# Fosse/Verdon

Fosse/Verdon is a 2019 American biographical drama miniseries, developed by Steven Levenson and Thomas Kail. Based on the biography Fosse by Sam Wasson, the series charts the troubled marriage and professional relationship of director/choreographer Bob Fosse and actress/dancer Gwen Verdon, played by Sam Rockwell and Michelle Williams respectively. Norbert Leo Butz and Margaret Qualley are also featured as Paddy Chayefsky and Ann Reinking, respectively.
Fosse/Verdon premiered on FX on April 9, 2019, with its eighth and final episode airing on May 28. At the 71st Primetime Emmy Awards, Fosse/Verdon earned 17 nominations, including Outstanding Limited Series, with Williams winning Outstanding Lead Actress. Williams also won Best Actress at the 77th Golden Globe Awards and the 26th Screen Actors Guild Awards, where Rockwell won Best Actor.

## Premise

Fosse/Verdon tells the story of the romantic and creative partnership between Bob Fosse and Gwen Verdon. Fosse was a filmmaker and one of theater's most influential choreographers and directors. Verdon was a critically acclaimed actress and Broadway dancer who won 4 Tony Awards.
The story of the entire series unfolds through back-and-forth flashes of the couple's relationship through the years. It includes the reversals of power and status as well as the contexts in which they happened. It also presents Fosse and Verdon's contributions to the entertainment industry.

## Cast and characters
### Main

* Sam Rockwell as Bob Fosse
** Justin Gazzillo as young Bob Fosse
* Michelle Williams as Gwen Verdon
** Kelli Berglund as young Gwen Verdon
* Norbert Leo Butz as Paddy Chayefsky, playwright, Bob's friend
* Margaret Qualley as Ann Reinking, actress-dancer

### Recurring

* Aya Cash as Joan Simon, Neil's first wife
* Evan Handler as Hal Prince, director
* Nate Corddry as Neil Simon, playwright, Bob's friend
* Susan Misner as Joan McCracken, Bob's second wife
* Paul Reiser as Cy Feuer, producer
* Blake Baumgartner and Juliet Brett as Nicole Fosse
** Chandler Head as Young Nicole
* Jake Lacy as Ron, Gwen's lover
* Kelli Barrett as Liza Minnelli, actress
* Bianca Marroquín as Chita Rivera, actress
* Ethan Slater as Joel Grey, actor
* Rick Holmes as Fred Weaver, Bob's first manager
* Peter Scolari as Mel, Gwen's manager
* Christiane Seidel as Hannah, German interpreter
* Byron Jennings as George Abbott, director
* Laura Osnes as Shirley MacLaine, actress
* Brandon Uranowitz as Dustin Hoffman, actor
* Tyler Hanes as Jerry Orbach, actor
* Wayne Wilcox as Michael Kidd, choreographer
* Lindsay Nicole Chambers as Leland Palmer, actress
* Santino Fontana as James Henaghan, Gwen's first husband
* Emily Dorsch as Gertrude Verdon, Gwen's mother
* Christopher Tocco as Jack Cole, choreographer
* Kelcy Griffin as Debbie Allen, actress
* Pamela Mitchell as Marsha Mason, actress
* Rema Webb as Paula Kelly, actress
* Spencer Moss as Mary Ann Fosse, Bob's sister
* David Turner as Ray Walston, actor
* George Bamford as Robert Surtees, cinematographer
* George R. Sheffey as David Bretherton, editor
* Jimmy Brewer as Stephen Schwartz, songwriter
* Tim Young as John Rubinstein, actor
* Peggy J. Scott as Irene Ryan, actress
* Sean Patrick Doyle as Michael O'Haughey, actor
* Ryan Vandenboom as Eddie Phillips, choreographer
* Anthony Rosenthal as Charlie Grass, choreographer
* Nicholas Baroudi as Scott Brady, actor
* Jeremy Shamos as Joseph Hardy, director
* Ahmad Simmons as Ben Vereen, actor
* Lin-Manuel Miranda as Roy Scheider, actor

