Dear Edward (TV series)

Dear Edward
Genre	Drama
Created by	Jason Katims
Based on	Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano
Starring	Taylor Schilling Colin O'Brien Anna Uzele Idris DeBrand Carter Hudson Maxwell Jenkins Amy Forsyth Audrey Corsa Eva Ariel Binder Brittany S. Hall Khloe Bruno Connie Britton Jenna Qureshi Dario Ladani Sanchez Douglas M. Griffin Ivan Shaw
Music by	Jonathan Sanford
Opening theme	Hold On by Lizzy McAlpine
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	10
Production
Executive producers	Jason Katims Jeni Mulein Fisher Stevens Ann Napolitano
Producers	Patrick Ward LaDarian Smith
Cinematography	David Boyd Tim Bellen
Editors	Geoffrey Richman Peter Forslund Tad Dennis Angela Catanzaro
Production companies	True Jack Productions Apple Studios
Original release
Network	Apple TV+
Release	February 3 (2023-02-03) – March 24, 2023 (2023-03-24)

Dear Edward is an American drama television series developed by Jason Katims, based on the novel of the same name by Ann Napolitano. It premiered on February 3, 2023 on Apple TV+. In April 2023, the series was canceled after one season.

The novel was partially inspired by the crash of Afriqiyah Airways Flight 771 on May 12, 2010, which resulted in the deaths of all 103 passengers and crew except a 9-year-old boy.

Premise

Young Edward Adler is the lone survivor of a plane crash that takes the lives of his family. He and others affected by the tragedy connect with one another to cope with their respective losses and pain.

Cast

Main

• Taylor Schilling as Lacey Curtis, Edward’s aunt who becomes his guardian when her sister dies in a plane crash.
• Colin O'Brien as Edward Adler, the sole survivor of a plane crash.
• Anna Uzele as Adriana Washington, the granddaughter of a New York representative who died in the plane crash
• Idris DeBrand as Kojo, a Ghanaian whose sister died in the plane crash and comes to America to get his niece.
• Carter Hudson as John Curtis, Lacey's husband and co-guardian of Edward.
• Maxwell Jenkins as Jordan Adler, Edward's brother who died in the plane crash, who had a secret girlfriend.
• Amy Forsyth as Linda, whose boyfriend died in the crash. She is pregnant.
• Audrey Corsa as Zoe, Dee Dee's daughter whose dad died in the crash
• Eva Ariel Binder as Shay, Lacey and John's next-door neighbor who befriends Edward.
• Brittany S. Hall as Amanda
• Khloe Bruno as Becks
• Connie Britton as Dee Dee, the rich woman whose husband died in the plane crash and had a secret second life.
• Jenna Qureshi as Mahira
• Dario Ladani Sanchez as Sam
• Douglas M. Griffin as Milo
• Ivan Shaw as Steve, whose estranged brother died in the plane crash and becomes close with his brother's fiancée.
• Ashley De La Rosa as Sienna

Recurring

• Robin Tunney as Jane Adler, Edward's mother who died in the plane crash.
• Brian d'Arcy James as Bruce Adler, Edward's father who died in the plane crash.
• Clara Wong as Daphne

