Freakish (TV series)

Freakish
Genre Horror
Created by Beth Szymkowski
Starring
Country of origin United States
Original language(s) English
No. of seasons 2
No. of episodes 20 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)
Camera setup Single-camera
Running time 25 minutes
Production company(s) AwesomenessTV
Release
Original network Hulu
Original release October 10, 2016 (2016-10-10) – October 18, 2017 (2017-10-18)
External links
Website

Freakish is an American horror web television series that premiered on October 10, 2016 on Hulu. The series features several high-profile social media stars and celebrities—including Liza Koshy, Hayes Grier, Meghan Rienks, Leo Howard, and Aislinn Paul—and focuses on a group of high-school students who are trapped inside their school when a nearby chemical plant explodes, resulting in residents and other infected students turning into mutated freaks. In July 2018, it was reported that the series had been cancelled after two seasons.

Premise

The series follows a group of students who gather for school detention on a Saturday at Kent High. Other students are on campus as well, but involved in various activities (basketball, debate prep, music, etc.). When a nearby chemical plant explodes, they must work together to find a way to survive with only limited resources and protect themselves from those who have turned into freakish zombie-like creatures as a result of the fallout.[1]

Cast

Main

Recurring

Guest

  • Caitlin Carver as Elise (season 2)
  • Raushanah Simmons as Poe (season 2)

Episodes

SeasonEpisodesOriginally released
110October 10, 2016 (2016-10-10)
210[2]October 18, 2017 (2017-10-18)[2]

Season 1 (2016)

