Dracula is a horror drama television series.[2] The series, a reimagining of Bram Stoker's 1897 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 25 October 2013, to 24 January 2014. It was created by Cole Haddon and Daniel Knauf,[1][3] while Daniel Knauf served as showrunner and head writer.[4]
| Dracula | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | |
| Created by | Cole Haddon Daniel Knauff[1] |
| Based on | Dracula by Bram Stoker |
| Starring | |
| Composer | Trevor Morris |
| Country of origin |
|
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 10 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
|
| Production location | Hungary |
| Cinematography | Ousama Rawi |
| Editor | Paul Knight |
| Running time | 43 minutes |
| Production companies | |
| Original release | |
| Network | NBC (US) Sky Living (UK) |
| Release | 25 October 2013 – 24 January 2014 |
The series was given a straight-to-series commitment of ten episodes.[3][5] It was cancelled after one season.
Premise
editAfter being revived by a mysterious figure through the blood of a graveyard thief, Dracula arrives in London posing as Alexander Grayson, an American entrepreneur who claims to bring modern science to Victorian society. In reality, he seeks revenge on the Order of the Dragon, a power-hungry organization that ruined his life centuries earlier. Abraham Van Helsing, who was later revealed to have brought Dracula back to life, is also out for revenge, and the two form 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, Ilona.[6]
Cast and characters
editMain cast
edit- Jonathan Rhys Meyers as Dracula / Alexander Grayson / Vlad Tepes[3]
- Jessica De Gouw as Mina Murray / Ilona,[7] a medical student and the reincarnation of Dracula's long-dead wife.
- Thomas Kretschmann as Abraham Van Helsing,[8] Mina's lecturer at university and a former member of the Order of the Dragon. Kretschmann previously played Dracula in the 2012 Italian horror film Dracula 3D.
- Victoria Smurfit as Lady Jayne Wetherby, a fashionable huntswoman who is immediately enticed by the King of Vampires.[9]
- Oliver Jackson-Cohen as Jonathan Harker, a gauche journalist who is desperate to climb the ranks of aristocracy.[10][11]
- Nonso Anozie as R. M. Renfield, Dracula's loyal confidant and keeper of secrets.[12]
- Katie McGrath as Lucy Westenra,[12] a rich society girl who harbors secret romantic feelings for Mina, her best friend.[13]
Recurring cast
edit- Ben Miles as Lord Browning, the leader of the Order of the Dragon.
- Robert Bathurst as Lord Thomas Davenport
- Miklós Bányai as Szabo, Harker's friend and former co-worker at the newspaper.
- Phil McKee as Joseph Kowalski, Grayson's head technician.
- Anthony Calf as Dr. William Murray, Mina's father and the director of Bethlem Royal Hospital.
- Jemma Redgrave as Minerva Westenra, Lucy's mother.
- Tamer Hassan as Kaha Ruma aka "The Moroccan".[14]
Production
editAccording to co-creator Haddon, who in 2023 wrote a retrospective on the series titled The Horror of Dracula, the series was born in February 2011, as a result of his feature spec Hyde, another monster reinvention, which got on the Black List. Gore Verbinski passed on the project, and it seemingly stalled until September 27, when NBC bought the pilot script. The subsequent development and production were arduous, with an unidentified producer[15][16] on the series meddling with several key decisions, and nearly causing Haddon to quit several times.[17] The essay series drew strong commendation from other television professionals for its insight and honesty, such as showrunners Mickey Fisher and Steven S. DeKnight.[18]
The series was shot in Budapest.[9][19] 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.[20]
Episodes
edit| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | US viewers (millions) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "The Blood Is the Life" | Steve Shill | Cole Haddon | 25 October 2013 | 5.26[21] | |
|
After recently coming to England, Dracula, posing as rich American Entrepreneur, Alexandar Grayson, hosts a ball for the locals of the town he moved to. There he meets, Mina, a woman he would later grow fixated on due to her looking like his dead former lover Ilona. | ||||||
| 2 | "A Whiff of Sulfur" | Steve Shill | Daniel Knauf | 1 November 2013 | 3.39[22] | |
|
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 Goddard | Harley Peyton | 8 November 2013 | 2.96[23] | |
|
