Everything we know so far about AppleTV’s highly anticipated Lessons in Chemistry (2023)
Since Apple TV announced the show back in 2021, Lessons in Chemistry has been highly anticipated. Now that the release date has been officially set, let’s take a look at everything we know so far about the upcoming series.
Premise, context, and inspiration
The show is set in the 1950s – 1960s, and follows aspiring scientist Elizabeth Zott, who, after being fired from her job at the lab, begins hosting a cookery show called Supper at Six. Of course, in those days, cookery shows were all the rage – but female-hosted cookery programs were only just emerging, notably Julia Child’s The French Chef and Dione Lucas’ Gourmet Club.
It was shows like this that are often hailed as sparking renewed interest in cooking, paving the way for today’s female-centric shows like Ree Drummond’s The Pioneer Woman and Ina Garten’s Barefoot Contessa. Later, this interest began to seep into reality TV with shows like MasterChef, Hell’s Kitchen, and The Great British Baking Show seeing significant success worldwide, and, in turn casino games and online slots like Gordon Ramsay Hell’s Kitchen Video Slot, Chilli Prize Pots, Gluttony, and Sweet As Candy.
Though hosting a cookery show might not be Elizabeth’s dream job, she takes the role to support herself in a world where single women were often looked down on by society. But, with science at the core of her being and the fuel of her passion, Elizabeth takes the show in a new direction – she uses the show to not only whip up delicious dishes, but to also teach housewives about complex scientific topics in a way that is digestible.
Though the particulars of the plot are being kept tightly underwraps, Lessons in Chemistry is based on the novel of the same name by Bonnie Garmus. The author’s debut novel received rave reviews from literary critics and chemistry experts alike upon its release. So long as the film does the novel justice, this suggests that the narrative of the film will be captivating, thought-provoking, and so delicious that it’s “almost addictive”.
Cast, characters, and release date
Lessons in Chemistry stars Brie Larson as Elizabeth Zott – Larson also serves as an executive producer on the project. Larson is famed for being a multi-faceted artist, having previously co-written The Arm (2012) and Weighting (2013), directed the indie film Unicorn Store (2017), and produced The Messy Truth VR Experience (2020), the latter of which received a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Original Interactive Program. Larson is also a keen singer-songwriter, and wowed audiences with her voice in Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010).
Lessons in Chemistry also stars Lewis Pullman (Top Gun: Maverick), Aja Naomi King (How to Get Away with Murder), Stephanie Koenig (The Flight Attendant), Patrick Walker (The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey), Thomas Mann (Halloween Kills), Kevin Sussman (The Big Bang Theory), Beau Bridges (The Fabulous Baker Boys), Ashley Monique Clark (Sons of Anarchy), and Derek Cecil (House of Cards).
The makority of the episodes are either written by series creator Lee Eisenberg or screenwriter Elissa Karasik, with Emily Fox joining Eisenberg as co-writer on two of the episodes. Sarah Adina Smith has been announced as the director of the pilot and subsequent episode.
The first two episodes of Lessons in Chemistry are scheduled to drop on Apple TV+ on October 12, 2023.