No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release date
11"Detention"Chris GrismerBeth SzymkowskiOctober 10, 2016 (2016-10-10)
Despite not having Saturday detention, Grover Jones attends anyway just to be near the girl of his dreams, Violet Adams. When a nearby chemical plant explodes, they find themselves trapped in the school along with his sister Mary, basketball players Lashawn and Noodle, Lashawn's girlfriend Zoe, bully Diesel, computer whiz geek Barrett, and Natalie while the other students venture outside to try and find any survivors. At the end of the episode, one of the students who ventured outside, Lyle, re-enters the school, with strange sick-like symptoms. When Grover questions him, Lyle replies: "All dead."
22"Winds of Change"Chris GrismerBeth SzymkowskiOctober 10, 2016 (2016-10-10)
As Grover, Violet, Barrett, and the Coach try to get more answers from Lyle, more students show up, all experiencing the same symptoms. They go to sleep momentarily, and wake up as zombies. The remaining check on food and supplies. As Grover and Mary try to bring food to a sleeping Coach, only to find him being eaten by the reanimated "freaks". Grover and Mary barely manage to escape and barricade the freaks inside. Mary goes to the bathroom to try and catch her breath, and is revealed to have been bitten.
33"Secrets"Michael A. AllowitzBeth SzymkowskiOctober 10, 2016 (2016-10-10)
Grover learns that Mary has been bitten, and starts bringing her supplies. However, Mary slowly starts experiencing the symptoms and begins acting strangely toward other people. Barrett tries to establish contact on a CB radio, but does not initially get help. However, when no one is looking he plugs in the radio and speaks with an unknown person. He is caught by Mary, who tries to tell the group. The freak instinct comes over her and she prepares to eat him, but Grover intervenes. The remaining survivors become suspicious of Grover, and Violet is the one who defends him when the truth comes out. Mary goes to sleep, but a few hours later wakes up a freak.
44"Trapped"Chris GrismerMatthew V. LewisOctober 10, 2016 (2016-10-10)
Grover goes in to check up on Mary, but is shocked to learn she has become a freak. Mary escapes, and the group splits up to look for her. LeShaen and Zoey manage to find her in the locker room (and also a dead Noodle). Zoey barely escapes, and Mary is knocked unconscious. She is locked up as the remaining group decide what to do. Grover manages to convince them to keep her alive. Barrett goes down later and burns her with a flame in order to learn more about the freaks. Grover finds out and gets mad, but the group takes a vote to either keep her alive or continue testing on her. The votes are tied, with the deciding vote being from Violet; they agree to keep testing. Grover angrily goes to confront Mary, and the episode ends with an implication that he is going to kill her.
55"Weakness"Michael A. AllowitzBeth SzymkowskiOctober 10, 2016 (2016-10-10)
It is revealed in the opening minutes that Grover did not go through with killing Mary, and along with Diesel helped her escape to the outside. Lashawn is acting strangely, and the kids begin to suspect he might be infected, but it turns out that he is running low on insulin. Grover and Barrett find two more vials, and Barrett puts one in his jacket while giving the other one to Zoe, but at a cost. Zoe and Barrett strike an uneasy alliance. Grover is still angry with Violet, but later make amends and dedicates a wall in memory of their fallen friends and teachers. Diesel arrives with more bad news, that the plumbing stopped working and that the water is gone.
66"Thirst"Chris GrismerBeth SzymkowskiOctober 10, 2016 (2016-10-10)
While the group carefully rations everyone's remaining liquids, Grover discovers that the fallout shelter stores gas masks that will enable them to escape. Violet plans to make knockout gas for use on the freaks so they can go in and retrieve the masks. She and Zoe climb through air vents into the chemistry lab to gather the necessary chemicals, and while at it battle a freak. After the successful mission, LaShawn and Zoe intimately make out, and she and Natalie make amend their relationship, reuniting as friends. Grover and Violet grow closer and dance together while Natalie reveals to the rest of group of her pregnancy with the help of Zoe's advice. Unbeknownst to them, the freak that Violet was believed to have killed survived and manages to enter the air vents.
77"Knockout"Chris GrismerMatthew V. LewisOctober 10, 2016 (2016-10-10)
Grover walks in on Barrett secretively talking to people on the radio and rats him out. Violet, losing her temper, knocks him out with the newly made sleeping gas, unintentionally getting Diesel too. This mistake prompts her to privately record herself revealing how she believes she caused the chemical plant explosion and the disaster following it. LaShawn, Grover, and Violet take on the mission to go in the shelter. Barrett wakes up, and Natalie tries to warn Violet. They find out Grover got knocked out by the gas, but are too late and are forced to leave him trapped with the now awakened freaks. Eventually they find a way to run in and save him, and succeed, while Diesel, Barrett, and Zoe fight the freak that escaped through the air vents. The group celebrates as the others come back with all 7 gas masks and commend Grover, but things take a bad turn when they discover that only one of the masks work.
88"Outsiders"Heather CappielloBeth SzymkowskiOctober 10, 2016 (2016-10-10)
One of the group must venture outside to look for help. Diesel reassesses his relationship with Natalie.
99"Saved"Tony SolomonsMatthew V. LewisOctober 10, 2016 (2016-10-10)
The arrival of someone at the school may represent new hope for the group. Grover decides if he can trust Violet with his secret.
1010"Prey"Chris GrismerBeth Szymkowski & Matthew V. LewisOctober 10, 2016 (2016-10-10)
In the season finale, things come to a head when John Collins is revealed to be a traitor and Natalie to be dying from the poison. The group becomes aware of shocking secrets behind the chemical plant. The group attempts to hold Collins hostage but he manages to escape, Diesel is shot in the process but survives. Violet is captured and Collins demands his suit in return for her life. Grover and the group comply to his demands, but secretly attach an alarm to the suit. But Collins secretly removes the basement shelter door barricade as well. The alarm on his suit goes off after exiting to the outside, attracting freaks that kill him. Diesel and Natalie share one last moment with each other before she sacrifices herself in order to save the others when they are about to lose against the freaks that have suddenly escaped the shelter. Diesel and the other remaining four survive are left in grief. Afterwards, it is shown that Grover had uncovered a photo of himself from Collins' bag which labeled him as a retrieval target. In the final scene, Lashawn, whom they all thought was dead, turns out has survived and returns, informing Zoe and Barrett that he had no choice but to lead new survivors to the school.

Season 2 (2017)

