Red Oaks
| Red Oaks | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Comedy |
| Created by |
Gregory Jacobs Joe Gangemi |
| Starring | |
| Composer(s) | Chad Benton |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 20 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) |
|
| Camera setup | Single-camera |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Production company(s) |
Gabdec Productions Picrow Amazon Studios |
| Distributor | Amazon.com |
| Release | |
| Original network | Amazon Video |
| Original release | October 9, 2015 – present |
Red Oaks is a comedy web television series by Amazon Studios. The pilot was directed by David Gordon Green, who also executive produces with writer and creators Joe Gangemi and Gregory Jacobs. The full first season was released on Amazon Video on October 9, 2015. On December 18, 2015, Amazon officially announced the show would be returning for a second season in 2016.[1] The second season was released on November 11, 2016.[2]
Plot
A young student works as a tennis pro at the prestigious and exclusive Red Oaks Country Club during the summer between his sophomore and junior years of college (NYU) in the 1980s.
Filming Locations
The main filming location is Edgewood Country Club in River Vale, New Jersey. Additional locations include Florence Park and Willow Ridge Country Club in Westchester County, New York.
Cast
- Craig Roberts as David Myers
- Jennifer Grey as Judy Myers, David's mother
- Ennis Esmer as Nash, David's supervisor, the tennis pro for the country club
- Gage Golightly as Karen, David's girlfriend
- Oliver Cooper as Wheeler, David's buddy
- Richard Kind as Sam Myers, David's father
- Paul Reiser as Doug Getty, president of the country club and also David, Nash, and Wheeler's boss
- Alexandra Socha as Skye Getty, Doug's daughter
- Gina Gershon as Fay Getty, Doug's wife
- Josh Meyers as Barry
- Alexandra Turshen as Misty
- Freddie Roman as Herb
Episodes
| Season | Episodes | Originally aired | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First aired | Last aired | ||||
| 1 | 10 | August 28, 2014 | October 9, 2015 | ||
| 2 | 10 | November 11, 2016 | |||
Season 1
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "Pilot" | David Gordon Green | Gregory Jacobs & Joe Gangemi | August 28, 2014 |
| 2 | 2 | "Doubles" | David Gordon Green | Gregory Jacobs & Joe Gangemi | October 9, 2015 |
| 3 | 3 | "The Wedding" | Andrew Fleming | Story by: Gregory Jacobs, Joe Gangemi and Max Werner Teleplay by: Max Werner | October 9, 2015 |
| 4 | 4 | "MDMA" | Andrew Fleming | Story by: Gregory Jacobs, Joe Gangemi and Karey Dornetto Teleplay by: Karey Dornetto | October 9, 2015 |
| 5 | 5 | "Fourth of July" | Hal Hartley | Story by: Gregory Jacobs & Joe Gangemi and Shawn Harwell Teleplay by: Shawn Harwell and Gregory Jacobs & Joe Gangemi | October 9, 2015 |
| 6 | 6 | "Swingers" | Nisha Ganatra | Story by: Gregory Jacobs & Joe Gangemi and Thomas G. Papa, Jr. Teleplay by: Thomas G. Papa, Jr. | October 9, 2015 |
| 7 | 7 | "Body Swap" | Amy Heckerling | Joe Gangemi & Gregory Jacobs | October 9, 2015 |
| 8 | 8 | "After Hours" | Amy Heckerling | Story by: Joe Gangemi & Gregory Jacobs and Laura Steinel Teleplay by: Laura Steinel and Joe Gangemi & Gregory Jacobs | October 9, 2015 |
| 9 | 9 | "The Bar Mitzvah" | Nisha Ganatra | Joe Gangemi & Gregory Jacobs | October 9, 2015 |
| 10 | 10 | "Labor Day Luau" | David Gordon Green | Joe Gangemi & Gregory Jacobs | October 9, 2015 |
Season 2
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | 1 | "Paris" | Hal Hartley | Joe Gangemi & Gregory Jacobs | November 11, 2016 |