With the help of Mina, Grayson starts to attack members of the Order of the Dragon. From there he investigates Lady Jayne, finding out her life within the Order. However, Mina soon grows depressed to which her best friend Lucy tries to help. Jonathan who is Mina's current lover gets advice from Grayson on how he might fix the situation of her being depressed. | ||||||
| 4 | "From Darkness to Light" | Andy Goddard | Tom Grieves | 15 November 2013 | 2.99[24] | |
|
Grayson goes out and tries to win over Order member Lady Jayne to keep suspicion away from him being Dracula, who they were looking for. Lucy, who loved her best friend Mina, attempts to hide her broken heart by planning Mina's engagement party to Jonathan. | ||||||
| 5 | "The Devil's Waltz" | Nick Murphy | Nicole Taylor | 29 November 2013 | 2.84[25] | |
|
Mina receives a dream which shows Grayson telling her that Jonathan wasn't the right man. Van Helsing and Grayson attempt to revive a woman vampire. After finding out Renfield was tortured, he went out and avenged them. It is then shown at a party that Mina attempts to introduce Helsing and Grayson, not realizing they had already met prior. Lucy sees Jayne searching for someone, assuming it was because she was in love with Grayson already. The Order discusses with Jayne the possibility of Grayson being Dracula, as both appeared at the same time. Jayne dismisses the Order, but the Order warns her that she will be the first woman vampire hunter to be blinded by lust. | ||||||
| 6 | "Of Monsters and Men" | Nick Murphy | Katie Lovejoy | 6 December 2013 | 3.83[26] | |
|
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 Kelly | Rebecca Kirsch | 3 January 2014 | 2.90[27] | |
|
Grayson is blinded by his invulnerability to sunlight that he stops drinking blood, which leads him to grow sickly. Renfield is sent to Budapest to get a painting of Ilona which was stolen by the Order. Davenport learns that Mina is the one Grayson wants. Jayne suggests Lucy entice Harker to seduce Mina for her gain. | ||||||
| 8 | "Come to Die" | Brian Kelly | Harley Peyton | 10 January 2014 | 2.47[28] | |
|
Mina tries to avoid Grayson and focus on her schoolwork, but gets attacked by Davenport's men. Harker becomes mad with jealousy after seeing Mina's portrait and sleeps with Lucy. Lady Jayne learns that Dracula has returned to London after seeing Davenport's men impaled on gates. | ||||||
| 9 | "Four Roses" | Tim Fywell | Story by : Jesse Peyronel Teleplay by : Daniel Knauf | 17 January 2014 | 2.78[29] | |
|
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 Fywell | Cole Haddon | 24 January 2014 | 3.04[30] | |
|
After Harker sabotages a demonstration of sunlight technology, Grayson now knows that he is the enemy and part of the Order of the Dragon. Jayne employs a seer with a relic containing the blood of Christ and gets killed by Grayson. Helsing hunts down Dracula and tells Harker that Grayson is Dracula. | ||||||
Awards and nominations
edit| Year | Group | Award | Result | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | American Society of Cinematographers | Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in One-Hour Episodic Television Series | Nominated | Dracula |
| 2014 | People's Choice Awards | Favorite New TV Drama | Nominated | Dracula |
| 2014 | People's Choice Awards | Favorite Actor in a New TV Series - Jonathan Rhys Meyers | Nominated | Dracula |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b "Shows A-Z - dracula on nbc | TheFutonCritic.com". www.thefutoncritic.com. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
- ^ Busis, Hillary (12 May 2013). "NBC fall schedule reveals big moves". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 15 May 2013.
- ^ a b c Byrne, Craig (24 July 2012). "NBC Orders 10-Episode Dracula Series With Jonathan Rhys Meyers". KSiteTV. Retrieved 7 December 2012.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (8 October 2012). "'Carnivale' Creator to Run NBC's 'Dracula'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 25 January 2013.
- ^ Keene, Allison (25 July 2012). "Jonathan Rhys Meyers To Star in NBC DRACULA Series". Collider. Archived from the original on 2 November 2012. Retrieved 7 December 2012.
- ^ NBC. "About Dracula". NBC. Archived from the original on 29 March 2013. Retrieved 31 October 2013.
- ^ Goldberg, Lesley (18 January 2013). "'Arrow' Actress to Co-Star in NBC's Jonathan Rhys Meyers 'Dracula' Series". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 4 March 2017.
- ^ Roots, Kimberly (11 February 2013). "Scoop: NBC's Dracula Casts King Kong Actor as Its Van Helsing – With a Twist". TVLine. Retrieved 12 February 2013.