No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release date
111"Trespass"Chris GrismerBeth SzymkowskiOctober 18, 2017 (2017-10-18)
When Zoe and Barrett discovers that Lashawn is still alive and has arrived back to the high school, they also discover that Lashawn didn't come back alone, but instead he returned with more people who wants to kill the remaining 6 witnesses. Zoe reveals to Lashawn that Natalie died and Barrett warns the others of the events that's happening. Zoe who warns Diesel, who is on the floor grieving over the loss of Natalie returns to the group. As, the reinforces enter the building, the students have no other choice, but to hide out. Lashawn gives up himself up to one of the reinforces who takes him to another room and tortures him, until he gives up his friends location. Grover, Barrett, and Diesel decides to go out to retrieve Barrett's radio to call for help. Grover is then seen by one of the reinforces, Grover then shows him a picture, In which the reinforce is then killed by Diesel. The reinforce then lures out Lashawn, then breaks his leg, so he can't run from the freaks. He is then rescued by Diesel, Barrett, and Grover. The rest of the reinforce leave the school believing that Lashawn is dead and no other people are in the school. Diesel then confronts Grover on the picture that Grover showed the reinforce. Lashawn then wakes up to Zoe knowing that his leg is broken. Grover and Violet are seen walking through the hallways, Until the screen turns to the outside and sees a man walking through the chemical storm without a mask.
122"Attraction"Chris GrismerErin Maher & Kay ReindlOctober 18, 2017 (2017-10-18)
133"Strangers"Michael A. AllowitzKristine HuntleyOctober 18, 2017 (2017-10-18)
144"Trust Issues"Stacy TitleAdam J. KarpOctober 18, 2017 (2017-10-18)
155"Self-Preservation"Chris GrismerBeth SzymkowskiOctober 18, 2017 (2017-10-18)
166"Dare"Tony SolomonsErin Maher & Kay ReindlOctober 18, 2017 (2017-10-18)
177"Haters"Craig David WallaceAdam J. KarpOctober 18, 2017 (2017-10-18)
188"Humanity"Tony SolomonsKristine HuntleyOctober 18, 2017 (2017-10-18)
199"Rescue"Craig David WallaceErin Maher & Kay ReindlOctober 18, 2017 (2017-10-18)
2010"Turning"Craig David WallaceBeth SzymkowskiOctober 18, 2017 (2017-10-18)

Production

Freakish is produced by AwesomenessTV and was created by Beth Szymkowski.[3] Hulu acquired exclusive streaming rights during production of the program.[3] A reviewer described the show as "The Walking Dead meets The Breakfast Club".[4] The show premiered on October 10, 2016.[1]

Hulu renewed the series for a second season,[5] which consisted of 10 episodes and premiered on October 18, 2017.[2] On July 27, 2018, it was reported that the series had been cancelled.[6]

Reception

Critical response

Sonia Saraiya writing for Variety called the show "a silly, lightweight half-hour, somewhere between horror thriller and teen soap" and ultimately said "The show never quite becomes interesting enough to transcend either the dully predictable beats of zombie horror or the plodding angst of young adulthood."[7] Neil Genzlinger for The New York Times said of the show "Here in the age of zombie TV, lots about 'Freakish' seems familiar, but with the episodes shorter than a half-hour each, the series goes down easily."[8]

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Nominee(s) Result Refs
2017 Shorty Awards Web Series Freakish Nominated [9]

References

  1. 1 2 Dugan, Christina (October 5, 2016). "WATCH: Exclusive Sneak Peek at Hulu's Newest Original Horror Series Freakish". People. Retrieved January 8, 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 Petski, Denise (August 2, 2017). "Hulu Announced Season 2 Release Date for Freakish". Premiere Date. Retrieved August 2, 2017.
  3. 1 2 Spangler, Todd (April 14, 2016). "Hulu Acquires AwesomenessTV's 'Freakish' Horror Series". Variety. Retrieved January 8, 2017.
  4. ↑ Longeretta, Emily (October 10, 2016). "'Freakish': Everything You Need To Know About The Must-Watch Teen Horror Show". Hollywoodlife.com. Retrieved January 8, 2017.
  5. ↑ Petski, Denise (May 1, 2017). "Hulu's 'Freakish' Among Renewals Announced By Awesomeness At Newfronts". Deadline. Retrieved May 3, 2017.
  6. ↑ Mitovich, Matt Webb (July 26, 2018). "Matt's Inside Line: Scoop on Five-0, Legends, Lucifer, Supernatural, NCIS, S.W.A.T., Nashville Finale and More". TVLine. Retrieved July 27, 2018.
  7. ↑ Saraiya, Sonia (October 7, 2016). "TV Review: 'Freakish'". Variety. Retrieved January 8, 2017.
  8. ↑ Genzlinger, Neil (October 6, 2016). "Hold Onto Your Teeth: 2 New Shows Herald the Creepy Season". The New York Times. Retrieved January 8, 2017.
  9. ↑ "9th Annual Shorty Awards Nominees". shortyawards.com. Sawhorse Media. Retrieved March 12, 2017.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.