Dracula (2013 TV series)

Dracula is a British-American horror drama television series.[2] The series, a reimagining of Bram Stoker's novel Dracula, was produced by London-based Carnival Films; it aired in the United States on NBC and in the United Kingdom on Sky Living from October 25, 2013 to January 24, 2014. It was created by Cole Haddon and Daniel Knauff,[1][3] while Daniel Knauf served as showrunner and head writer.[4]

Dracula
Genre
Created byCole Haddon
Daniel Knauff[1]
Based onDracula
by Bram Stoker
Starring
Composer(s)Trevor Morris
Country of origin
  • United Kingdom
  • United States
Original language(s)English
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes10 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)
Production location(s)Hungary
CinematographyOusama Rawi
Editor(s)Paul Knight
Running time43 minutes
Production company(s)
DistributorNBCUniversal Television Distribution
Release
Original networkNBC (US)
Sky Living (UK)
Picture format1080i (16:9 HDTV)
Original releaseOctober 25, 2013 (2013-10-25) –
January 24, 2014 (2014-01-24)
External links
Website

The series was given a straight-to-series commitment of ten episodes.[3][5] It was cancelled after one season.[6]

Premise

Dracula arrives in London posing as Alexander Grayson, an American entrepreneur who maintains that he wants to bring modern science to Victorian society. In reality, he seeks revenge on the Order of the Dragon, a power-hungry organisation who ruined his life centuries earlier. Abraham Van Helsing, who has freed Dracula from the prison the Order placed him in, is also out for revenge, and the two have formed an uneasy alliance. Their plans are complicated when Dracula becomes fascinated with Mina Murray, a woman who seems to be a reincarnation of his dead wife.[7]

Cast and characters

Main cast

Recurring cast

Production

The series was shot in Budapest.[10][16] Prior to the series premiere, NBC released an animated web companion entitled Dracula Rising, which serves as a prequel that depicts the origin story of the titular character.[17]

