Salem (TV series)
Salem is an American supernatural fiction drama television show. It was created by Brannon Braga and Adam Simon. The first episode was made public on April 20, 2014.[1] Salem is WGN America's first scripted series.[2] Janet Montgomery and Shane West are the main actors/actresses of the show. Salem is influenced by the Salem Witch Trials in the 17th century.
| Salem | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Supernatural fiction Drama Thriller |
| Created by | Brannon Braga Adam Simon |
| Starring | Janet Montgomery Shane West Seth Gabel Tamzin Merchant Ashley Madekwe Elise Eberle Iddo Goldberg Xander Berkeley Joe Doyle Oliver Bell |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 3 |
| No. of episodes | 36 |
| Production | |
| Production location | Shreveport, Louisiana |
| Running time | 45 minutes |
| Original release | |
| Release | April 20, 2014 – January 25, 2017 |
Overview
changeSalem is a fictional story that is based on the real Salem Witch Trials in colonial Massachusetts. The Massachusetts government at the time was dominated by conservative Puritan leaders. Unlike today there was little difference between church and state.[3]
In 1692 the Puritan colony was affected by young girls "crying out" accusations of devil worship against other members of the congregation.[4] A mix of fear and superstition caused a hysteria among the Puritans that devil-worshiping witches were among them.[5] A mob mentality caused people to torture and execute others women (and a few men) for no reason other than hysteria over the possibility of them being witches. Over 150 people were accused of being witches and placed on trial.[4]
Salem, the WGN America series, reworks this history into a fictional story full of magic, witches as actual beings, and sexy characters.[6] In the TV series the main characters, John Alden (Shane West) and Mary Sibley (Janet Montgomery), find themselves in love even though the whole town is in a frenzy over witch hunts. The New York Times review called it "perversely entertaining."[7]
Cast
changeMost of the characters are based on the names of real people.
- Janet Montgomery as Mary Sibley
- Shane West as Captain John Alden
- Seth Gabel as Cotton Mather
- Tamzin Merchant as Anne Hale
- Ashley Madekwe as Tituba
- Elise Eberle as Mercy Lewis
- Iddo Goldberg as Isaac Walton
- Xander Berkeley as Magistrate Hale
- Oliver Bell as John
- Joe Doyle as Baron Sebastian von Marburg
Reviews
changeSalem scored 49 out of 100, based on 16 critic reviews on Metacritic.[8] On Rotten Tomatoes, the first season scored 54%, with an average rating of 5.5 out of 10 based on 26 critic reviews.[9] The show was also nominated for two awards.[10][11]
References
change- ↑ "Shows A-Z - salem on wgn". TheFutonCritic.com. Retrieved January 13, 2014.
- ↑ Bacardi, Francesca (December 19, 2013). "Watch WGN America's 'Salem' Teaser". Variety. Retrieved January 13, 2014.
- ↑ , The Salem Witch Trials (Minneapolis: Lerner Pub. Co., 1997), p. 21
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "The 1692 Salem Witch Trials". Salem Witch Museum. Retrieved 29 August 2015.
- ↑ "Salem Witch Trials". Salem Award Foundation. Retrieved 29 August 2015.
- ↑ Zack Handlen (18 April 2014). "Salem makes a mess of history for no good reason". The Onion. Retrieved 29 August 2015.
- ↑ Neil Genzlinger (17 April 2014). "Once Again, Fires Burn and Caldrons Bubble". The New York Times. Retrieved 29 August 2015.
- ↑ "Salem – Season 1". Metacritic. CBS. Retrieved June 11, 2014.
- ↑ "Salem: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Retrieved June 11, 2014.
- ↑ Michael Gingold (1 June 2015). "The 2015 FANGORIA Chainsaw Awards Winners and Full Results!". Fangoria. Archived from the original on 27 June 2017. Retrieved 29 August 2015.
- ↑ Blake, Emily (March 3, 2015). "2015 Saturn Awards: Captain America: Winter Soldier, Walking Dead lead nominees". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved March 13, 2015.