Strike Times: Our Guide to a Casting Director-Inspired Watchlist
Industry folk may find themselves with some extra time on their hands during these strike times, and what better way to spend it than taking in some stellar performances from a watchlist inspired by casting directors?
We pulled from the archives of our Get to Know the Casting Director series to share with you how some top casting directors answered our queries about what was on their watchlists. From The Andy Griffith Show to After Life to Mad Men, we’re sharing some of the series that made the cut, as well as noteworthy performances to watch in each. And all selected shows have completed their runs, so whether you’re looking to watch a full series with one season or eight seasons during these strike times, we’ve got you covered.
Victoria Thomas – Lovecraft Country, The Invaders, The Andy Griffith Show
When trying to sum up the extensive résumé of Victoria Thomas, you might highlight the 1997 Nicolas Cage-led action thriller Con Air or the 2003 Tom Cruise-starring epic The Last Samurai. More recent projects include titles such as F. Gary Gray’s bio-drama Straight Outta Compton and Quentin Tarantino’s star-studded period dramedy Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. And then, of course, there’s the post-apocalyptic HBO Max series The Last of Us.
So when we asked Thomas what was on her own watchlist, it may come as no surprise that her picks could not be confined to one particular genre or period. At the time, she was watching the Emmy-winning, one-season wonder of a fantasy period horror entitled Lovecraft Country, starring Jurnee Smollett and Jonathan Majors. And then there were older titles she mentioned, such as The Invaders, a sci-fi thriller series led by Roy Thinnes that ran on ABC for two seasons back in the ‘60s.
Thomas also made note of the performance given by a young Ron Howard during his eight-season run on CBS’ 1960s family comedy The Andy Griffith Show. “He was just really fantastic as a kid actor,” Thomas said of the thespian-turned-filmmaker. “Who he is naturally came off [on screen] — it’s really amazing.”
Sophie Holland – After Life
The UK-based casting director has some impressive titles to her name, and for Netflix alone, her credits include series like The Witcher and Shadow and Bone. When we last caught up with the casting director, Holland shared two shows that were on her watchlist at the time, including the Ricky Gervais-led Netflix dramedy After Life. “His [Gervais’] ability to observe human emotions is unbelievable,” the casting director told us. “It feels so raw, and I end up a sobbing mess on the floor after every episode. It’s incredibly well done, and I promise you’ll be hooked if you watch just one episode.”
The official Netflix summary details how After Life follows a newspaper writer (Gervais) struggling to come to terms with his wife’s death who takes on a gruff new persona to try and push away those trying to help. Should you be wanting a new show labeled by Netflix as “witty and “irreverent,” you can watch After Life from its first season to its final third season on the streamer. And if so, you can also take in performances from a strong supporting cast that includes names like Tom Basden, Tony Way, Diane Morgan, Kerry Godliman and Ashley Jensen.
Douglas Aibel – Mad Men, The Mary Tyler Moore Show
From M. Night Shyamalan’s Split to Wes Anderson’s The Grand Budapest Hotel to Noah Baumbach’s Marriage Story, the credits of Douglas Aibel run deep. But when Casting Networks virtually sat down with the casting director, we got a peek into his own watchlist. Besides keeping up with new shows and films coming out, Aibel revealed that he tries to rewatch at least one classic show with “brilliant” casting on a yearly basis.
The casting director noted AMC’s Mad Men as a good example. “It’s the epitome of a brilliantly conceptualized and realized drama,” he asserts. And Aibel suggested that The Mary Tyler Moore Show could possibly be the “best cast, acted, directed and written comedy series of all time.”
So whether you’re looking for seven seasons of a Jon Hamm-led drama — in which you can also see Elisabeth Moss shine, pre-The Handmaid’s Tale — or seven seasons of Mary Tyler Moore’s eponymous comedy series, the casting director’s classic picks have you covered.
If you want to learn more about the people behind the watchlists — as well as their full responses to our “what-are-you-watching” query — you can find all three Get to Know the Casting Director interviews with Thomas, Holland, and Aibel on Casting Networks News.
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