Episodes
No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateUS viewers
(millions)
1"The Blood Is the Life"Steve ShillCole HaddonOctober 25, 2013 (2013-10-25)5.26[18]
Enter the arrival of Dracula, who is posing as Alexander Grayson, a rich American Entrepreneur. He throws a lavish ball and invites the elite locals, including Lucy Westenra, who is accompanied by her best friend, biology student Mina Murray, and Mina's partner, Jonathan Harker, a striving journalist. Grayson's party is scrutinised by its attendant, and while Grayson makes his rounds of greetings, he spots Mina, whom, flashbacks show, strongly resembles his dead wife Ilona, from across the room. He also meets a group he labels the Order of the Dragon, including Lord Davenport and Lord Browning, who ridicule him and develop an instant dislike of him due to his magnetic demonstration, which would put their business down if successful. However, the other member, Lady Jayne Wetherby, takes a liking to him.
2"A Whiff of Sulfur"Steve ShillDaniel KnaufNovember 1, 2013 (2013-11-01)3.39[19]
Grayson and Lady Jayne become lovers, despite his suspicions about her being involved with the Order of the Dragon. Mina asks for Grayson's help with a challenge at medical school which leads to a much desired success; Van Helsing continues his work on a solar vaccine for Dracula as Harker enters a bargain with the devil.
3"Goblin Merchant Men"Andy GoddardHarley PeytonNovember 8, 2013 (2013-11-08)2.96[20]
With Harker's help, Grayson begins to dismantle the Order of the Dragon from within by attacking its members one by one. He unmasks and threatens to exploit Lord Laurent's secret to his own advantage. This ultimately leads the Order to take drastic measures to reprimand members who break their rules. As a result of a chain of events resulting from Grayson's blackmail of Lord Laurent, he, in turn, earns a powerful enemy within the Order of the Dragon — Lord Davenport. Renfield proves to be a sophisticated and skillful tactician in business matters on behalf of his employer. Grayson investigates Lady Jayne and finds brutal proof regarding her secret life within the Order - now he realizes he must change his tactics with her. Lucy tries to help Mina who is depressed over the current sad state of her relationship with Jonathan. Mina confides in Grayson about her troubles and Grayson offers Jonathan advice to help fix the situation. Jonathan and Mina reconcile and become engaged to be married — all according to Grayson's plan to continue to keep Mina close, but not too close.
4"From Darkness to Light"Andy GoddardTom GrievesNovember 15, 2013 (2013-11-15)2.99[21]
Grayson sets out to win Lady Jayne's heart and utmost trust in order to keep her and the Order of the Dragon from suspecting him to be the ancient vampire they're looking for. To this end, he sacrifices an old but loyal acquaintance who, according to the sage advice of Renfield, demonstrates too much brutish, uncontrolled behavior — thus, proving himself to be too much of a "wild card" to include in Grayson's strategically subtle plans for the Order (and possibly himself, with Mina). Harker looks into General Shaw, at Grayson's request, while Lord Davenport seeks out the help of an "expert" to destroy Grayson for indirectly causing the death of his son. Lord Davenport, without the sanction of the Order, aids in the kidnapping (and soon-to-be torture) of Renfield, Grayson's close associate, confidant & up-and-coming right hand man. Meanwhile, Lucy hides her broken heart over Mina by throwing herself into the planning for Mina and Harker's lavish engagement party — hosted entirely by Grayson.
5"The Devil's Waltz"Nick MurphyNicole TaylorNovember 29, 2013 (2013-11-29)2.84[22]
Mina dreams of Grayson in her bedroom telling her that Harker was not the right man for her. As they start to get intimate, Lucy walks into her room and Mina awakens abruptly from her dream. Van Helsing was able to make an initially successful attempt of the solar serum which was tried on a woman vampire after he and Grayson shocked her heart back to beating again - although she burst into flames after a few minutes' exposure to sunlight. Grayson reminisces about first meeting Renfield in America, while worriedly awaiting word from Harker who makes inquiry about Renfield's disappearance. Using the "scent" of Renfield's pocket book which Harker found outside the building where Renfield was seen beaten and abducted into a carriage, Grayson was able to find and rescue him once night falls. Renfield admirably withstands grotesque torture techniques without uttering a single word of betrayal and then suddenly Grayson arrives to quickly and mercilessly exact bloody revenge against Renfield's torturers. During Mina and Harker's engagement party, Grayson was introduced to some of the elite gents of the Order of the Dragon and after shaking hands with them, he sniffs his hand in order to discover the man responsible for Renfield's kidnapping. Mina introduces Grayson to her mentor, Dr. Van Helsing, and the two men act as though they never met. Lucy observes Lady Jayne searching for someone and correctly concludes she's looking for Grayson and that they are lovers. Later on, Lady Jayne catches Lucy looking at Mina lovingly and deduces she is in love with her. As a thank you to Grayson for the engagement party, Harker gifts him the first dance with Mina. Both Grayson and Mina are visibly shaken by this. While dancing, Mina and Grayson inadvertently have a long "moment" as they seem to only have eyes for each other - Lady Jayne, Harker and Lucy each then become aware that there is an intense attraction between them and Harker promptly interrupts their dance. Browning discusses with Lady Jayne the possibility of Grayson being the old one they are seeking as his entrance into London society coincides with Dracula's appearance. Lady Jayne dismisses this and Browning informs her that she is not the first woman to be blinded by lust but she will be the first vampire hunter to do so. Grayson gently tends to Renfield's head wounds and a flashback show how the two became fiercely loyal to one another.