| 12 | 2 | "Memorial Day" | Hal Hartley | Joe Gangemi & Gregory Jacobs | November 11, 2016 |
| 13 | 3 | "Father's Day" | Hal Hartley | Story by: Joe Gangemi & Gregory Jacobs and Karey Dornetto Teleplay by: Karey Dornetto and Joe Gangemi & Gregory Jacobs | November 11, 2016 |
| 14 | 4 | "The Bris" | Amy Heckerling | Story by: Joe Gangemi & Gregory Jacobs and Max Werner Teleplay by: Max Werner and Joe Gangemi & Gregory Jacobs | November 11, 2016 |
| 15 | 5 | "Independence Day" | Amy Heckerling | Story by: Joe Gangemi & Gregory Jacobs and Shawn Harwell Teleplay by: Shawn Harwell | November 11, 2016 |
| 16 | 6 | "Old Flames" | Hal Hartley | Story by: Joe Gangemi & Gregory Jacobs and Tom Papa Teleplay by: Tom Papa | November 11, 2016 |
| 17 | 7 | "The Anniversary" | Hal Hartley | Story by: Joe Gangemi & Gregory Jacobs and Max Werner Teleplay by: Max Werner and Joe Gangemi & Gregory Jacobs | November 11, 2016 |
| 18 | 8 | "Lost and Found" | Gregg Araki | Story and Teleplay by: Joe Gangemi & Gregory Jacobs and Shawn Harwell | November 11, 2016 |
| 19 | 9 | "The Wedding" | Gregg Araki | Gregory Jacobs & Joe Gangemi | November 11, 2016 |
| 20 | 10 | "The Verdict" | David Gordon Green | Joe Gangemi & Gregory Jacobs | November 11, 2016 |
Critical reception
The pilot received mostly positive reviews.
Entertainment Weekly gave the pilot a B+, and singled out Esmer's performance:
| “ | The amusing Ennis Esmer is the best thing here, as David’s sleazy co-worker Nash. But it’s sometimes hard to tell if Red Oaks is a clever dissection of old, reactionary sex comedies, or if it’s just a reactionary sex comedy itself. B+[3] | ” |
The New York Times enjoyed the pilot:
| “ | Set at a suburban New Jersey country club in 1985, Mr. Green’s pilot is not a sendup of 1980s coming-of-age comedies or even a tribute to them, but a surprisingly straightforward extension of the genre. It’s as if the spirits of John Hughes, Harold Ramis and the young Richard Linklater had all gotten together to consult.[4] | ” |
Newsday liked it as well:
| “ | A funky retro-'80s distinctiveness makes "Red Oaks" Amazon's single best new series. Dryly amusing, the characters are sharply drawn and often appealing – even when they are not. Ennis Esmer ruthlessly heists every scene he's in, and Craig Roberts deftly creates a character you may even recognize from your own past – only funnier.[5] | ” |
On review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes, it holds a score of 81%, an average rating of 7.8/10, based on 26 reviews. The website's consensus reads: "Red Oaks offers an affectionate nod to 1980s sex comedies that – largely thanks to a talented ensemble cast – finds fresh humor in its familiar premise."[6] Metacritic gives the show a score of 70 out of 100, sampled from 21 reviews, signifying "generally favorable reviews".[7]
References
- ↑ Waniata, Ryan (October 9, 2015). "The '80s meets HDR in the new comedy Red Oaks, on Amazon Prime now". Digital Trends. Retrieved October 10, 2015.
- ↑ "Red Oaks". Amazon. Retrieved August 10, 2016.
- ↑ Maerz, Melissa. "We review Amazon's 5 latest pilots". ew.com. Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved November 27, 2014.
- ↑ Hale, Mike (27 August 2014). "Amazon Unveils Its Latest Smiles and Thrills". nytimes.com. The New York Times. Retrieved November 27, 2014.
- ↑ "Amazon pilot contest includes 'Hand of God' with Ron Perlman, Dana Delany". newsday.com. Retrieved November 27, 2014.
- ↑ "Red Oaks: Season 1 (2014)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved October 14, 2015.
- ↑ "Red Oaks". Metacritic. Retrieved October 14, 2015.
External links
- Pilot
- Red Oaks at the Internet Movie Database