Season One

**Season One** of Apple TV+'s *Shining Girls Series* began filming on May 24, 2021 in Chicago, and the principle photography wrapped on October 27, 2021. The series premiered with three episodes: Cutline, Evergreen and Overnight respectively on April 29, 2022 and wrapped on June 3, 2022.

## Plot

*Years after a brutal attack left her in a constantly shifting reality, Kirby Mazrachi learns that a recent murder is linked to her assault. She teams with veteran reporter Dan Velazquez to understand her ever-changing present and confront her past.*

## Reception

Before the series premiere early reviews noted Elizabeth Moss’ performance as a highlight on the show.

## Images

### Promotional Videos

Shining Girls — Official Teaser - Apple TV+Shining Girls — Official Trailer - Apple TV+Jamie Bell - Shining GirlsXfinity Hangouts at Home- Audrey gets fashion tips from Elisabeth MossAward-winning actress Elisabeth Moss on her new series "Shining Girls"Elisabeth Moss Teases "The Handmaid's Tale" Season 5 Spoilers- "June's Journey Is Big"Claudia Sarne - Playground - Shining Girls (Apple TV+ Original Series Soundtrack)Shining Girls — An Inside Look - Apple TV+Shining Girls — In Conversation with Elisabeth Moss and Wagner Moura - Apple TV+SHINING GIRLS - Behind The Scenes Talk With Elisabeth Moss, Wagner Moura & Jamie Bell - Apple TV+'Shining Girls' creator Silka Luisa on keeping track of Kirby's shifting realities - GOLD DERBYElisabeth Moss, Jamie Bell, & Wagner Moura talk SHINING GIRLS - TV InsiderAngel Olsen - One Too Many Mornings - Shining Girls (Apple TV+ Original Series Soundtrack)Playground (from "Shining Girls" Soundtrack)BattleSunspotsPolaroidsHoly ShitThe HouseBBFDon't PanicThe RealizationTunnelsCanonThe AttackR.E.M.ChandelierEnd Game
## Trivia