## Episodes

| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | Prod. code | U.S. viewers (millions) |
| 1 | "Life Is a Cabaret" | Thomas Kail | Story by : Steven Levenson & Thomas Kail Teleplay by : Steven Levenson | April 9, 2019 (2019-04-09) | 1BHR01 | 0.614 |
| Following the commercial failure of his filmmaking debut, Sweet Charity, Broadway director-choreographer Bob Fosse is determined to make his next directorial project, Cabaret, a success, even if it means defying producer Cy Feuer and cheating on his wife and creative collaborator, actress-dancer Gwen Verdon. |||||||
| 2 | "Who's Got the Pain?" | Thomas Kail | Steven Levenson | April 16, 2019 (2019-04-16) | 1BHR02 | 0.425 |
| As Gwen and Bob's marriage deteriorates following the discovery of his latest extramarital affair, Gwen reflects on how they first met during pre-production for Damn Yankees as well as how their personal and professional relationship began at the cost of Bob's marriage to ailing Broadway star Joan McCracken. |||||||
| 3 | "Me and My Baby" | Adam Bernstein | Debora Cahn | April 23, 2019 (2019-04-23) | 1BHR03 | 0.453 |
| With Bob focused on editing Cabaret, Gwen auditions for the leading role in a straight play that forces her to reflect on her disastrous first marriage and a career change that led to her breakthrough performance in Can-Can. |||||||
| 4 | "Glory" | Jessica Yu | Tracey Scott Wilson | April 30, 2019 (2019-04-30) | 1BHR04 | 0.429 |
| As Gwen struggles with her personal life following the opening (and closing) performance of Children! Children!, Bob juggles dealing with the success of Cabaret, spearheading production on Liza with a Z and Pippin, and grappling with the price of fame. |||||||
| 5 | "Where Am I Going?" | Thomas Kail | Charlotte Stoudt | May 7, 2019 (2019-05-07) | 1BHR05 | 0.312 |
| Three months after Joan Simon's death, and after Bob's stay in psychiatric care, tensions rise during a rainy night in Bob's Southampton summer home among his guests, including Gwen, Neil Simon, Paddy Chayefsky, and Ann Reinking. |||||||
| 6 | "All I Care About Is Love" | Minkie Spiro | Ike Holter | May 14, 2019 (2019-05-14) | 1BHR06 | 0.364 |
| An overworked Bob suffers a heart attack while balancing the editing of Lenny and the rehearsals for Chicago. In the hospital, he remembers the sexual abuse he endured as a teenager. |||||||
| 7 | "Nowadays" | Thomas Kail | Joel Fields & Steven Levenson | May 21, 2019 (2019-05-21) | 1BHR07 | 0.367 |
| Gwen and Bob continue work on Chicago, which Bob keeps pulling in a darker direction. The show opens to middling reviews. Later in the run, Gwen gets a vocal infection, and Bob gets Liza Minnelli to go on for her in her absence. |||||||
| 8 | "Providence" | Thomas Kail | Story by : Joel Fields & Steven Levenson Teleplay by : Steven Levenson | May 28, 2019 (2019-05-28) | 1BHR08 | 0.495 |
| The final years of Bob's life are portrayed, from filming All That Jazz through directing and choreographing the revival of Sweet Charity, up to the final moment where he has a heart attack in D.C. and collapses in Gwen's arms. |||||||

## Music

Fosse/Verdon released weekly albums, available for streaming and download on multiple platforms, with the release of each new episode. In addition to original music, the soundtracks feature the cast singing popular songs from Bob Fosse and Gwen Verdon's various careers, including "Big Spender" from Sweet Charity and "Corner of the Sky" from Pippin.

## Production
### Development

The rights to produce a limited-series based on Sam Wasson's biography Fosse were sold to FX Network by executive producer George Stelzner. In the summer of 2016, with the approval of FX creative executives, Stelzner pursued actor/writer Lin-Manuel Miranda and director Thomas Kail, of Hamilton, to join the project. Both Miranda and Kail were familiar with the Wasson biography as Miranda and Wasson were classmates at Wesleyan University years earlier. Tony Award-winning writer Steven Levenson (Dear Evan Hansen) was next to join the production team. Levenson and Kail would go on to earn the WGA credit designation of "developed for television by" for the limited-series. During the early stages of the development process, the two were instrumental in attracting the participation of Nicole Fosse, the only child of Bob and Gwen and the executor of the Fosse/Verdon estate.
On July 5, 2018, FX announced an eight-episode order for a limited-series entitled Fosse/Verdon, with Sam Rockwell playing the role of Bob Fosse and Michelle Williams playing Gwen Verdon. On October 25, 2018, it was reported that Kail would direct at least four of the series' eight episodes. and he would go on to direct a total of five episodes. Executive producers included Levenson, Kail, Miranda, Stelzner, Rockwell and Williams, with Nicole Fosse as a co-executive producer, and choreographer Andy Blankenbuehler (Hamilton) as co-producer. On October 26, 2018, it was announced that Joel Fields, the showrunner of the acclaimed FX Network drama series The Americans would join the Fosse/Verdon production as an additional writer and executive producer. On January 23, 2019, the premiere date of April 9, 2019 was announced.

