Sweetpea (TV series) explained

Sweetpea is a British dark comedy drama television series created by Kirstie Swain for Sky Atlantic. An adaptation of the book of the same name by CJ Skuse, it stars Ella Purnell in the lead role. The series premiered on 10 October 2024 on Sky Atlantic in the United Kingdom. In December 2024, it was renewed for a second series.

Premise

After a childhood of bullying, Rhiannon is leading a quiet life as an admin assistant at a local newspaper, living with her father and dog. However, her father's death leads to a chance encounter with a stranger that changes everything.^{[1] [2]}

Cast

• Ella Purnell as Rhiannon Lewis, an administrative assistant working at The Carnsham Gazette, often called "Sweetpea" by her boss
• Nicôle Lecky as Julia Blenkingsopp, a classmate from Rhiannon's school years, who is now a local estate agent
• Jon Pointing as Craig, an employee at Rhiannon's father's construction company
• Calam Lynch as AJ, the new junior reporter at The Carnsham Gazette
• Leah Harvey as Marina, a junior detective working for the local police force
• Jeremy Swift as Norman, the editor of The Carnsham Gazette, and Rhiannon's boss
• Dustin Demri-Burns as Jeff Barker, a reporter at The Carnsham Gazette
• Luke McGibney as Mike, an obnoxious man who crosses paths with Rhiannon
• Ingrid Oliver as Diana St. John, a Detective Inspector at the local police force
• Alexandra Dowling as Seren, sister of Rhiannon.
• Nitin Ganatra as Rory, a detective working with Marina.
• David Bark-Jones as Tommy, Rhiannon's and Seren's father, and owner of the construction firm "Tommy's Transformations"

Production

Skuse's novel was optioned in 2017 by See-Saw Films. In 2019, Sky Atlantic came onboard the project and Patrick Walters, Jamie Laurenson, Hakan Kousetta, Iain Canning and Emile Sherman were set as executive producer for See-Saw Films, with Liz Lewin as an executive producer for Sky Studios.^[3] Kirstie Swain has adapted the book.^[4] In 2020, it was revealed to be an eight-part series.^[5]

On 3 December 2024, it was renewed for a second series.^[6]

Casting

In November 2023, Ella Purnell was cast in the lead role and serves as an executive producer. Also cast were Nicôle Lecky, Jon Pointing, Calam Lynch, Leah Harvey, Jeremy Swift, Dustin Demri-Burns, Luke McGibney and Ingrid Oliver.^{[7] [8]}

Filming

Filming took place in Southend-on-Sea in November and December 2023, with filming locations including Southend Observation Tower on Pier Hill, Western Esplanade's Cliff Lift and theme park Adventure Island.^[9] Filming also took place near the River Colne in Oxhey Park, Watford.^[10]

Title sequence

The title sequence was created by London-based Peter Anderson Studio. it was designed to visually explore the lead character's psychological state, utilising brutalist painting aesthetics and painterly compositions. The sequence features neon lights on rain-soaked streets and transforms everyday objects into symbols of violence, reflecting the duality of her existence. A bespoke typeface, with a hand-drawn aesthetic, contributes to the gritty tone whilst the sharp extensions in the typeface used in the title card were added to enhance the ominous atmosphere.^[11]

Broadcast

The series premiered on 10 October 2024 on Sky Atlantic and NOW TV in the United Kingdom^{[12] [13]} Ahead of the series premiere, a full trailer was revealed in September 2024.^[14]

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, Sweetpea has an approval rating of 85% based on 20 reviews, with an average rating of 7/10. The website's consensus reads: "Ella Purnell is a diabolical delight in Sweetpea, a revenge fantasy that holds a lot of darkness beneath its playful exterior."^[15] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 69 out of 100 based on 12 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.^[16]

Lucy Mangan, writing in The Guardian, was less impressed, comparing the series unfavourably to the original book.^[17]

Soundtrack

The series score was written by Isobel Waller-Bridge and the theme song ("Do You See Me Now") by Isobel and British artist Chinchilla, who also provided the vocals.^[18]

In addition, the series features a diverse soundtrack of popular music, including tracks from Billie Eilish, Icona Pop/Charli XCX, Labi Siffre and the Spice Girls.^[19]

Notes and References

1. Web site: The Best Books Being Adapted for TV in 2023: Sci-fi, Fantasy, Historical and Crime. Den of Geek. 17 November 2023. Louisa. Mellor. 2 June 2023.
2. Web site: Comedy. 17 November 2023. Sweetpea.
3. Web site: 'Top Of The Lake' Producer See-Saw Films Adapting 'American Psycho'-Meets-'Fleabag' Novel 'Sweetpea' For Sky Atlantic With 'Pure' Writer Kirstie Swain. Deadline Hollywood. 17 November 2023. Peter. White. February 12, 2020.
4. Web site: Kirstie Swain: I like to write about people who have wronged me. Broadcastnow. 17 November 2023. Jesse. Whittock. 8 May 2020.
5. Web site: UK pay-TV broadcaster Sky unveils six new shows for 2020, including See-Saw's 'Sweetpea'. Screen Daily. 17 November 2023. Alex. Farber. 13 February 2020.
6. News: Szalai. George. Sweetpea, Starring Ella Purnell, to Return for Second Season. The Hollywood Reporter. 3 December 2024. 3 December 2024.
7. Web site: Variety. 30 November 2023. Ella Purnell to Executive Produce, Star in Sky's 'Sweetpea' With Nicôle Lecky, Jon Pointing, Calam Lynch, Leah Harvey, (EXCLUSIVE). November 29, 2023. Naman . Ramachandran.
8. Web site: Mike. Taylor. 4 October 2024. Walesonline. Sweetpea: Release date, cast and plot of new Ella Purnell series on Sky. 11 October 2024.
9. Web site: Sky Atlantic Sweetpea: Southend turns into film set for show. Ethan. Banks. Echo-News. 17 November 2023. 17 November 2023.
10. Web site: Sky TV's Sweetpea scenes shot by River Colne in Oxhey Park . Watford Observer. 12 October 2024. Fintan. McGuinness. 10 October 2024.
11. Web site: Sweetpea Title Seqeunce . 2024-10-17 . Peter Anderson Studio.
12. Web site: Sky Atlantic's Sweetpea is the show that's going to be your next TV obsession. Her.ie. 17 November 2023. 13 February 2020. Keeley. Ryan.
13. Web site: Ella Purnell in first look at new twisted 'rage' series. Digital Spy. 12 July 2024. Laura. Jane Turner. 12 July 2024.
14. Web site: Sky & Starz Reveal Premiere Date For 'Sweetpea' Series Starring Ella Purnell. Deadline. Max. Goldbart. 19 September 2024. 19 September 2024.
15. sweetpea. tv. 1. October 26, 2024. y.
16. sweetpea. tv. 1. October 18, 2024. y.
17. News: Mangan . Lucy . 2024-10-10 . Sweetpea review – Ella Purnell's deathly dull serial killer show reeks of cowardly decision-making . 2024-10-13 . The Guardian . 0261-3077 . This insipid, humourless adaptation of CJ Skuse's blackly comic Sweetpea books has been stripped of everything good. It seems to drag on forever..
18. Web site: Brooks . Lian . 2024-10-14 . Sweetpea soundtrack in full, including the addictive opening song . 2024-10-15 . Glamour UK.
19. Web site: Pilley . Max . 2024-10-12 . Here's every song on the 'Sweetpea' soundtrack . 2024-10-15 . NME.