If you're still buzzing from Beth Harmon's triumph in The Queen's Gambit on Netflix, let's dive even further into the excellent miniseries. Marielle Heller as Alma Wheatley and Anya Taylor-Joy as Beth Harmon in "The Queen's Gambit." © 2020 Forbes Media LLC. Netflix's The Queen Gambit, at it's core, doesn't sound all that compelling. Watch Season 1 Now on Netflix. As she rises through the ranks of professional chess, Beth becomes entwined with her almost exclusively male opponents. The Queen's Gambit is out on Netflix now. Patrick Harbron, CBS, Patrick Harbron, CBS, Everything coming to Netflix in October: From more 'Schitt's Creek' to plenty of horror, 50 best TV shows to watch on Netflix right now: 'Evil,' 'Schitt's Creek' finale, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. © 2020 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Satellite Information Network, LLC. ​, “This is a coming-of-age story,” said series writer and director Scott Frank in an interview. EY & Citi On The Importance Of Resilience And Innovation, Impact 50: Investors Seeking Profit — And Pushing For Change, Michigan Economic Development Corporation with Forbes Insights. And one as excellent as The Queen’s Gambit feels very rare indeed. Author Walter Tevis explained the real-life stories that inspired the character. Helmed by Scott Frank and Allan … Beth Harmon could probably beat them both at chess. With Anya Taylor-Joy, Chloe Pirrie, Bill Camp, Marielle Heller. Let friends in your social network know what you are reading about. Even in a year as bleak as 2020, the right TV show can come along and happily surprise you. In the new limited series The Queen’s Gambit, the only thing that's real is the chess. There is an enormous burden tied to genius. (Photo: PHIL BRAY/NETFLIX). Even in a year as bleak as 2020, the right TV show can come along and happily surprise you. “Having a gifted brain can be a curse really. Her expressive face and even more expressive hand movements are a key part of what makes the chess matches so mesmerizing. Courtesy of Netflix What is it about The Queen's Gambit ? In the seven-part limited series, based on Walter Tevis’ novel of the same name, a young girl learns she has an extraordinary talent for the game of chess. Paired with the superb score, "Queen's" gives the series' many chess matches near Olympic tension and gravitas, as exciting as any great sports film. You may opt-out by. “The true cost of genius, for me, is the single most important theme of the book. But child stardom comes at a price. She fits so perfectly into the 1960s fashions and mannerisms that she may well have been born in the wrong decade. Beth wins local chess tournaments, and after Alma discovers how much money her new daughter can make, she acts as Beth's agent and manager, pulling her out of school so they can travel to national and international tournaments. 1 Show Inspired by 'Brainy Women' this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines. Chess is cool again, thanks to the hit Netflix show The Queen’s Gambit. Netflix's 'The Queen's Gambit' follows chess prodigy Beth Harmon. This was going to be his directing debut,” he says. As for the leading role, Frank … She spends her nights popping pills and imagining chess games on the ceiling of her dormitory, one of many arresting visuals in "Queen's" over the course of its seven episodes. Frank's direction is full of quick cuts, artful framing and beautiful shots. Photo by Phil Bray for Netflix. Anya Taylor-Joy used different walks and body language to play her character in the Netflix series “The Queen’s Gambit” at ages ranging from early teens to early 20s. (Photo: PHIL BRAY/NETFLIX). Season 1 Trailer: The Queen's Gambit. She quickly discovers that stockpiling them, and taking multiple doses a few nights a week, leads to exciting highs. He teaches her the rules and is awed by her natural talent. Last week, Netflix claimed that The Queen’s Gambit had attracted 62 million viewers from across the globe, becoming the most-viewed series to ever appear on the streaming giant - … All Rights Reserved, This is a BETA experience. A really, really wonderful book,” he emphasized. Episodes The Queen's Gambit. Townes (Jacob Fortune-Lloyd), a dashing older player who immediately catches Beth's eye; and Benny Watts (Thomas Brodie-Sangster), an American champion who initially dismisses Beth's talent before eventually helping to train her to take on the world's best chess players, the Soviets. While the husband spends weeks on "business trips" out West, Beth gradually bonds with her new mother, Alma (Marielle Heller), a functional alcoholic. But "Queen's" wouldn't sing without Taylor-Joy, who turns in one of the best performances of her already celebrated young career. The Queen’s Gambit is executive produced by Frank, Scott and William Horberg. Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. Anya Taylor-Joy ("Split") stars in this series from Scott Frank ("Godless," "Logan"), based on the novel by Walter Tevis. While chess retailers and app makers reap the rewards, other brands are surely taking note of … Child prodigy Beth Harmon is fictional. The miniseries is heavily based on author Walter Tevis's 1983 novel of the same name. Beth is as messy, mean and ultimately brilliant as the likes of John Nash (Russell Crowe in "A Beautiful Mind") or Will Hunting (Matt Damon in "Good Will Hunting"). ‘The Queen’s Gambit’: A Female Bobby Fischer Keeps Her Challengers in Check Based on a 1983 novel of the same name, the new Netflix drama … A link has been sent to your friend's email address. The Queen’s Gambit may join the slew of “not about a hetero white guy” Netflix shows like (offhand) Dead to Me, Away, Glow, The Get Down, … SIGN UP TO NETFLIX NOW. As a teen, she makes her way onto the international chess circuit, traveling the globe and handily beating men twice her age. “It was a science experiment for me,” says the 24-year-old actress. 1 spot on Netflix in the U.S. for good reason – it's just that good. Cosmopolitan UK's December/January issue is out now and you can SUBSCRIBE HERE. Netflix has done it again with The Queen’s Gambit, another hit series that’s shot up to the Top 10 not long after it premiered earlier this month. I watch a lot of shows and interview the talent in front of and behind the camera. Limited Series. new drama The Queen’s Gambit. The orphanage she went to, … Netflix, as usual, dominated the list, with The Mandalorian the only non-Netflix title. Netflix and third parties use cookies and similar technologies on this website to collect information about your browsing activities which we use to analyse your use of the website, to personalise our services and to customise our online advertisements. NFLX Yes, we know, we know, chess is a complex, elegant game, and one that can be … He didn’t live to see his success and died soon after the book was published. The seven-part limited series 'The Queen's Gambit' premieres on Netflix October 23. The supporting cast is also terrific, especially Heller as Alma, who acts as both an enabler and support system for her surprisingly smart adopted daughter. Alluringly directed by Frank, who also wrote the series, Netflix’s The Queen’s Gambit finds its closest comparisons in Queen of Katwe and Pawn Sacrifice by centering its narrative on a … Her misfortune, however, leads her to discover her life’s purpose when she plays a game of chess with the orphanage’s janitor. Based on the novel by Walter Tevis, "Queen's" (streaming now, ★★★½ out of four) follows the rise of fictional chess prodigy Beth Harmon (a stunning Anya Taylor-Joy), a Kentucky orphan in the 1960s who learns the game from a janitor (Bill Camp) in her orphanage's basement. Release year: 2020. Marielle Heller, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Moses Ingram, Harry Melling and Bill Camp round out the cast. It's a show that seems tailor-made for our joy-starved minds in a somber modern world. Anya Taylor-Joy as Beth Harmon in "The Queen's Gambit." Chess is just the world she moves through.”, Another relatable theme, especially in the current pandemic, is loneliness. She’s a terrific actress and can convey so much with her eyes and the slightest facial expressions and we knew there would be a lot of close-ups with this role. “You just cannot put it down even if you don’t know anything about chess.” Tragically, Tevis would never know how his novel touched so many readers. She will also encounter a new challenge; the state provides tranquilizers as a sedative for the children there, which leads her down the dark path of addiction. She also has an eye for fashion and like a caterpillar turning into a butterfly, goes from impressively skilled outcast into a glamorous champion known the world over as she masterfully conquers the traditional boundaries in the male-dominated world of competitive chess. This is what one young woman comes to learn in Netflix’s Newcomer Moses Ingram, who plays Jolene, Beth's best friend from the orphanage, also stands out brightly in a limited amount of screen time. Missouri chess set creators can’t keep games in stock after Netflix show ‘The Queens Gambit’ It’s a trend being seen across the United States. The novel passed through many hands in the worlds of television and film and at one point in the 1990s, it almost became a feature film. It was created by Scott Frank and Allan Scott and released on Netflix on October 23, 2020. She starts out in life alone in this world as an orphan and ends up with this group of people that know and love her.”