The Slap Pushes The Network Envelope
Shot as an eight-part anthology by Lisa Cholodenko (Golden Globe-nominated Olive Kitteridge), NBC’s The Slap is the latest show to lead network series deeper into cable-quality fare. Adapted from Australian author Christos Tsiolkas’ eponymous novel, The Slap transposes the narrative from the original Melbourne to the more recognizable latitudes of gentrified Brooklyn. The location here is not as crucial as the setting, the kind of contemporary multicultural milieu where morals clash and thirty-something urban professionals grapple with the intricacies of modern living; specifically the perils of contemporary child rearing. In the case of the Greek-American Apostolous, gathered for an uneasy multigenerational family gathering, cultural and political tensions explode after a misguided attempt at disciplining a child results in the titular slap. The cast stopped by to talk to the HFPA and Jenny Cooney asked Thandie Newton, Peter Sarsgaard and Zachary Quinto about the significance of the show.
