Critters: A New Binge is an American horror-comedy web television series that premiered on Shudder on March 21, 2019.[1] A reboot of the original franchise, the series takes place in Livingston, Iowa and features all new characters.
| Critters: A New Binge | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Horror Science Fiction Comedy |
| Based on | Critters by Domonic Muir |
| Starring |
|
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 8 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
|
| Running time | 9-11 minutes |
| Production companies | New Line Cinema Blue Ribbon Content Triton Media |
| Original release | |
| Network | Shudder |
| Release | March 21, 2019 |
Premise
editThe Krites arrive on Earth on a secret mission to rescue a missing comrade. Standing in the way of their plans are a group of high school students: Christopher (Joey Morgan), his crush Dana (Stephi Chin-Salvo), and his best friend, Charlie (Bzhaun Rhoden). The teens soon receive help in the form of three intergalactic bounty hunters.
Cast and characters
edit- Joey Morgan as Christopher
- Stephi Chin-Salvo as Dana
- Bzhaun Rhoden as Charlie
- Kirsten Robek as Veronica
- Gilbert Gottfried as Uncle Murray
- Tom Pickett as Bounty Hunter #1
- Toby Levins as Bounty Hunter #2
Episodes
edit| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "No Eating" | Jordan Rubin | Al & Jon Kaplan | March 21, 2019 |
| 2 | "Beginnings" | Jordan Rubin | Al & Jon Kaplan | March 21, 2019 |
| 3 | "Party Time" | Jordan Rubin | Al & Jon Kaplan | March 21, 2019 |
| 4 | "Veronica" | Jordan Rubin | Al & Jon Kaplan | March 21, 2019 |
| 5 | "Detention" | Jordan Rubin | Al & Jon Kaplan | March 21, 2019 |
| 6 | "For Crites Sake" | Jordan Rubin | Al & Jon Kaplan | March 21, 2019 |
| 7 | "Split Decision" | Jordan Rubin | Al & Jon Kaplan | March 21, 2019 |
| 8 | "The Final Battle" | Jordan Rubin | Al & Jon Kaplan | March 21, 2019 |
Production
editDevelopment
editIn 2014, Warner Bros. announced plans to produce a web series based on the Critters films.[2] Producer Peter Girardi at Warner Bros. Digital reached out to writer-director Jordan Rubin to see if he was interested in the project. Rubin put together a pitch for the series with his writing partners, Jon and Al Kaplan, and the project was greenlit.[3]
Filming
editPrincipal photography for the series reportedly began during the last week of May 2018 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.[4] Filming wrapped in July.[5]
Release
editShudder acquired the series from Warner Bros. Television in February 2019.[1][6] All eight ten-minute episodes premiered on Shudder on March 21.
Reception
editThe series received mixed reviews. Bloody Disgusting gave the series one-and-a-half skulls, declaring the "CG effects are so Syfy-level bad that they wouldn’t have even passed muster back in the ’90s" and the episodes "absolutely loaded with that bargain basement effects work" and "lowbrow humor".[7] JoBlo gave the series a 6 out of 10, saying that "there's going to be a split reaction to A New Binge. I don't think the story crafted by Rubin and his co-writers Al Kaplan and Jon Kaplan is one that anybody was expecting to see told in this franchise". Ultimately, the review felt it was "a very innocuous piece of entertainment".[8]
References
edit- ^ a b Foutch, Haleight (February 28, 2019). "The 'Critters' Are Back in the First Trailer for Shudder's New Series". collider.com. Archived from the original on April 26, 2019. Retrieved April 26, 2019.
- ^ Gallagher, Brian (21 October 2014). "'Static Shock' and 'Critters' Digital Series in Development". MovieWeb. Archived from the original on 1 July 2015. Retrieved January 12, 2016.
- ^ Radish, Christina (March 25, 2019). "'Critters: A New Binge' Co-Creator on Practical Effects, 'Matrix' Homages, & Letting Gilbert Gottfried Riff". collider.com. Archived from the original on March 28, 2019. Retrieved April 26, 2019.
- ^ "Filming in Vancouver: Fresh off the Boat's Ali Wong and Russell Park, Loudermilk, Critters, and more". 28 May 2018. Archived from the original on 2 January 2022. Retrieved 26 April 2019.
- ^ "18 TV Shows Filming in Vancouver This July". 29 June 2018. Archived from the original on 2 January 2022. Retrieved 26 April 2019.
- ^ Shudder (February 28, 2019). "Critters: A New Binge - Official Trailer [HD]". YouTube. Archived from the original on July 13, 2023. Retrieved April 26, 2019.
- ^ Squires, John (March 18, 2019). "[Review] Even the 'Critters' Franchise Deserves Better Than "Critters: A New Binge"". bloody-disgusting.com. Archived from the original on April 17, 2019. Retrieved April 26, 2019.
- ^ Hamman, Cody (March 18, 2019). "Critters: A New Binge (Web Series Review)". bloody-disgusting.com. Archived from the original on March 22, 2019. Retrieved April 26, 2019.