### Casting

Alongside the series order announcement, it was confirmed that Rockwell and Williams had been cast as the leads. On November 19, 2018, it was announced Margaret Qualley and Norbert Leo Butz had been cast in series regular roles and that Aya Cash, Nate Corddry, Susan Misner, Bianca Marroquín, Kelli Barrett, Evan Handler, Rick Holmes, Paul Reiser, Ethan Slater, Byron Jennings, and Laura Osnes had joined the cast in a recurring capacity.
Qualley consulted heavily with Reinking on her performance, with the two holding chats twice a week for the duration of the shoot. Reinking was not a consultant on the series but praised the performances of Rockwell and Williams, though she was conflicted about the portrayal of Fosse as an abusive partner.

### Filming

Principal photography for the series commenced in late October 2018 in New York City at Silvercup Studios, and lasted until late March 2019.

## Release

On January 6, 2019, a teaser trailer for the series was released. In the United Kingdom, the BBC picked up the rights and the show premiered on BBC Two.

## Reception
### Critical response

On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds an approval rating of 81% based on 88 reviews, and an average rating of 7.12/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Sam Rockwell and Michelle Williams give viewers plenty of razzle and dazzle in Fosse/Verdon - a straightforward miniseries that is hampered by rote biographical tropes, but still shimmies with the requisite glitz, grit, and all that jazz audiences crave." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the series a score of 68 out of 100, based on 34 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

### Ratings

Viewership and ratings per episode of Fosse/Verdon :
| No. | Title | Air date | Rating (18–49) | Viewers (millions) | DVR (18–49) | DVR viewers (millions) | Total (18–49) | Total viewers (millions) |
| 1 | "Life Is a Cabaret" | April 9, 2019 | 0.1 | 0.614 | 0.2 | 0.729 | 0.3 | 1.344 |
| 2 | "Who's Got the Pain?" | April 16, 2019 | 0.1 | 0.425 | — | 0.597 | — | 1.023 |
| 3 | "Me and My Baby" | April 23, 2019 | 0.1 | 0.453 | — | 0.505 | — | 0.959 |
| 4 | "Glory" | April 30, 2019 | 0.1 | 0.429 | — | 0.480 | — | 0.910 |
| 5 | "Where Am I Going?" | May 7, 2019 | 0.1 | 0.312 | — | 0.565 | — | 0.878 |
| 6 | "All I Care About Is Love" | May 14, 2019 | 0.1 | 0.364 | — | 0.442 | — | 0.806 |
| 7 | "Nowadays" | May 21, 2019 | 0.1 | 0.367 | — | 0.492 | — | 0.859 |
| 8 | "Providence" | May 28, 2019 | 0.1 | 0.495 | — | 0.497 | — | 0.992 |