* A portion of the series premiered at South by Southwest on March 11, 2022.
* On March 29, 2022, when the trailer dropped, Moss said that she wanted to handle all reality shifts "in camera and to do it practically and with as very little VFX as possible."
* On April 20, 2022, Lauren Beukes told *The Citizen*that back in 2013, *Shining Girls* had a seven-way bidding war, “[b]ut Leonard DiCaprio’s company Appian Way and MRC had a really good version of the project, it was exciting and has been in development since then”.The process did put them through trial in error such as different directors and actors but when Moss came on board everything started to come together. However, when Apple TV gave it the green light, Beukes couldn’t share the good news for eight months.
* On April 28, 2022, wore a bright orange Valentino dress for the FYC Emmy Screening and Q&A ahead of the premiere of this series.
* On April 29, 2022,the cast and crew of the show revealed how the main character's entire reality shifts at the drop of a hat, sometimes mid-scene.
	+ A lot of visual aids were needed to keep everyone on track, says series creator and showrunner Silka Luisa. "Any time you're having shifting realities in different time periods, it's a lot of charts. A lot of timelines. Everyone had to be on the same page in terms of the whole production team".
	+ Since the book has multiple perspectives. MacLaren mentions how in the series, "You meet multiple women, and you also spend a lot more time in Harper's [the killer, played by Bell] point of view". But that for her "the character who I connected with most was Kirby," she says. "And so, I really wanted us to be with her along that journey. And so, once I made that change, and you're really with her through the show, I had to rework some of the mythology to make that happen." Adds MacLaren, who directed the first two episodes: "I think the time shifts are a metaphor for the aftermath of trauma. And Kirby's world is constantly shifting and throwing Kirby off balance, but also throwing the audience off balance."
	+ Moss pulls triple duty as executive producer and director of two of the series' eight episodes, and she mentioned how "It was incredibly challenging, honestly. You always shoot everything out of order, when you're making anything, of course. But shooting this out of order was very much a mind-bender," Moss says of keeping it all together, adding that sometimes because of the nature of shooting in blocks, they'd be filming parts of episodes 1 and 5 on the same day. So "There needed to be a very tight relationship between the three directors, Michelle, Daina [Reid], and I, and Silka, just on keeping track of the various things that we had to keep track of. What had happened? What hadn't happened? What was about to happen? It was definitely one of the most complicated things I've ever done."
	+ Visually, the shifts are represented by a lot of small details changing — the hair, the furniture, a coffee cup, etc. — in an effort to make things feel "really grounded and real," says MacLaren. "We didn't want them to feel supernatural. We didn't want it to be a lot of CGI. So, we started out very simply and did it editorially. And then they grew, as they get bigger and bigger. But I think we always kept them pretty grounded. It's more tangible for the audience."
	+ Regardin his character, Bell said that "The show also tells you right up front 'It's him. It's me. I did it.' So then, the journey of the rest of the show is not, who done it? But it's, how did he do it?"
* On April 30, 2022, director Michelle MacLaren chatted about setting the time period for the new Apple TV+ thriller and what it was like collaborating with Elisabeth Moss.
* On May 10, 2022 Moss, who also executive-produces and directs the series — noted that Shining Girls is a mystery with "genre-bending elements."
* On May 12, 2022, Bell spoke to *IndieWire* via Zoom and clarified that, in Lauren Beukes’ novel, the character of Harper was more of a charmer. “He’s described as handsome and has like slicked hair,” said Bell. But as enticing as that image is series creator Silka Luisa didn’t want to glamorize a character who spends his time attacking and harming women.
* On May 20, 2022, Moss said she thought that producing and directing the Apple TV Plus thriller added depth to her performance as Kirby.
	+ Also on this day, Madeline Brewer was asked how the *Handmaid's Tale* reunion come about. To which she said that Moss called her up in August, and was like, "Are you available?" And she was like, "I'm so sorry, is this weird? I totally understand if you don't want to come in and just do two episodes," and I was like, "I would follow you into the sun, so I don't care." And then she sends me this dynamite character, which is exactly what I've been looking for. Just something to really sink my teeth into, and so I went to Chicago. It all worked out, and I had the time of my life in Chicago.
* On June 2, 2022, an exclusive clip from the finale, titled “30,” was released.
* On June 3, 2022, it was mentioned how with this first season there was a solid arc and a fond farewell to these characters. But that even if new characters get introduced, there was sense of closure.

## References

1. ↑ Film and TV Projects Going Into Production - Variety Insight
2. ↑ Shining Girls - Apple.com
3. ↑ ‘Shining Girls’ Review: Elisabeth Moss Anchors an Enthralling Apple TV+ Mind-Bender - Indiewire
4. ↑ Shining Girls - SXSW
5. ↑ Elisabeth Moss breaks down the new 'Shining Girls' trailer - iMore
6. ↑ ‘Phenomenal’ – SA author Lauren Beukes on her Apple TV series ‘Shining Girls’ - The Citizen
7. ↑ Elisabeth Moss in Valentino at SHINING GIRLS FYC Emmy Screening and Q&A - Tom and Lorenzo
8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 Elisabeth Moss says Shining Girls was one of the 'most complicated' things she's ever done - EW
9. ↑ Michelle MacLaren Interview: Shining Girls - Screen Rant
10. ↑ Elisabeth Moss Says 'Shining Girls' Contains "Genre-Bending Elements" - Distractify
11. ↑ ‘Shining Girls’: Jamie Bell Didn’t Want to Glamorize the Murderous Harper Q&A - IndieWire
12. ↑ Elisabeth Moss on capturing Kirby's intensity for Shining Girls - AV Club
13. ↑ Madeline Brewer on reuniting with Handmaid's Tale costar Elisabeth Moss in Shining Girls - EW
14. ↑ Reality shifts for Elisabeth Moss and Phillipa Soo in exclusive Shining Girls finale clip - AV Club
15. ↑ ‘Shining Girls’ Finale Gave Fans Something Increasingly Rare: A Definitive Ending - IndieWire