Chance is an American television series created by Kem Nunn and Alexandra Cunningham which stars Hugh Laurie. The series is based on Nunn's 2014 book of the same name and was ordered straight-to-series in January 2016 with a straight two-season order containing twenty episodes.[1] It premiered on Hulu on October 19, 2016.[2] The second season premiered on October 11, 2017.[3] On January 9, 2018, the series was cancelled.[4]
| Chance | |
|---|---|
 Title card | |
| Genre | |
| Based on | Chance by Kem Nunn |
| Developed by |
|
| Starring | |
| Theme music composer | Bear McCreary |
| Composer | Will Bates |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 20 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
|
| Producer | Jane Bartelme |
| Production location | San Francisco, California |
| Cinematography | Terry Stacey |
| Running time | 41–50 minutes |
| Production companies |
|
| Original release | |
| Network | Hulu |
| Release | October 19, 2016 – November 29, 2017 |
Premise
editThe series focuses on a forensic neuropsychiatrist, Dr. Eldon Chance, living in San Francisco, who is semi-willingly pulled into his patient Jaclyn Blackstone's dangerous life of police corruption, manipulation, and abuse. While dealing with a divorce of his own and secrets he has been trying to hold back for years, he has to save Jaclyn, as well as himself, from her abusive partner, a corrupt police detective. Chance enlists the aid of an intelligent but violent furniture restorer, Darius, who moonlights as a quasi-mercenary, and they receive low-key assistance in their vigilante endeavor from a morally ambiguous cop, Detective Hynes.
In the second season, Hynes blackmails Chance and Darius into going after a software tycoon who may secretly be a serial killer, while the pair also use Darius's fighting skills to bring justice to the various abusers of Chance's patients. The once mild-mannered Chance finds himself drawn more deeply into Darius's view of violence as a solution to problems, while also dealing with his daughter's continuing struggle with mental health problems she may have inherited from him.
Cast
editMain
edit- Hugh Laurie as Dr. Eldon Chance
- Ethan Suplee as Darius 'D' Pringle[5]
- LisaGay Hamilton as Suzanne Simms (season 1)
- Greta Lee as Lucy Baek[6]
- Stefania LaVie Owen as Nicole Chance, Chance's teenage daughter.[7]
- Paul Adelstein as Raymond Blackstone[8] (season 1)
- Gretchen Mol as Jaclyn Blackstone, a woman being physically and mentally abused by her husband, Raymond. As a result of her abuse, she has developed a secondary personality, known as 'Jackie Black'.[9] (season 1)
- Clarke Peters as Carl Allan[10] (recurring, season 1; main, season 2)
- Brian Goodman as Detective Kevin Hynes (recurring, season 1; main, season 2)
- Paul Schneider as Ryan Winter (season 2)
Recurring
edit- Diane Farr as Christina Chance, Chance's ex-wife[11]
- Michael McGrady as Sanford Pringle
- Elizabeth Rodriguez as Kristen Clayton (season 2)
- Alyson Reed as Lindsay (season 2)
- Ginger Gonzaga as Lorena (season 2)
- Tim Griffin as ADA Frank Lambert (season 2)
Episodes
editSeason 1 (2016)
edit| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "The Summer of Love" | Lenny Abrahamson | Alexandra Cunningham & Kem Nunn | October 19, 2016 |
| 2 | 2 | "The Axiom of Choice" | Lenny Abrahamson | Alexandra Cunningham | October 19, 2016 |
| 3 | 3 | "Hiring It Done" | Michael Lehmann | Kem Nunn | October 26, 2016 |
| 4 | 4 | "The Mad Doctor" | Carl Franklin | Peter Elkoff | November 2, 2016 |
| 5 | 5 | "A Still Point in the Turning World" | Roxann Dawson | Victoria Morrow | November 9, 2016 |
| 6 | 6 | "The Unflinching Spark" | Dan Attias | Sara Gran | November 16, 2016 |
