This Close
GenreComedy
CreatorShoshannah Stern
Joshua Feldman
WriterShoshannah Stern
Joshua Feldman
Starring
  • Shoshannah Stern
  • Joshua Feldman
CountryUnited States
Num seasons2
Num episodes14
Executive producer
ProducerJoel Henry
CompanySuper Deluxe
Killer Films
NetworkSundance TV
First airedFebruary 14, 2018
Last airedSeptember 21, 2019

This Close is a dramedy television series written by and starring deaf creators Shoshannah Stern and Josh Feldman that premiered on Sundance Now on February 14, 2018.

Background

This Close began as Fridays, Stern and Feldman's Kickstarter web series,[1] and then premiered at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival's Episodic Showcase as The Chances. It was Sundance Now's first straight-to-series order,[2] and centers on two deaf best friends navigating their twenties in Los Angeles. Josh Feldman and Shoshannah Stern are the first deaf TV showrunners.[3] According to the creators, approximately 25 of the cast and crew are also deaf.[4]

Stern says when they were coming up with a title for the TV show, the network kept trying to pitch "words [that] they were trying to use to capture the deaf experience, like 'The Sound of Silence' [or] 'Deaf Like Me.' But I said, 'I think we’re working backwards... instead of trying to find an English word that captures the deaf experience, we should be thinking of a sign'." Stern and Feldman came up with the title, This Close, as a translation for a sign that's "your index finger and your middle finger crossing."[4] According to Stern, it's a sign that has many different translations: "We’re showing something that’s intertwined... [it's] a sign used for “best friends, “like this” or “this close”. So we came up with “this close” from that."[4]

It was renewed for a second season in April 2018.[5] This Close is developed and produced by Super Deluxe.[5][6]

Cast

Main

Recurring

Reception

This Close is the first television series created, written by and starring deaf artists[8] and has garnered attention for its representation of the deaf community. Mike Hale of The New York Times called it "funny and poignant in ways we haven't seen before...deftly directed and impressively cast."[9] It was featured on Vulture's "Best Shows of 2018" list[10] and was described as a "terrific, quietly groundbreaking series."[11]

References

  1. ^ "Fridays: the Web Series". Kickstarter.com
  2. ^ Petski, Denise (13 November 2017). "Sundance Now Orders 'This Close' Dramedy With Marlee Matlin, Cheryl Hines, Zach Gilford & Colt Prattes". Deadline Hollywood
  3. ^ VanDerWerff, Emily (14 February 2018). "TV's first deaf showrunners want to change the conversation around people with disabilities". Vox. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
  4. ^ Ari Saperstein. "A Show That Demands 'Close' Listening". Southern California Public Radio. KPCC 89.3. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
  5. ^ Pedersen, Erik (18 April 2018). "'This Close' Renewed For Season 2 On Sundance Now". Deadline Hollywood
  6. ^ "Season Two of the Critically Acclaimed Dramedy Series "This Close" to Premiere Thursday, September 12 on SundanceTV". The Futon Critic. May 7, 2019.
  7. ^ "This Close – Listings". The Futon Critic. Retrieved June 14, 2019.
  8. ^ Lloyd, Robert (14 February 2018). "Best friends in 'This Close' navigate L.A. life with an engaging rhythm all their own". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2018-08-16.
  9. ^ Hale, Mike (13 February 2018). "Review: 'This Close,' a Serious Comedy About Life and Deafness". The New York Times
  10. ^ "Best TV Shows of 2018 So Far". Vulture. July 2018.
  11. ^ "This Close Is a Subtle, Groundbreaking Gem". Vulture. February 2018.