Stephen King, the bestselling horror author behind some of your favorite books, has a series to suggest.Disclaimer*, a new thriller series on Apple TV+, is described by King as a worthy show to watch. That is, if you can get past the first episode.
One of the most active celebrities on X, formerly known as Twitter, King continuesusing the platformto say good things about the latest shows or movies he’s watched.Disclaimer*joins recent call-outs by King that include shows likeTeacupandEvil, and the moviesThe Rule of Jenny PenandRebel Ridge.
Disclaimer
Told in seven chapters, Disclaimer is based on the novel of the same name by Renée Knight. Acclaimed journalist Catherine Ravenscroft (Blanchett) built her reputation revealing the misdeeds and transgressions of others. When she receives a novel from an unknown author, she is horrified to realize she is now the main character in a story that exposes her darkest secrets. As Catherine races to uncover the writer’s true identity, she is forced to confront her past before it destroys both her own life and her relationships with her husband Robert (Sacha Baron Cohen) and their son Nicholas (Kodi Smit-McPhee).
King posted the following on X:“DISCLAIMER (Apple+): The first episode is a little slow, but stick with it and you’ll be engrossed.“It didn’t take long for his followers to react to his appraisal ofDisclaimer, and replies ranged from the usual replies targeting King’s political stance to other users claiming they will now pay for Apple TV+ as a streaming service, because if the King says it’s good, then it’s probably good, right?
Disclaimer*starsCate Blanchett, Kevin Kline, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Sacha Baron Cohen, Louis Partridge, Lesley Manville and Art Malik. Formatted as a miniseries, the show is based on Renée Knight’s book of the same name, and Alfonso Cuarón had writing and directing duties on every single episode. The director of films likeGravityworked alongside his frequent cinematographer, Emmanuel Lubezki. Bruno Delbonnel, whose work has been seen in movies likeAmélie,The Tragedy of MacbethandInside Llewyn Davis, also joined them.
The miniseries had its debut at the 81st Venice International Film Festival and 2024 Toronto International Film Festival, receiving positive reactions from industry critics who were lucky enough to see Cuarón’s psychological thriller early. After premiering on October 11 on Apple TV+, the series has earned a solid 78% score on Rotten Tomatoes.
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Disclaimer* Marks Alfonso Cuarón’s Highly-Anticipated Return to Television
Cuarón’s career is mostly based in feature films. The Mexican director won the Academy Award for Best Director for his work inGravityandRoma. Considering his feature film debut was in 1991 with a Mexican romantic comedy, the fact that he has only made eight films in 33 years is noteworthy. His storytelling abilities are above the ordinary, and he’s proven this with remarkable films that tend to get rave reviews upon release.
Even though the TV medium has grown massively in the last 25 years, Cuarón has only worked on four shows: the anthology horror seriesLa Hora Marcada, one episode in the neo-noir anthologyFallen Angels, showrunnning and directing gigs on the forgotten NBC seriesBelieve, and now,Disclaimer*. So far, the series has gotten the best reception of Cuarón’s work on television, but it wasn’t difficult considering his previous works were lesser productions.
