Grand Army (TV series)

Grand Army is an American teen drama streaming television series created by Katie Cappiello that premiered on Netflix on October 16, 2020. It is loosely based on Cappiello's Slut: The Play.

Grand Army
GenreTeen drama
Created byKatie Cappiello
Starring
Music byMorgan Kibby
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes9
Production
Executive producers
ProducerChris Hatcher
Cinematography
  • Ava Berkofsky
  • Bobby Shore
  • Autumn Eakin
  • Andrew Wehde
Editors
  • JoAnne Yarrow
  • Fabienne Bouville
  • Darrel Drinkard
  • Jon Otazua
  • Jessica Hernández
Running time47–72 minutes
Production companyWestward
DistributorNetflix
Release
Original networkNetflix
Original releaseOctober 16, 2020 (2020-10-16)

Premise

The series follows the lives of Joey Del Marco, Dom Pierre, Sid Pakam, Jayson Jackson, and Leila Kwan Zimmer at Grand Army High School, a public high school, in Brooklyn, New York. The students wrestle variously with challenges including rape culture, racism, sexual identity, bullying, violence, and terrorism.


Cast

Main
  • Odessa A'zion as Joey Del Marco, a high school junior from Stuyvesant Town who is also on the school's dance team
  • Odley Jean as Dominique "Dom" Pierre, a Haitian-American high school junior from East New York who is also on the school's women's basketball team.
  • Amir Bageria as Siddhartha "Sid" Pakam, a closeted gay Indian-American high school senior from Jackson Heights who is on the school's swim team
  • Maliq Johnson as Jayson Jackson, an African-American high school sophomore from Spanish Harlem
  • Amalia Yoo as Leila Kwan Zimmer, a Chinese-American high school freshman from the Upper West Side who was adopted by a Jewish Caucasian couple when she was a baby
  • Alphonso Romero Jones, II as John Ellis, Dom's love interest
  • Thelonius Serrell-Freed as Tim Delaney, one of Joey's friends
  • Anthony Ippolito as George Wright, one of Joey's friends who is on the Grand Army High School's swim team
  • Brian Altemus as Luke Friedman, one of Joey's friends who is on the Grand Army High School's swim team

Recurring
  • Sydney Meyer as Anna Delaney, Joey's best friend and Tim's younger sister
  • Keara Graves as Grace, Joey's other best friend who is on the school dance team with her
  • Jaden Jordan as Owen Williams
  • Brittany Adebumola as Tamika Jones, Dom's best friend who is on the women's basketball team with her
  • Naiya Ortiz as Sonia Cruz, Dom's other best friend, also on the women’s basketball team with her
  • Crystal Nelson as Tor Sampson, Dom's other best friend who is also on the women's basketball team with her
  • Ashley Ganger as Meera Pakam, Sid's younger sister
  • Marcela Avelina as Flora Mejia, Sid's girlfriend
  • Lola Blackman as Rachel Finer, Leila's best friend
  • Lindsay Wu as Wendi, Leila's classmate
  • Tiffany Tong as Mei, Leila's classmate
  • Jennifer Tong as Su, Leila's classmate
  • David Iacono as Bo Orlov, Sid's rival teammate
  • Micah Solis as Nick Rodriguez
  • Diego Martinez-Tau as Chris Yoon
  • Cole Bullock as Dante Pierre, Dom's eldest nephew
  • Mercedes Slater as Odette Pierre, Dom's niece
  • Osias Reid as Tristian Pierre, Dom's younger nephew
  • Rachel Boyd as Natalie
  • Kelsey Falconer as Christina
  • Alex Castillo as Ms. Lisa Gonzalez
  • Jason Weinberg as Principal Michael Metta, Grand Army High School's principal
  • Katie Griffin as Rebecca Connely, Joey's mother
  • August Blanco Rosenstein as Victor Borin, student college essay tutor who helps Sid
  • Magaly Colimon as Antoinette Pierre, Dom's mother
  • Rod Wilson as Matt Del Marco, Joey's father
  • Ava Preston as Nina Del Marco, Joey's younger sister
  • Deanna Interbartolo as Frankie Del Marco, Joey's youngest sister
  • Michael Brown as Shawn Jackson, Jayson's father
  • Raven Dauda as Nicole Jackson, Jayson's mother
  • Geoffrey Pounsett as Mr. Knight, Jayson's music teacher at Grand Army High School
  • Lynn Weintraub as Rabbi Sadie Schultz
  • Zac Kara as Omar Biller, drama club member and assistant director to Meera's play
  • Sagine Sémajuste as Sabine Pierre, Dom's older sister

