Apple TV+ is having quite the year of television so far, gathering acclaim for shows like Ben Stiller’s “Severance” and “WeCrashed,” with Anne Hathaway and Jared Leto, and is sure to receive attention for strong upcoming series including “Shining Girls” starring Elisabeth Moss and “Slow Horses” featuring Gary Oldman. The connective tissue there is obviously a lot of stars and talent attaching themselves to their big projects. “Roar” isn’t much different. It’s a darkly comic feminist fables anthology and the cast is stacked. Nicole Kidman leads the charge with Cynthia Erivo, Merritt Weaver, Issa Rae, Alison Brie, Betty Gilpin, Meera Syal, Fivel Stewart, and Kara Hayward also feature in their own individual episodes.
READ MORE: The 70 Most Anticipated TV Shows & Mini-Series Of 2022
“Roar,” based on a short story collection by Cecelia Ahern, spans eight half-hour episodes about how women navigate others’ perceptions of feminity, as well as their own. Expect surprises with this show, as AppleTV+ touts it as a whimsical, genre-bending take on womanhood. “Roar” creators and co-showrunners Carly Mensch and Liz Flahive (“GLOW”) have an overall deal with Apple TV+ so this is likely the first of many more shows to come.
Here’s the official synopsis:
Apple TV+ today revealed the premiere date and a first look at the highly anticipated female-driven anthology series, “Roar,” which will debut globally with all eight episodes on Friday, April 15, 2022. Based on a book of short stories by Cecelia Ahern, the series is the first to be released under “Roar” creators and co-showrunners Carly Mensch and Liz Flahive’s (“GLOW”) overall deal with Apple TV+, and features an all-star cast including Academy, Emmy and Golden Globe Award winner Nicole Kidman (“Being the Ricardos”), who also executive produces; Emmy, Grammy and Tony Award winner Cynthia Erivo; six-time Emmy Award-nominee Issa Rae; Emmy Award winner Merritt Wever; SAG Award nominee Alison Brie; three-time Emmy Award-nominee Betty Gilpin; and Meera Syal, Fivel Stewart and Kara Hayward. “Roar” offers an insightful, poignant, and sometimes hilarious portrait of what it means to be a woman today. Featuring a unique blend of magical realism, familiar domestic and professional scenarios, and futuristic worlds, these eight stories mirror the dilemmas of ordinary women in accessible yet surprising ways. How they emerge from their respective journeys speaks to the resiliency that exists within themselves, and with all women.
Each installment of the anthology series will also feature notable stars such as Nick Kroll (“Big Mouth”), Judy Davis (“Nitram”), Alfred Molina (“Spider-Man: No Way Home”), Daniel Dae Kim (“Lost”), Jake Johnson (“New Girl”), Jason Mantzoukas (“Big Mouth”), Chris Lowell (“GLOW”), Ego Nwodim (“Saturday Night Live”), Griffin Matthews (“The Flight Attendant”), Peter Facinelli (“YesterYear”), Simon Baker (“The Mentalist”), Hugh Dancy (“Law & Order”), Jillian Bell (“Brittany Runs a Marathon”), Bernard White (“Evil Eye”), Justin Kirk (“Weeds”) and more.
Apple TV+ released the trailer for “Roar,” today, and it’s set to debut globally with all eight episodes on Friday, April 15. Watch it below and let us know what you think.
