Servant is an American psychological horror television series created and written by Tony Basgallop, who also executive produced alongside M. Night Shyamalan. The series follows Dorothy and Sean Turner, a Philadelphia couple who hire Leanne to be the nanny for their baby son, Jericho, who is actually a reborn doll. Leanne's arrival brings about strange and frightening occurrences for the couple. The series stars Lauren Ambrose, Toby Kebbell, Nell Tiger Free, and Rupert Grint as the four central characters. The series is produced for Apple TV+ and debuted on November 28, 2019. The series has received generally positive reviews from critics. Ahead of the premiere, Apple renewed Servant for a second season.
Plot
Six weeks after the death of their 13-week-old son, Philadelphia couple Dorothy and Sean Turner hire a young nanny, Leanne, to move in and take care of their baby, Jericho, a reborn doll. The doll, which Dorothy believes is her real child, was the only thing that brought her out of her catatonic state following Jericho's death. While Sean deals with the grief on his own, he becomes deeply suspicious of Leanne.
S.J. Son as Wanda, a babysitter that Leanne befriends
Molly Griggs as Isabelle Carrick, a television news reporter who works with Dorothy
Boris McGiver as Uncle George, Leanne's uncle
Jerrika Hinton as Natalie Gorman, Dorothy's friend and therapist
Guest
M. Night Shyamalan as a delivery guy
Episodes
Production
Development
On February 27, 2018, it was announced that Apple Inc. had given the production a series order for a first season consisting of ten episodes. The series was created by Tony Basgallop who also wrote for the series and executive produced it alongside M. Night Shyamalan, Ashwin Rajan, Jason Blumenthal, Todd Black, and Steve Tisch. Production companies involved with the show include Blinding Edge Pictures, Escape Artists, and Dolphin Black Productions. Mike Gioulakis served as the series' cinematographer. On October 3, 2019, it was reported that the series was scheduled to be released on November 28, 2019. Ahead of the series premiere, on November 22, 2019, it was announced that Apple had renewed the series for a second season. Shyamalan stated that he envisions the series to stretch for 60 half-hour episodes, or six seasons.
Casting
On August 22, 2018, it was announced that Lauren Ambrose and Nell Tiger Free had been cast in leading roles. On November 30, 2018, it was reported that Rupert Grint had joined the main cast. On December 4, 2018, it was announced that Toby Kebbell had been cast in a starring role.
Filming
Servant was filmed in Philadelphia from November 2018 to March 2019. Exterior scenes took place in Philadelphia's Center City near Spruce and 21st Streets. A set for the interior of the Turner home was built in a former paint factory in Bethel Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania. In March 2020, Apple TV+ shut down production on the series due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Italian chef Marc Vetri served as a food consultant for the cooking scenes.
Reception
On Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds an approval rating of 84% based on 55 reviews, with an average rating of 7.11/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Though Servant slithering mystery often wanders into dark, crowded corners, its claustrophobic atmosphere and powerful performances build enough tension to keep viewers hooked." On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 66 out of 100 based on reviews from 19 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".
Lawsuit
In January 2020, Francesca Gregorini filed a lawsuit against Servant producers including Tony Basgallop and M. Night Shyamalan, the production companies involved, and Apple TV+, alleging copyright infringement for her 2013 drama film, The Truth About Emanuel. Basgallop and Shyamalan responded that neither had seen her film and that any similarity is coincidence. On May 28th, 2020, a federal judge threw out the copyright lawsuit against M. Night Shyamalan and Apple, ruling that the TV show is not similar enough to the film to merit a lawsuit.