Episodes

No.	Title	Directed by	Teleplay by	Original release date
1	"Pilot"	Fisher Stevens	Jason Katims	February 3, 2023 (2023-02-03)
Several people head to the airport to board a flight to Los Angeles. Among them is a scriptwriter relocating there with her husband and two sons, Jordan and Edward, who are both homeschooled by their father. Also travelling is an elderly congresswoman on her way to a convention; her granddaughter and secretary, Adriana, sees her off at the airport. Other passengers include Chale, an aspiring actress from Ghana travelling to an audition, and a businessman flying first class on the day of his wife Dee Dee’s and daughter Zoe’s joint birthday. Meanwhile, Dee Dee and Zoe are out celebrating. During the flight, the plane encounters severe turbulence and both engines fail. The pilot attempts an emergency landing, but the aircraft crashes in a forest clearing. Emergency crews arrive at the scene and discover Edward alive among the wreckage as the sole survivor.
2	"Food"	Allison Liddi-Brown	Jason Katims	February 3, 2023 (2023-02-03)
The families of the passengers aboard the doomed flight receive news of the crash. A support group is set up for grieving relatives and friends. Dee Dee attends the meetings, where she meets Linda, whose boyfriend died in the crash. Linda confides that she is four months pregnant. Also attending the sessions are Lacey, Edward’s aunt, and Adriana, the congresswoman’s granddaughter. Kojo, Chale’s brother, flies in from Ghana to take care of his motherless niece, Becks. Misunderstanding the purpose of the support group, he initially asks for bureaucratic support instead. Adriana befriends Kojo and Becks and uses her connections to help them. Edward moves in with his maternal aunt Lacey and her husband, John. Lacey struggles to care for Edward, who refuses to eat her “healthy” food and constantly imagines that his deceased brother is still alive. He finds comfort in their neighbour, Shay. Meanwhile, Dee Dee meets with her late husband’s accountant and learns that her husband had lost his job some time earlier, leaving her in significant debt. The accountant advises her to "unload" unnecessary assets, including a condominium in Los Angeles whose existence she had been unaware of.
3	"Stuff"	Allison Liddi-Brown	Megan Chan Meinero Story by : Halley Feiffer and Rajiv Joseph	February 3, 2023 (2023-02-03)
In search of the “mystery girl” who had given him a shrunken head, Edward's new friend Shay convinces him to venture into Manhattan. However, the search proves unsuccessful, and Edward becomes emotionally overwhelmed when revisiting places connected to his past, including his and his brother’s favorite falafel stand. Meanwhile, Adriana struggles to collect enough signatures to get on the ballot and confides in Kojo, who offers to help. In return, Adriana offers to put up Kojo and his niece, Becks, at her apartment. Meanwhile in LA, a friendship begins to develop between Linda and Dee Dee. Linda meets her late boyfriend’s parents, who were unaware of her existence, and tells them that she is pregnant. Dee Dee visits her late husband’s condominium and uncovers further secrets from his past. She confronts a woman she believes to be his lover, only to discover that the woman runs an LGBTQ+ center where her husband volunteered.
4	"Chrysalis"	David Boyd	Rajiv Joseph	February 10, 2023 (2023-02-10)
Edward begins attending school but struggles to fit in. In Los Angeles, Dee Dee continues investigating her late husband's secret life and discovers that he had been helping vulnerable teenagers. Meanwhile, Kojo and Becks continue staying with Adriana as they prepare for Chale's funeral. Adriana arranges a more suitable venue for the service. Lacey and John grapple with a large volume of letters addressed to Edward, which they hide from him. Lacey also tries to help Edward process his grief by telling him a story about his mother's generosity when they were young.
5	"Haunted"	David Boyd	Romi Barta	February 17, 2023 (2023-02-17)
6	"Truth"	Jaffar Mahmood	LaDarian Smith	February 24, 2023 (2023-02-24)
7	"Folklore"	Jaffar Mahmood	Louisa Hill	March 3, 2023 (2023-03-03)
8	"Music"	Clement Virgo	Michelle Lirtzman	March 10, 2023 (2023-03-10)
9	"Paper Covers Rock"	Clement Virgo	Rajiv Joseph	March 17, 2023 (2023-03-17)
10	"Shelter"	Nisha Ganatra	Jason Katims	March 24, 2023 (2023-03-24)

Production

It was announced in February 2022 that Apple TV+ had given a ten episode greenlight for the series, which Jason Katims developed from Ann Napolitano's novel. Colin O'Brien was cast in the title role, with Connie Britton and Taylor Schilling also announced to star. Fisher Stevens was set to serve as director for the pilot episode. Additional casting was announced in March 2022 as production began in New York City, with filming taking place at Central Park. In April, Brian d'Arcy James was cast for a recurring role. On April 19, 2023, it was reported that the series was canceled after one season.

Release

Dear Edward was released on February 3, 2023, with the first three episodes available immediately and the rest debuting on a weekly basis.

Reception

The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 57% approval rating with an average rating of 6/10, based on 30 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "Sincerely acted and occasionally quite moving, Dear Edward nevertheless bears the signature of overdetermined schmaltz that's too intent on wringing tears." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 61 out of 100 based on 16 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

External links

• Dear Edward at IMDb