HBO’s set to launch the much-anticipated drama Lovecraft Country on August 16, 2020. The series is based on the novel by Matt Ruff and has Misha Green (Underground, Helix) guiding it as showrunner and executive producer.
The cast is led by Jonathan Majors, Courtney B. Vance, Jurnee Smollett, and Michael Kenneth Williams. J.J. Abrams, Jordan Peele, David Knoller, Bill Carraro, episode 1 director Yann Demange, and episodes 2 and 3 director Daniel Sackheim executive produce.
New episodes of the 10 episode season air on Sundays at 9pm ET/PT. HBO’s released details on the first five episodes including plot descriptions and cast info.
The Plot, Courtesy of HBO:
The series follows Atticus Freeman (Majors) as he journeys with his childhood friend Letitia (Smollett) and his uncle George (Vance) on a road trip from Chicago across 1950s Jim Crow America in search of his missing father Montrose (Williams). Their search-and-rescue turns into a struggle to survive and overcome both the racist terrors of white America and monstrous creatures that could be ripped from an H.P. Lovecraft paperback.
Lovecraft Country Episodes 1 – 5
- Season 1, Episode 1: “Sundown”
Debut Date: SUNDAY, AUGUST 16 (9:00-10:08 p.m. ET/PT)
Veteran and pulp-fiction aficionado Atticus Freeman (Jonathan Majors) travels from the Jim Crow South to his South Side of Chicago hometown in search of his missing father Montrose (Michael Kenneth Williams). After recruiting his uncle George (Courtney B. Vance) and childhood friend Letitia (Jurnee Smollett) to join him, the trio sets out for “Ardham,” MA, where they think Montrose may have gone looking for insight into Atticus’ late mother’s ancestry. As they journey across the Midwest, Tic, Leti, and George encounter dangers lurking at every turn, especially after sundown.
Teleplay by Misha Green; directed by Yann Demange. - Season 1, Episode 2: “Whitey’s on the Moon”
Debut Date: SUNDAY, AUGUST 23 (9:00-10:00 p.m. ET/PT)
Inexplicably recovered from their terrifying night, Leti and George luxuriate in their new surroundings, while Atticus grows suspicious of their Ardham Lodge hosts – Christina Braithwhite (Abbey Lee) and her elusive father Samuel (Tony Goldwyn) – who unveil cryptic plans for Atticus’ role in their upcoming “Sons of Adam” ceremony. Later, after Tic, Leti, and George stumble upon a clue that could lead them to Montrose, each takes an unwelcome walk down memory lane.
Teleplay by Misha Green; directed by Daniel Sackheim. - Season 1, Episode 3: “Holy Ghost”
Debut Date: SUNDAY, AUGUST 30 (9:00-10:00 p.m. ET/PT)
Hoping to mend her relationship with her sister Ruby (Wunmi Mosaku), Leti turns a ramshackle Victorian on Chicago’s North Side into a boarding house – an endeavor that stokes neighborhood racism and awakens dormant spirits stuck in the house. Meanwhile, Atticus remains burdened by a guilty conscience as George’s wife Hippolyta (Aunjanue Ellis) presses him for the full story of what happened in Ardham.
Teleplay by Misha Green; directed by Daniel Sackheim. - Season 1, Episode 4: “A History of Violence”
Debut Date: SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 6 (9:00-10:00 p.m. ET/PT)
After Christina mysteriously shows up at her doorstep, Leti confronts Atticus about his plan to surreptitiously return to Florida. Later, in search of missing pages to a crucial text, Leti, Tic, and Montrose head to Boston, with Hippolyta and Diana (Jada Harris) along for the ride. Back in Chicago, a handsome stranger nurses Ruby’s disappointment over a squandered job opportunity.
Teleplay by Misha Green; Story by Wes Taylor; directed by Victoria Mahoney. - Season 1, Episode 5 “Strange Case”
Debut Date: SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 13 (9:00-10:00 p.m. ET/PT)
After making a devil’s bargain with William, Ruby steps into the charmed shoes of a white woman, but her transformation only fortifies her resentment of the racial divide. A betrayal by Montrose unleashes Atticus’ pent up rage, leaving Leti deeply disturbed and sending Montrose into the comforting arms of his secret lover.
Teleplay by Misha Green and Jonathan Kidd & Sonya Winton; directed by Cheryl Dunye.
