Twisted Metal (TV series)

Twisted Metal (TV series)
Twisted Metal is an American post-apocalyptic action comedy television series developed by Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick and Michael Jonathan Smith. Based on the vehicular combat video game franchise of the same name published by Sony Interactive Entertainment, the series stars Anthony Mackie, Stephanie Beatriz, Joe Seanoa, Will Arnett and Thomas Haden Church. In a post-apocalyptic wasteland, John Doe, a talkative milkman with amnesia, is given a mission to traverse the desolate United States to deliver a mysterious package with unknown contents. He faces a life-altering opportunity but must confront ruthless marauders in deadly and destructive vehicles to secure a chance at a better future.
Development by Sony Pictures Television and PlayStation Productions began in May 2019 with a full season being ordered by Peacock in February 2022. Filmed in New Orleans from May to August 2022, the series was released on Peacock on July 27, 2023, with all 10 episodes.
Cast
Main
Anthony Mackie as John Doe
Stephanie Beatriz as Quiet
Joe Seanoa as Sweet Tooth
Will Arnett as the voice of Sweet Tooth
Thomas Haden Church as Agent Stone
Recurring
Richard Cabral as Loud
Jared Bankens as Shepard
Neve Campbell as Raven
Mike Mitchell as Stu
Tahj Vaughans as Mike
Jamie Neumann as Miranda Watts
Diany Rodriguez as Amber Rose
Angel Giuffria as Tinker
Chelle Ramos as Jamie Roberts
Michael Carollo as Carl Roberts
Anthony Mackie Jr. as young John
Guest
Lou Beatty Jr. as Tommy
Peg O'Keef as Granny Dread
Chloe Fineman as Bloody Mary
Creek Wilson as Mr. Slam
Jason Mantzoukas as Preacher
Episodes
Production
Development
In May 2019, during an investor relations presentation, Sony Pictures Television confirmed that a television series based on the video game series, Twisted Metal, was in "advanced development" alongside PlayStation Productions. By February 2021, the series was announced with Will Arnett, Rhett Reese, Michael Jonathan Smith and Paul Wernick on board to executive produce. Smith serves as showrunner and wrote the series based on an original take by Reese and Wernick. In February 2022, the half-hour action-comedy was greenlit by Peacock. The following month, Kitao Sakurai joined the series as an executive producer in addition to directing multiple episodes.
Casting and characters
In September 2021, Anthony Mackie serves as one of the executive producers and was the first to be cast. He plays John Doe, a "smart-ass milkman" with amnesia, who gets a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, if he can survive the onslaught of vehicular combat. In May 2022, Stephanie Beatriz and Thomas Haden Church were cast in starring roles as Quiet and Agent Stone, respectively. Quiet is a car thief that forms an antagonistic bond with John Doe. Agent Stone is described as "a cold and unyielding post-apocalyptic highway patrolman who rules the roads". Neve Campbell was cast in a recurring role as Raven.
In June, Will Arnett joined the cast, voicing the character Sweet Tooth from the video game series. Sweet Tooth is a "hulking killer in a ghoulish clown mask who prowls the streets of "Lost Vegas" in his weaponized ice cream truck". Pro-wrestler Samoa Joe physically portrays Sweet Tooth. In an interview with Screen Rant, when asked how pro wrestling history influenced his performance, he said "I think the biggest thing was kind of learning to work beyond the mask, which is something you very commonly see in wrestling. From the luchadores of old to our modern highflyers today, having the ability to kind of emote beyond essentially having a dead face is something that was very easy for me to do, especially with this character".
Richard Cabral was cast as Beatriz's overprotective brother, Loud. Tahj Vaughans and Mike Mitchell portray best friends, Mike and Stu. Lou Beatty Jr. plays Tommy, "a grizzled and weathered cartographer who knows the dangers of the Wild Midwest".
Filming
On an estimated budget (before tax incentives) of $45 million, season one began principal photography in May 2022, in New Orleans, with James McMillan serving as the cinematographer, and wrapped that August. Shooting in New Orleans in the summer came with some challenges. Michael Jonathan Smith told NOLA.com in an interview, "We dealt with lightning delays, hurricane threats, extreme heat and cars that wouldn't do as they were told".
Music
The score was composed by Leo Birenberg and Zach Robinson, which they drew heavily from 2000s nu-metal.
Release
Twisted Metal premiered on Peacock on July 27, 2023, with all 10 episodes. It was released on Paramount+ in Canada and on Stan in Australia.
Reception
Critical response
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 68% of 47 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.9/10. The website's consensus reads: "An enjoyable blast of cartoonishly violent mayhem, Twisted Metal sometimes struggles to flesh out its source material, but ultimately offers an adaptation with surprising depth." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 53 out of 100, based on 20 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews".
Daniel Fienberg of The Hollywood Reporter gave the first season a positive review saying, "It's a bit odd for any series to spend a season opening up its world only to set up a seemingly less expansive (if more expensive) second season, but fans will probably be happy. Generally, Twisted Metal is fast and fun and definitely won't be in the running for any Emmys, much less 24. And that's OK!" Variety Alison Herman gave a negative review, "The story of Twisted Metal is thin and packed with tropes; it's still an undertaking to get there from no story at all. The rest of the industry should ask whether that effort was worth it before the next wave of game TV starts to break".
Daniel Kurland of Bloody Disgusting gave the series a two and half out of five rating. He wrote, "Twisted Metal is dumb fun that's big, broad, and unabashedly bloody. It's nowhere near the level of The Last of Us or even SyFy's Blood Drive, but it's campy escapism that doesn't ask much of its audience".
Viewership
After two weeks, the series became Peacock's "most-binged" comedy premiere to date. According to Nielsen data, it was one of the most watched streaming originals, with 400 million viewing minutes in the weekend following its premiere.
References
External links
2020s American comedy-drama television series
2023 American television series debuts
American action television series
American television shows based on video games
English-language television shows
Live action television shows based on video games
Peacock (streaming service) original programming
Post-apocalyptic television series
Television shows about death games
Television series by PlayStation Productions
Television series by Sony Pictures Television
Television series by Universal Television
Television shows filmed in New Orleans
Television series set in 1989
Television series set in 2002
Television series set in the 2020s
Television shows set in Chicago
Television shows set in Kansas
Television shows set in Las Vegas
Television shows set in San Francisco
Twisted Metal
Works based on Sony Interactive Entertainment video games