## Awards and nominations

| Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result |
| Art Directors Guild Awards | Television Movie or Limited Series | Alex DiGerlando | Nominated |
| Casting Society of America | Limited Series | Bernard Telsey, Tiffany Little Canfield & Amelia Rasche McCarthy | Nominated |
| Costume Designers Guild Awards | Excellence in Period Television | Melissa Toth & Joseph La Corte (for "Life is a Cabaret") | Nominated |
| Critics' Choice Television Awards | Best Limited Series | Fosse/Verdon | Nominated |
| Critics' Choice Television Awards | Best Actor in a Limited Series or Television Movie | Sam Rockwell | Nominated |
| Critics' Choice Television Awards | Best Actress in a Limited Series or Television Movie | Michelle Williams | Won |
| Critics' Choice Television Awards | Best Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Television Movie | Margaret Qualley | Nominated |
| Directors Guild of America Awards | Outstanding Directing – Movies for Television and Limited Series | Thomas Kail (for "Nowadays") | Nominated |
| Directors Guild of America Awards | Outstanding Directing – Movies for Television and Limited Series | Minkie Spiro (for "All I Care About Is Love") | Nominated |
| Directors Guild of America Awards | Outstanding Directing – Movies for Television and Limited Series | Jessica Yu (for "Glory") | Nominated |
| Golden Globe Awards | Best Limited Series or Television Film | Fosse/Verdon | Nominated |
| Golden Globe Awards | Best Actor – Limited Series or Television Film | Sam Rockwell | Nominated |
| Golden Globe Awards | Best Actress – Limited Series or Television Film | Michelle Williams | Won |
| Make-Up Artists and Hair Stylists Guilds | Television Series, Mini-Series or New Media – Best Period and/or Character Make-Up | Debbie Zoller, Dave Presto & Jackie Risotto | Won |
| Make-Up Artists and Hair Stylists Guilds | Television Series, Mini-Series or New Media – Best Special Make-Up Effects | Debbie Zoller, Dave Presto & Jackie Risotto | Nominated |
| Make-Up Artists and Hair Stylists Guilds | Television Series, Mini-Series or New Media – Best Period and/or Character Hair Styling | Christopher Fulton, Christen Edwards & Christine Cantrell | Won |
| Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Limited Series | Steven Levenson, Thomas Kail, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Joel Fields, George Stelzner, Sam Rockwell, Michelle Williams, Nicole Fosse, Charlotte Stoudt, Tracey Scott Wilson, Kate Sullivan, Brad Carpenter & Erica Kay | Nominated |
| Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie | Sam Rockwell | Nominated |
| Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie | Michelle Williams | Won |
| Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie | Margaret Qualley | Nominated |
| Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Directing for a Limited Series, Movie, or Dramatic Special | Thomas Kail (for "Who's Got the Pain") | Nominated |
| Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Directing for a Limited Series, Movie, or Dramatic Special | Jessica Yu (for "Glory") | Nominated |
| Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Writing for a Limited Series, Movie, or Dramatic Special | Joel Fields & Steven Levenson (for "Providence") | Nominated |
| Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards | Outstanding Casting for a Limited Series, Movie, or Special | Tiffany Little Canfield & Bernie Telsey | Nominated |
| Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards | Outstanding Period Costumes | Joseph La Corte, Melissa Toth, Catherine Crabtree, Kristin Isola, Isabelle Simone & Virginia Patton (for "Life is a Cabaret") | Nominated |
| Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards | Outstanding Hairstyling for a Limited Series or Movie | Christopher Fulton, Christen Edwards, Nicole Bridgeford, Christine Cantrell & Charlene Belmond | Won |
| Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards | Outstanding Make-up for a Limited Series or Movie (Non-Prosthetic) | Debbie Zoller, Blair Aycock, Dave Presto, Sherri Laurence, Nicky Pattison Illum & Jackie Risotto | Won |
| Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards | Outstanding Prosthetic Makeup for a Series, Limited Series, Movie or Special | Debbie Zoller, Dave Presto, Jackie Risotto, Yoichi Art Sakamoto & Vincent Van Dyke | Nominated |
| Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards | Outstanding Music Direction | Alex Lacamoire (for "Life Is a Cabaret") | Won |
| Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards | Outstanding Music Supervision | Steven Gizicki (for "Life Is a Cabaret") | Nominated |
| Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards | Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Limited Series or Movie | Tim Streeto (for "Life Is a Cabaret") | Nominated |
| Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards | Outstanding Production Design for a Narrative Period or Fantasy Program (One Hour or More) | Alex DiGerlando, Anu Schwartz & Lydia Marks | Nominated |
| Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards | Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Limited Series or Movie | Tony Volante, Joseph White Jr., Robert Johanson & Derik Lee (for "All I Care About is Love") | Nominated |
| Producers Guild of America Awards | Outstanding Producer of Limited Series Television | Thomas Kail, Steven Levenson, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Joel Fields, George Stelzner, Sam Rockwell, Michelle Williams, Tracey Scott Wilson, Charlotte Stoudt, Nicole Fosse, Erica Kay, Kate Sullivan & Brad Carpenter | Nominated |
| Satellite Awards | Best Miniseries | Fosse/Verdon | Nominated |
| Satellite Awards | Best Actor in a Miniseries or TV Film | Sam Rockwell | Nominated |
| Satellite Awards | Best Actress in a Miniseries or TV Film | Michelle Williams | Won |
| Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie | Sam Rockwell | Won |
| Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie | Michelle Williams | Won |
| TCA Awards | Outstanding Achievement in Movies, Miniseries and Specials | Fosse/Verdon | Nominated |
| TCA Awards | Individual Achievement in Drama | Michelle Williams | Won |
| Writers Guild of America Awards | Long Form – Adapted | Debora Cahn, Joel Fields, Ike Holter, Thomas Kail, Steven Levenson, Charlotte Stoudt & Tracey Scott Wilson Based on the book Fosse by Sam Wasson | Won |