6"Of Monsters and Men"Nick MurphyKatie LovejoyDecember 6, 2013 (2013-12-06)3.83[23]
Browning decides to host a board meeting in the sunlight in an effort to expose Grayson, putting Van Helsing under even more pressure, albeit he finds a method via reanimating Grayson's heart. Grayson attends the meeting whilst exposed to direct sunlight and manages to pull through, until Lord Davenport stops him, causing his cheek to burn. Lucy comes over for a sleepover with Mina in which she professes her true feelings and attempts to seduce Mina, but this upsets her, leading her to ask Lucy to leave. Finally, Mina and Harker reconcile and have sex.
7"Servant to Two Masters"Brian KellyRebecca KirschJanuary 3, 2014 (2014-01-03)2.90[24]
Grayson is so intoxicated by his invulnerability to sunlight that he doesn't indulge in blood. He foolishly deludes himself into thinking that avoiding his cravings for blood plus the serum is beginning to make him human again. He slowly grows sick which others notice. Renfield is sent to Budapest for a painting of Ilona which is stolen by the Order of the Dragon. Lord Davenport, having stolen and viewed the painting, learns that Mina Murray is the object of Grayson's desire. Lady Jayne continues her manipulation of Lucy and thereby the indirect assault on Mina, Grayson's weakness. She teaches Lucy the art of seduction and suggests she try to entice Harker so as to set Mina free for a relationship with Lucy. Harker realizes he was manipulated by Grayson and is introduced to the Order of the Dragon. The Order employs a policeman to poison the milk offered by Grayson Energies as Grayson is ready to present his technology to the public. This causes the people who drink it to become very ill. The same policeman then proceeds to force Grayson's business to be shut down by associating the "mysterious" illness with the demonstration's machinery. In retaliation, Grayson then proceeds to drain the policeman when everyone is gone. Meanwhile, Mina throws a dance at the hospital that Harker missed but she danced with Grayson which is noticed by her father. Angered that Van Helsing's serum has not "cured" him of the Order's curse upon him (something Van Helsing never promised) Grayson threatens to kill him.
8"Come to Die"Brian KellyHarley PeytonJanuary 10, 2014 (2014-01-10)2.47[25]
Van Helsing has a falling out with Grayson, after Grayson learned he would still crave blood despite taking the serum, and seeks payback against Mr. Browning and his family. Mina tries to avoid Grayson and focus on her schooling, but ends up being attacked by Lord Davenport's men, an act Harker vows to avenge. After the attack, Mina ends up in a hospital. Harker confronts Mina about her feelings towards Grayson. After seeing Mina's portrait that Grayson wanted to attain, Harker becomes mad with jealousy and sleeps with Lucy. Lady Jayne learns that Dracula has returned to London after seeing the three men who attacked Mina impaled on public gates.
9"Four Roses"Tim FywellStory by : Jesse Peyronel
Teleplay by : Daniel Knauf		January 17, 2014 (2014-01-17)2.78[26]
Grayson goes to war with the Order of the Dragon just as Harker becomes a member of the group. Lucy reveals a secret that damages her friendship with Mina, as she recovers from her attack. Mr. Browning desperately searches for his children. Lady Jayne prepares to hunt the ultimate vampire, Dracula. Grayson turns Lucy into the monster he believes she is.
10"Let There Be Light"Tim FywellCole HaddonJanuary 24, 2014 (2014-01-24)3.04[27]
A public demonstration of Grayson's technology is sabotaged with it exploding and killing most if not all of the people there, it was sabotaged by Harker and now Grayson knows that he is the enemy and part of the Order of the Dragon. Mina is afraid of new Harker so she runs away from him. Van Helsing destroys the process that enables Grayson to walk in the light and escapes, stabbing Renfield and sends a ransom note for £50000 together with a child's finger to Browning's distraught wife luring Browning with the ransom to his children. There, Browning is shot before Van Helsing shows him that his children have become vampires through Dracula's blood. He then allows the children to eat Browning and before setting the place on fire. Lady Jayne employs a seer with a relic containing the blood of Christ to locate vampires that leads her, armed with a holy papal dagger, to a final confrontation with Grayson. She stabs Grayson and tells him that she never loved him before he throws her on the ground, impaling her. She begs him not to transform her in her dying moments, and Grayson complies. Meanwhile, Lucy fully changes into a vampire and bites her mother. Mina discovers the secret of Grayson's love before making love to him. Van Helsing decides to hunt down Dracula now that he had his revenge and tells Harker that Grayson is Dracula. Van Helsing employs Harker to fight and destroy Dracula.