| 7 | 7 | "Unlocking Your Hidden Powers" | Michael Lehmann | Alexandra Cunningham & Kem Nunn | November 23, 2016 |
| 8 | 8 | "The House of Space and Time" | Andrew Bernstein | Peter Elkoff & Victoria Morrow | November 30, 2016 |
| 9 | 9 | "Camera Obscura" | Dan Attias | Sara Gran & Pete Begler | December 7, 2016 |
| 10 | 10 | "Fluid Management" | Michael Lehmann | Alexandra Cunningham & Kem Nunn | December 14, 2016 |
Season 2 (2017)
edit| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | 1 | "Multitiaxal System" | Jonas Pate | Alexandra Cunningham & Kem Nunn | October 11, 2017 |
| 12 | 2 | "A Very Special Onion" | Roxann Dawson | Peter Elkoff | October 11, 2017 |
| 13 | 3 | "The Flitcraft Parable" | Carl Franklin | Alyson Evans & Steve Kornacki | October 11, 2017 |
| 14 | 4 | "The Coping Mechanism" | Nelson McCormick | Dave Flebotte | October 18, 2017 |
| 15 | 5 | "The Collected Works of William Shakespeare" | Jonas Pate | Andrew Gettens & Lauren Mackenzie | October 25, 2017 |
| 16 | 6 | "Treasures in Jars of Clay" | Dan Attias | Ryan Parrott | November 1, 2017 |
| 17 | 7 | "Define Normal" | Nelson McCormick | Peter Elkoff | November 8, 2017 |
| 18 | 8 | "An Infant, A Brute or a Wild Beast" | Andrew Bernstein | Steve Kornacki & Alyson Evans | November 15, 2017 |
| 19 | 9 | "A Madness of Two" | Jonas Pate | Kem Nunn | November 22, 2017 |
| 20 | 10 | "Especially If You Run Away" | Nelson McCormick | Alexandra Cunningham & Kem Nunn | November 29, 2017 |
Release
editBoth seasons of Chance were later released on Disney+ via the Star hub in selected territories following Disney's acquisition of 20th Century Fox which included the show's distributor and production company Fox 21 Television Studios.[12]
Reception
editCritical response
editOn Rotten Tomatoes, the series has an approval rating of 75% based on 32 reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "Chance is an entertaining and profoundly dark thriller primarily kept afloat by Hugh Laurie's outstanding performance."[13]
References
edit- ^ Nellie Andreeva (6 January 2016). "Chance Drama Series Starring Hugh Laurie Lands 2-Season Order At Hulu". Deadline Hollywood.
- ^ Denise Petski (June 24, 2016). "Chance, Shut Eye, Mindy Project & More Get Fall Premiere Dates On Hulu". Deadline Hollywood.
- ^ "Hulu Original Premiere Dates Press Release". hulu.com. July 26, 2017. Retrieved August 10, 2017.
- ^ Ausiello, Michael (9 January 2018). "Chance Cancelled at Hulu". TVLine. Archived from the original on 10 January 2018. Retrieved January 9, 2018.
- ^ Denise Petski (April 14, 2016). "Ethan Suplee Joins Hulu's Hugh Laurie Drama Series 'Chance'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 20, 2016.
- ^ Denise Petski (March 1, 2016). "'Chance' Drama Series Casts Greta Lee". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 20, 2016.
- ^ Denise Petski (February 18, 2016). "Lisa Gay Hamilton & Stefania LaVie Owen Cast In Hulu's 'Chance'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 20, 2016.
- ^ Nellie Andreeva (April 8, 2016). "Paul Adelstein Cast In Hugh Laurie Hulu Drama Series 'Chance'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 20, 2016.
- ^ Nellie Andreeva (March 3, 2016). "Gretchen Mol To Star In 'Chance' Hulu Drama Series". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 20, 2016.
- ^ Nellie Andreeva (April 26, 2016). "Clarke Peters Joins Hulu's Hugh Laurie Drama Series 'Chance'". Deadline Hollywood.
- ^ Denise Petski (April 13, 2016). "Diane Farr Joins Hulu's Hugh Laurie Drama Series 'Chance'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 20, 2016.
- ^ "Watch Chance | Full episodes | Disney+".
- ^ "Chance - Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes.