 | "Episode 8" | Leanne Welham | Meadhbh McHugh | 15 May 2022 | N/A | |
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Frances sees Nick and Melissa at the book launch. They look happy together. She has a Tinder date. Nick invites her over. She says she loves him then leaves. | ||||||
| 9 | "Episode 9" | Leanne Welham | Mark O'Halloran | 15 May 2022 | N/A | |
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Melissa’s agent wants to see some of Frances' work. Frances collapses and is helped home by Bobbi. Nick comes to see her and tells her he loves her. | ||||||
| 10 | "Episode 10" | Leanne Welham | Alice Birch | 15 May 2022 | N/A | |
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Melissa tells Frances she wants to work out a way for Nick to be with both of them. Frances has a short story published. She gets a worrying message from her father. Her mum says everything is okay. | ||||||
| 11 | "Episode 11" | Lenny Abrahamson | Alice Birch | 15 May 2022 | N/A | |
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Nick had a breakdown. Frances is diagnosed with endometriosis. Nick says he slept with Melissa. The friends go to Nick's birthday party but Frances leaves. Bobbi is angry about the short story. | ||||||
| 12 | "Episode 12" | Lenny Abrahamson | Alice Birch | 15 May 2022 | N/A | |
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Frances calls Melissa and realises the damage she has done to other people. She apologises to Bobbi and says she loves her. They get back together again. Nick (accidentally) calls her. He misses her. She says "come and get me". | ||||||
Production
editDevelopment
editIn February 2020, it was announced that Conversations with Friends would be made into a 12-episode miniseries,[2][3] and that most of the creative team behind the adaptation of Rooney's second novel, Normal People, including Element Pictures, director Lenny Abrahamson, and co-writer Alice Birch, would be returning for this adaptation.[4][5] Mark O'Halloran, Meadhbh McHugh, and Susan Soon He Stanton were added as writers, and Leanne Welham was added as a director.[6]
Casting
editThe cast was announced in February 2021, with Joe Alwyn, Jemima Kirke, Sasha Lane, and Alison Oliver as the book's main quartet.[6]
Filming
editPrincipal photography began in April 2021, in Northern Ireland. Locations include Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, and Hvar, Croatia.[7] Cast and crew were on set in Bray, County Wicklow that July.[8] The production included an intimacy coordinator, Ita O'Brien.[9]
Release
editThe series premiered/released on 15 May 2022, on BBC Three and Hulu.[10] It premiered on RTÉ One on Wednesday May 18 with a feature-length episode.[11] Endeavor Content will distribute the series internationally.[6]
As of May 30, 2023, the series was removed from the Hulu streaming platform.[12]
Reception
editOn review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the limited series holds a 60% approval rating based on 58 critic reviews, with an average rating of 6.7/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "'While the characters are unevenly compelling and the overlong plotting makes these Conversations often go in circles, this adaptation retains some of the observant wisdom that made Sally Rooney's novel shine."[13] On Metacritic, the series has a score of 65 out of 100, based on 28 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[14]
References
edit- ^ "Watch the first trailer for Conversations with Friends". RTÉ.ie. 8 February 2022.
- ^ "BBC announces adaptation of Sally Rooney's Conversations With Friends, reuniting Lenny Abrahamson and Element Pictures". BBC. Archived from the original on 16 May 2020. Retrieved 14 May 2020.
- ^ Sampson, Annabel (5 May 2020). "Everything you need to know about Sally Rooney's Conversations With Friends TV adaptation". Tatler. Archived from the original on 12 May 2020. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
- ^ Specter, Emma (12 May 2020). "Everything We Know So Far About the Conversations With Friends TV Series". Vogue. Archived from the original on 20 May 2020. Retrieved 14 May 2020.
- ^ Lindsay, Kathryn (12 May 2020). "Sally Rooney's Conversations With Friends Is Following In Normal People's TV Footsteps". Refinery 29. Archived from the original on 19 May 2020. Retrieved 14 May 2020.
- ^ a b c Kanter, Jake (17 February 2021). "'Conversations With Friends': Joe Alwyn, Jemima Kirke Join Cast For BBC/Hulu Follow-Up To 'Normal People'". Deadline. Archived from the original on 20 March 2021. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
- ^ Cunningham, Ed (17 May 2022). "Where was 'Conversations With Friends' filmed?". Time Out. Retrieved 31 May 2022.
- ^ McGoldrick, Debbie (8 July 2021). "Sally Rooney's "Conversations with Friends" begins filming in Ireland". Irish Central. Archived from the original on 8 July 2021. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
- ^ Nicholson, Rebecca (30 April 2022). "Joe Alwyn on Conversations With Friends and sex scenes: 'They're like filming fights – quite mechanical'". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 April 2023.
- ^ Rankin, Seija (12 April 2022). "Hulu Releases Extended 'Conversations With Friends' Trailer, Sets Premiere Date (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 12 April 2022.
- ^ "RTÉ announces release date for Sally Rooney's 'Conversations with Friends'". 30 April 2022.
- ^ "Streaming services are removing tons of movies and shows — it's not personal, it's strictly business". CNBC. Retrieved 1 June 2023.
- ^ "Conversations with Friends: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 18 December 2022.
- ^ "Conversations with Friends: Season 1". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