- ^ a b Hall, Eva (4 February 2013). "Victoria Smurfit To Sink Teeth Into Jonathan Rhys Meyers' 'Dracula'". IFTN. Retrieved 4 February 2013.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (11 February 2013). "Thomas Kretschmann & Oliver Jackson-Cohen Join NBC's 'Dracula' Series". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 12 February 2013.
- ^ Challis, Carla (12 February 2013). "Say Hello To Dracula's Hot New Signings". Sky Living HD. Retrieved 13 February 2013.
- ^ a b Goldberg, Lesley (30 January 2013). "NBC's 'Dracula' Series Casts 'Game of Thrones,' 'Merlin' Actors". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 31 January 2013.
- ^ Webb, Claire. "Katie McGrath: In the book Lucy is very sweet, mine has much more sass". RadioTimes. Retrieved 16 November 2013.
- ^ Fletcher, Alex (11 November 2013). "'Dracula' on NBC, Sky Living: Tamer Hassan joins cast". Digital Spy. Retrieved 18 November 2013.
- ^ Haddon, Cole (13 May 2023). "The Horror of 'DRACULA': The Unbelievable True Story of the 2013 TV Series". Substack. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
I (flash forward in our narrative) read the eventual announcement of my series' green light in DEADLINE: Based on an idea by Mr. Smiley, it is set in the 1890s and has been described as "Dangerous Liaisons meets The Tudors"…
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (13 January 2012). "NBC Eyes Series Order For Dracula Drama Produced By Tony Krantz & Colin Callender". Deadline. Archived from the original on 23 May 2023. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
based on an idea by Krantz. Set in the 1890s, it is described as "Dangerous Liaisons meets The Tudors"
- ^ "The Horror of "DRACULA": The Unbelievable True Story of the 2013 TV Series — Part 1". 15 February 2023.
- ^ "More 'The Horror of "DRACULA"': Lessons from the Unbelievable True Story of the 2013 TV Series". 15 February 2023.
- ^ Ford Sullivan, Brian (6 January 2013). "NBC at TCA: Greenblatt Outlines Latest Plans for Midseason, Summer and Fall". The Futon Critic. Retrieved 6 January 2013.
- ^ Gutelle, Sam (7 October 2013). "NBC's 'Dracula' Gets Animated In Web Companion Prequel". TubeFilter. Retrieved 8 October 2013.
- ^ Bibel, Sara (28 October 2013). "Friday Final TV Ratings: No Adjustments to 'Grimm,' Dracula' or 'The Carrie Diaries'". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on 30 October 2013. Retrieved 28 October 2013.
- ^ Kondolojy, Amanda (4 November 2013). "Friday Final Ratings: 'Shark Tank' Adjusted Up, 'Blue Bloods' Adjusted Down + No Adjustment for 'Grimm' or 'Dracula'". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on 8 November 2013. Retrieved 4 November 2013.
- ^ Bibel, Sara (11 November 2013). "Friday Final Ratings: 'Dracula' & 'The Neighbors' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on 11 November 2013. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
- ^ Kondolojy, Amanda (18 November 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. Archived from the original on 20 November 2013. Retrieved 18 November 2013.
- ^ Kondolojy, Amanda (4 December 2013). "Friday Final Ratings: No Adjustment for 'Nikita', 'Grimm' or 'Dracula'". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on 8 December 2013. Retrieved 4 December 2013.
- ^ Kondolojy, Amanda (9 December 2013). "Friday Final Ratings: 'Bones' & 'Raising Hope' Adjusted Up; 'The Neighbors' & 'The Carrie Diaries' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on 13 December 2013. Retrieved 9 December 2013.
- ^ Bibel, Sara (6 January 2014). "Friday Final Ratings: 'Grimm' Adjusted Up". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on 7 January 2014. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
- ^ Kondolojy, Amanda (13 January 2014). "Friday Final Ratings: 'Hawaii Five-0' Adjusted Up; 'Dracula' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on 14 January 2014. Retrieved 13 January 2014.
- ^ Bibel, Sara (21 January 2014). "Friday Final Ratings: No Adjustments to 'Grimm', 'Dracula', 'Hawaii Five-0' or 'The Carrie Diaries'". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on 24 January 2014. Retrieved 21 January 2014.
- ^ Kondolojy, Amanda (27 January 2014). "Friday Final Ratings: 'The Neighbors' Adjusted Down; No Adjustment for 'Enlisted' or 'The Carrie Diaries'". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on 31 January 2014. Retrieved 27 January 2014.