# The Andy Warhol Diaries (TV series)

The Andy Warhol Diaries is an American documentary television limited series from writer and director Andrew Rossi, and executive producer Ryan Murphy, based on the 1989 book of the same name by Andy Warhol, as edited by Pat Hackett. The series simulates the famed pop artist narrating his own diary entries through the use of artificial intelligence technology. Netflix debuted the series of six episodes on March 9, 2022.
The Andy Warhol Robot helped inspire the concept for the AI voice in the series, along with Warhol's cultivated image as an "asexual robot" at The Factory in the 1960s, and his claim that "Machines have less problems." Actor Bill Irwin provided the narration that was morphed by the AI software.

## Synopsis

Warhol began dictating diary entries via phone in 1976, taking stock of his life in great detail. Longtime friend and collaborator Pat Hackett maintained the diary for eleven years and reflects on the life of the artist. The series traces Warhol's relationships with interior designer Jed Johnson, Paramount Pictures executive Jon Gould, and fellow artist Jean-Michel Basquiat.
Others interviewed for the series include Bob Colacello, Christopher Makos, Rob Lowe, Jerry Hall, Mariel Hemingway, Tony Shafrazi, Mary Boone, Vincent Fremont, Shelly Dunn Fremont, Jamie Wyeth, Glenn Ligon, Larry Gagosian, José Carlos Diaz, David LaChapelle, Wilfredo Rosado, Peter Wise, Donna De Salvo, Jay Johnson, Kenny Scharf, Alan Wanzenberg, Michael Chow, Patrick Moore, John Waters, Greg Tate, Julian Schnabel, Marc Balet, Lee Quiñones, Donald Warhola, Futura 2000, Daniela Morera, Debbie Harry, Paige Powell, John Reinhold, Gigi Williams, Jay Gould, Jeffrey Deitch, Jessica Beck, Cornelia Guest, Madelyn Kaye, Lisa Birnbach, Fab 5 Freddy, R. Couri Hay, Benjamin Liu, Lucy Sante, Tama Janowitz, Katy Dobbs, Whit Stillman, and Jane Holzer.

## Episodes

| No. | Title | Directed by | Original release date |
| 1 | "Smoke Signals" | Andrew Rossi | March 9, 2022 (2022-3-9) |
| Traces Warhol's path from Pittsburgh into the New York City art scene. ||||
| 2 | "Shadows: Andy & Jed" | Andrew Rossi | March 9, 2022 (2022-3-9) |
| Warhol takes on the role of portrait painter for the illustrious. Meanwhile, his Studio 54 haunting and partaking disrupts his relationship with live-in-boyfriend Jed Johnson. ||||
| 3 | "A Double Life: Andy & Jon" | Andrew Rossi | March 9, 2022 (2022-3-9) |
| Warhol takes on modeling and early reality TV while he has a love affair with the not "out" young Paramount Pictures executive Jon Gould. ||||
| 4 | "Collab: Andy & Basquiat" | Andrew Rossi | March 9, 2022 (2022-3-9) |
| Focuses on Warhol's artistic collaborations and personal relationship with Jean-Michel Basquiat amidst New York City's booming 1980s graffiti art scene. ||||
| 5 | "15 Minutes" | Andrew Rossi | March 9, 2022 (2022-3-9) |
| Warhol enters prime time via Saturday Night Live and The Love Boat as his friendship with Basquiat sours. ||||
| 6 | "Loving the Alien" | Andrew Rossi | March 9, 2022 (2022-3-9) |
| AIDS hits NYC, The Last Supper series, Warhol unexpectedly dies ||||

## Critical reception

On Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds an approval rating of 96% based on 23 reviews, with an average rating of 8.2/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "Employing some risky stylistic flourishes that Andy Warhol himself might have approved of, these Diaries are a revelatory glimpse into the inner life of a purposefully unknowable artist." On Metacritic, the series has a weighted average score of 78 out of 100, based on 7 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".
Jack Seale of The Guardian described the series as "a startling biopic told with the artist's own words". Daniel D'Addario of Variety wrote that "the series both summons Warhol's affectless voice and insists on finding the intellect and emotion behind the coolly evaluating gaze".

### Awards and nominations

| Year | Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
| 2022 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series | Ryan Murphy, Andrew Rossi, Josh Braun, Alexis Martin Woodall, Stanley Buchthal, Dan Braun, Stacey Reiss, and Maya E. Rudolph | Nominated | [17] [18] |
| 2022 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Directing for a Documentary/Nonfiction Program | Andrew Rossi (for "Shadows: Andy & Jed") | Nominated | [17] [18] |
| 2022 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Writing for a Nonfiction Programming | Andrew Rossi (for "Shadows: Andy & Jed") | Nominated | [17] [18] |
| 2022 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Cinematography for a Nonfiction Program | Wolfgang Held (for "Collab: Andy & Basquiat") | Nominated | [17] [18] |
| 2022 | Gotham Independent Film Awards | Breakthrough Nonfiction Series | The Andy Warhol Diaries | Nominated | |
| 2022 | Hollywood Music in Media Awards | Original Song — Documentary Series - TV | Daniel Braun (for "So Afraid to Lose You") | Won | |