A24 and Showtime gave audiences their first peek behind the curtain of the fictional renovation series Flipanthropy in the trailer for The Curse, starring Nathan Fielder and Emma Stone as married television hosts.
Created by Fielder and Benny Safdie, who likewise stars in the series, The Curse promises uncomfortable humor and a dissection of philanthropy and a curated public image. The first trailer relies heavily on capturing the show's essence and unique aesthetic, but also showcases the eponymous moment in which Fielder's Asher Siegel receives an alleged curse after attempting to make change for a one-hundred-dollar bill he handed to a kid at the behest of Flipanthropy's producers after the camera's shut off. Fans have come to expect such awkward tension from Fielder through his work on cult comedy series Nathan for You and The Rehearsal.
Stone counters Fielder as Whitney Siegel, marking one of the Oscar-winning actor's first full-fledged television outings. With Stone reputation for film work such as La La Land and Yorgos Lanthimos' upcoming Poor Things and Fielder most known for playing a version of himself in hybrid-reality comedies, many fans are excited about the unexpected pairing at the center of The Curse. Though The Curse's first trailer offers a glimpse at the couple's dynamic, the Showtime series description elaborates further on Asher and Whitney's fledgling marriage.
The one-hundred dollar "curse" that befalls the Siegels promises to impact more than just their reality series, as the series' description states that the newlywed couple is likewise attempting to conceive their first child. Showtime summarizes the Spiegel's ongoing dilemma as: "behind every on-camera renovation lies a path of off-camera destruction when a hostile makeover, a healthy dose of unreality, and a pair of oblivious outsiders collide". Though featuring the elements of uncomfortable humor on display in the trailer, The Curse stakes its claim as an intentionally genre-defiant series as the trailer’s array of distinct visual storytelling indicates.
Co-creator Safdie offers his own unique voice both behind the scenes and on-screen, where he portrays Flipanthropy employee Dougie Schecter. Safdie's already familiar wearing multiple hats, having acted previously in projects such as Obi-Wan Kenobi and Oppenheimer and directed alongside his brother Josh Safdie on acclaimed A24 films like Good Time and Uncut Gems. The Curse joins the ranks of A24's expanding television resume, which includes series such as Beef, Dreaming Whilst Black, Survival of the Thickest, and Ziwe.
The Curse recently debuted its opening three episodes at New York Film Festival, but will be available for Showtime audiences starting Nov. 10.
Source: Showtime