Episodes
No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release date
1"Brooklyn, 2020"So Yong KimKatie CappielloOctober 16, 2020 (2020-10-16)
2"See Me"So Yong KimKatie CappielloOctober 16, 2020 (2020-10-16)
3"Relationship Goals"Darnell MartinKatie CappielloOctober 16, 2020 (2020-10-16)
4"Safety On"Darnell MartinKatie CappielloOctober 16, 2020 (2020-10-16)
5"Valentine's Day"Tina MabryHilary Bettis and Katie CappielloOctober 16, 2020 (2020-10-16)
6"Superman This S**t"Tina MabryRandy McKinnon and Katie CappielloOctober 16, 2020 (2020-10-16)
7"Making Moves"Silas HowardAndy ParkerOctober 16, 2020 (2020-10-16)
8"Spirit Day"Silas HowardMing Peiffer and Lewaa Nasserdeen and Katie Cappiello & Alessandra ClarkOctober 16, 2020 (2020-10-16)
9"Freedom"Clement VirgoKatie CappielloOctober 16, 2020 (2020-10-16)

Production

Development

It was announced in October 2019 that Netflix had ordered a 10-episode adaptation of Katie Cappiello’s 2013 play, one that expands on the original work. The storylines are based on real life stories from her students.[1][2]

Controversy

On the day of the teaser release, writer Ming Peiffer stated on Twitter that she and two other writers of color had quit the project, citing racist exploitation and abuse allegations against one of the creators.[3]

Casting

It was announced Odessa A'zion would play Joey Del Marco and Amalia Yoo would reprise her role from the stage production as Leila Kwan Zimmer. Also joining the main cast are Maliq Johnson, Amir Bageria, and Odley Jean.[1]

Filming

Principal photography took place in both Toronto and New York City from May to September 2019, with most indoor scenes in the Toronto and most outdoor and subway scenes in New York City.[4][5]

Release

The teaser was released as well as first look images in September 2020, followed by a full trailer in October. Fahamu Pecou painted the promotional artwork for the posters.[6] The series premiered on October 16, 2020 with 9 episodes instead of the original order of 10 episodes.[7][8]

Reception

For the series, review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported an approval rating of 71% based on 14 reviews, with an average rating of 7.34/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "Grand Army is an excellent showcase for its exciting cast of newcomers—even if its attempt at an honest approach to adolescence is too overwrought to make an impact."[9] Metacritic gave the series a weighted average score of 68 out of 100 based on 12 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[10]

Kristen Baldwin of Entertainment Weekly gave the series a B- and described the series as "ambitious, often to a fault. Still, there are flashes of beauty—let me say again, Odley Jean is a revelation—amid the gritty teen boilerplate."[11] Reviewing the series for Rolling Stone, Alan Sepinwall gave it 4 out of 5 stars and said, "In its best moments, Grand Army enters rare air for high school shows, elevating surprisingly close to the genre's thoughtful standard-bearer, My So-Called Life."[12]

References
  1. White, Peter (October 21, 2019). "Netflix Adapts Katie Cappiello's Play 'Slut' As Drama 'Grand Army' With 'House of Cards' EPs Joshua Donen & Beau Willimon, Odessa A'zion Leads Cast". Deadline. Retrieved September 2, 2020.
  2. Jones, Marcus (September 2, 2020). "NYC teens strive to feel seen in first look at Netflix drama Grand Army". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved October 10, 2020.
  3. Chilton, Louis (September 3, 2020). "Grand Army: Three writers quit Netflix series due to 'racist exploitation and abuse'". The Independent. Retrieved September 3, 2020.
  4. Cundu, Tamal (October 16, 2020). "Where Was Grand Army Filmed?". The Cinemaholic. Retrieved October 7, 2020.
  5. Young, Michelle (October 27, 2020). "Filming Locations for Grand Army on Netflix". Untapped New York. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
  6. "Grand Army - In the Studio with Visual Artist Dr. Fahamu Pecou - Netflix". YouTube. October 9, 2020. Retrieved October 10, 2020.
  7. Jones, Marcus (September 2, 2020). "NYC teens strive to feel seen in first look at Netflix drama Grand Army". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
  8. Blistein, Jon (October 6, 2020). "Brooklyn Teens Ride the Highs and Lows of Adolescence in 'Grand Army' Trailer". Rolling Stone. Retrieved October 7, 2020.
  9. "Grand Army: Season 1 (2020)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
  10. "Grand Army: Season 1". Metacritic. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
  11. Baldwin, Kristen (October 7, 2020). "Netflix's teen drama Grand Army is grim to a fault: Review". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved October 14, 2020.
  12. Sepinwall, Alan (October 13, 2020). "'Grand Army': The Kids Are Not Alright". Rolling Stone. Retrieved October 14, 2020.
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