Awards and nominations
YearGroupAwardResultNotes
2014American Society of CinematographersOutstanding Achievement in Cinematography in One-Hour Episodic Television SeriesNominatedDracula
2014People's Choice AwardsFavorite New TV DramaNominatedDracula
2014People's Choice AwardsFavorite Actor in a New TV Series - Jonathan Rhys MeyersNominatedDracula

See also

References
  1. http://www.thefutoncritic.com/showatch/dracula/
  2. Busis, Hillary (May 12, 2013). "NBC fall schedule reveals big moves". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved May 15, 2013.
  3. Byrne, Craig (July 24, 2012). "NBC Orders 10-Episode Dracula Series With Jonathan Rhys Meyers". KSiteTV. Retrieved December 7, 2012.
  4. Andreeva, Nellie (October 8, 2012). "'Carnivale' Creator to Run NBC's 'Dracula'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 25, 2013.
  5. Keene, Allison (July 25, 2012). "Jonathan Rhys Meyers To Star in NBC DRACULA Series". Collider. Retrieved December 7, 2012.
  6. Kondolojy, Amanda (May 10, 2014). "'Dracula' Canceled by NBC After One Season". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved May 10, 2014.
  7. NBC. "About Dracula". NBC. Archived from the original on March 29, 2013. Retrieved October 31, 2013.
  8. Goldberg, Lesley (January 18, 2013). "'Arrow' Actress to Co-Star in NBC's Jonathan Rhys Meyers 'Dracula' Series". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 4, 2017.
  9. Roots, Kimberly (February 11, 2013). "Scoop: NBC's Dracula Casts King Kong Actor as Its Van Helsing – With a Twist". TVLine. Retrieved February 12, 2013.
  10. Hall, Eva (February 4, 2013). "Victoria Smurfit To Sink Teeth Into Jonathan Rhys Meyers' 'Dracula'". IFTN. Retrieved February 4, 2013.
  11. Andreeva, Nellie (February 11, 2013). "Thomas Kretschmann & Oliver Jackson-Cohen Join NBC's 'Dracula' Series". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 12, 2013.
  12. Challis, Carla (February 12, 2013). "Say Hello To Dracula's Hot New Signings". Sky Living HD. Retrieved February 13, 2013.
  13. Goldberg, Lesley (January 30, 2013). "NBC's 'Dracula' Series Casts 'Game of Thrones,' 'Merlin' Actors". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 31, 2013.
  14. Webb, Claire. "Katie McGrath: In the book Lucy is very sweet, mine has much more sass". RadioTimes. Retrieved November 16, 2013.
  15. Fletcher, Alex (November 11, 2013). "'Dracula' on NBC, Sky Living: Tamer Hassan joins cast". Digital Spy. Retrieved November 18, 2013.
  16. Ford Sullivan, Brian (January 6, 2013). "NBC at TCA: Greenblatt Outlines Latest Plans for Midseason, Summer and Fall". The Futon Critic. Retrieved January 6, 2013.
  17. Gutelle, Sam (October 7, 2013). "NBC's 'Dracula' Gets Animated In Web Companion Prequel". TubeFilter. Retrieved October 8, 2013.
  18. Bibel, Sara (October 28, 2013). "Friday Final TV Ratings: No Adjustments to 'Grimm,' Dracula' or 'The Carrie Diaries'". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved October 28, 2013.
  19. Kondolojy, Amanda (November 4, 2013). "Friday Final Ratings: 'Shark Tank' Adjusted Up, 'Blue Bloods' Adjusted Down + No Adjustment for 'Grimm' or 'Dracula'". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved November 4, 2013.
  20. Bibel, Sara (November 11, 2013). "Friday Final Ratings: 'Dracula' & 'The Neighbors' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved November 11, 2013.
  21. Kondolojy, Amanda (November 18, 2013). "Friday Final Ratings: 'Hawaii Five-0', 'Undercover Boss', 'Grimm' & 'Raising Hope' Adjusted Up; 'Last Man Standing', 'The Carrie Diaries' & 'The Neighbors' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved November 18, 2013.
  22. Kondolojy, Amanda (December 4, 2013). "Friday Final Ratings: No Adjustment for 'Nikita', 'Grimm' or 'Dracula'". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved December 4, 2013.
  23. Kondolojy, Amanda (December 9, 2013). "Friday Final Ratings: 'Bones' & 'Raising Hope' Adjusted Up; 'The Neighbors' & 'The Carrie Diaries' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved December 9, 2013.
  24. Bibel, Sara (January 6, 2014). "Friday Final Ratings: 'Grimm' Adjusted Up". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved January 6, 2014.
  25. Kondolojy, Amanda (January 13, 2014). "Friday Final Ratings: 'Hawaii Five-0' Adjusted Up; 'Dracula' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved January 13, 2014.
  26. Bibel, Sara (January 21, 2014). "Friday Final Ratings: No Adjustments to 'Grimm', 'Dracula', 'Hawaii Five-0' or 'The Carrie Diaries'". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved January 21, 2014.
  27. Kondolojy, Amanda (January 27, 2014). "Friday Final Ratings: 'The Neighbors' Adjusted Down; No Adjustment for 'Enlisted' or 'The Carrie Diaries'". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved January 27, 2014.
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