. Based on the novel by Walter Tevis, the Netflix limited series drama The Queen's Gambit is a coming-of-age story that explores the true cost of genius. Even if it's about chess. 1 in 63 countries. “I’d seen her work and thought she was amazing and riveting. The new Netflix drama The Queen’s Gambit has created quite a buzz ever since it was released on the platform on October 23. The Queen's Gambit (TV Mini-Series 2020) cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. The Queen's Gambit is an American drama television miniseries based on Walter Tevis's 1983 novel of the same name, starring Anya Taylor-Joy. Allan Scott, who co-created the series, had the rights to the book and eventually decided episodic might be the best approach and it finally found its home at Netflix. Isla Johnston as young Beth and Bill Camp as Mr. Shaibel in "The Queen's Gambit." Few could've likely guessed that a period piece about a young chess prodigy would … “Many directors have tried to make it. Heath Ledger was set to direct this as a film a few years before he died. Netflix supports the Digital Advertising Alliance Principles. The story is set in 1950s Kentucky where Beth Harmon (Anya Taylor-Joy) faces the tragic death of her mother and ends up at an orphanage. Netflix’s adaptation of “The Queen’s Gambit,” starring Anya Taylor-Joy, copies virtually everything from Walter Tevis’s novel, apart from its central tension. A link has been posted to your Facebook feed. The series begins with Beth as a quiet 9-year-old who has just been orphaned by a car crash and is delivered to a depressing orphanage that hands out tranquilizers like candy to keep the kids docile. One day, she walks in on the janitor playing chess against himself in the basement, and is drawn to the game. As for the leading role, Frank talks about how other actresses were suggested to him but Taylor-Joy was always his first choice. Beth has this gift and it takes a piece out of her. Read or Share this story: https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/tv/2020/10/28/the-queens-gambit-review-one-best-shows-2020/3753873001/. The show has seen unprecedented success globally, landing in the Top 10 in 92 countries and ranking No. As a teenager, Beth is adopted by the Wheatleys, an unhappy married couple. Here are the 10 best so far, from a stalwart game show to ridiculous vampires to a brand-new sci-fi sitcom. Known mostly for her work as a director ("A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood"), Heller makes Alma so much more than just another disillusioned housewife. Videos The Queen's Gambit. “It’s a great read. Smart, enthralling and a little sexy, "The Queen's Gambit" has jumped to the No. The two-time Academy Award nominee explained that though the series has more of a slow burn feel to it, the book read like a thriller. Hollywood may have shut much of production down due to the coronavirus pandemic, but there are still plenty of great TV shows that have aired or streamed so far in 2020. Like this article? It's show about chess. (Photo: PHIL BRAY/NETFLIX), Thanks to Taylor-Joy's performance, a strong supporting cast and the right balance of trials and triumph, "Queen's" is a surprisingly gripping adventure (yes, a chess adventure) that still manages to find levity and happiness. Anya Taylor-Joy brings a miniseries about a fictional chess prodigy to vivid, stylish life in "Queen's Gambit," a delightful surprise of a miniseries. I really wanted her from the get-go.”, This story of triumph over adversity is premiering at the perfect time and Frank hopes viewers will tune in. This, he explains, is why over the years so many in Hollywood had responded to the book, which was first published in 1983. Created by Scott Frank, Allan Scott. The latest hit drama series to land on Netflix sees Emma star Anya Taylor-Joy play an orphaned chess prodigy who battles addiction while rising … She quickly discovers that stockpiling them, and taking multiple doses a years... 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