Over the decades, there have been countless book-to-movie adaptations, and in recent years, we’ve started to see more and more small-screen retellings of classic novels as well as more recent titles pop up on streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime Video. Apple TV+ has also taken that path with content creation since its November 2019 launch, with shows like Defending Jacob, The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey, and Roar on the list of great original series. That pattern will continue with the upcoming adaptation of Lessons in Chemistry.
If this is the first you’re hearing of Lessons in Chemistry, which will see Brie Larson pull double-duty as actor and executive producer, worry not, for we are about to break down six quick things we know about the upcoming series, including its release window, cast, and info on the novel on which it is based. Let’s take a look now!
What Is The Lessons In Chemistry Show Release Date?
Anyone with an Apple TV+ subscription will be able to watch Lessons in Chemistry when the series debuts on October 13th, the streamer has announced. The first two episodes will be released on the day of the show's debut with the remaining six episodes coming out weekly until November 24th.
The Lessons In Chemistry Trailer Features Cooking, Science, And The Start Of A Revolution
Though Apple TV+ released a brief teaser hyping the upcoming limited series earlier in the year, the world wouldn’t get a proper look at the show until the Lessons in Chemistry trailer debuted in September 2023, almost exactly one month before its premiere. The nearly three-minute video is filled with science, cooking, and the start of a revolution with its story about a scientist who begins introducing chemistry to the audience of her TV food show after being unceremoniously fired from a male-dominated lab.
This colorful, flashy, and impactful trailer offers up enough to whet our appetite without giving too much away about what is going to unfold over the course of the show’s eight episodes. If this ends up being the first and only trailer, it’s hard to think of a better way to get excited for the series than this.
THE LESSONS IN CHEMISTRY CAST INCLUDES BRIE LARSON, LEWIS PULLMAN, AND Aja Naomi King
Back when Apple TV+ announced the show, the streamer offered up some key details about several of the major characters and the actors who will be playing them in the Lessons in Chemistry cast, which includes Brie Larson, Lewis Pullman, Aja Naomi King, and more…
Playing Elizabeth Zott: Brie Larson
Brie Larson leads the Lessons in Chemistry cast as Elizabeth Zott, a young woman whose dream of becoming a scientist in the male-dominated society is cut short after being unceremoniously fired from her lab. But she soon finds her calling after taking on hosting duties of a TV cooking show, which she revolutionizes by introducing her audience of overlooked housewives to much more than meatloaf.
Fall 2023 is going to be a busy season for Larson, as the Academy Award winner is also slated to reprise the role of Carol Danvers in the much anticipated The Marvels.
Playing Calvin Evans: Lewis Pullman
Lewis Pullman, the son of Independence Day star Bill Pullman, plays opposite Larson, taking on the role of Calvin Evans in Lessons in Chemistry. A brilliant chemist and Elizabeth’s partner in life, Calvin is a constant in her life and work. Witty, intelligent, and caring, Calvin looks to be a major part of the Apple TV+ series.
This will mark the third TV series for the Top Gun: Maverick star, as Pullman previously appeared on Hulu’s Catch-22 and the Amazon Prime original show Outer Range.
Playing Harriet Slone: Aja Naomi King
Aja Naomi King will also show up on Lessons in Chemistry in an impactful role, as she will be playing Harriet Slone on the upcoming series. Harriet is Elizabeth’s neighbor and someone who has just as much fire for life as her TV-famous friend.
The How to Get Away with Murder star has appeared in a variety of movies and TV shows throughout her career, including Birth of a Nation, Sylvie’s Love, and A Black Lady Sketch Show, to name a few.
Other members of the cast include Beau Bridges, Stephanie Koenig, Patrick Walker, Thomas Mann, and Kevin Sussman, who takes on the role of the manager of the TV station hosting Elizabeth’s show.
The Series Follows A Chemist As She Hosts A TV Cooking Show After Being Fired From Her Lab
As Apple TV+ has announced, the series will center on a female scientist in the 1950s who's fired from her position in a lab after becoming pregnant and goes on to find a rather unique way to teach overlooked housewives various scientific topics: a TV cooking show. One journey’s end leads to another’s beginning, it appears.
Lessons In Chemistry Is Based On Bonnie Garmus’ 2022 Novel Of The Same Name
If the name Lessons in Chemistry sounds familiar, especially to all those bookworms out there, it is probably due to the fact the upcoming series is based on Bonnie Garmus’ novel of the same name. Since it was first published in April 2022, Garmus’ debut novel has received heaps of praise while spending six months on bestseller lists in the United States and abroad, according to the New York Times. The novel was even named Barnes & Noble’s book of the year in November 2022, around the same time it ended up on Amazon’s best books of 2022 list.
There was buzz surrounding the novel long before it even hit store shelves, with Apple TV+ beating out the competition to secure the rights for its adaptation back in January 2021 (more than a year before its release), according to Variety. Then in April 2022, Lessons in Chemistry star and executive producer Brie Larson took to Instagram to talk about the book’s release and her excitement for the upcoming adaptation, calling it a story she “loved so much” she “had to produce the TV series.”
Showrunner Lee Eisenberg Hired Science And Culinary Experts To Be As Accurate As Possible
When speaking with Entertainment Weekly ahead of the show’s release, showrunner Lee Eisenberg, whose previous credits include WeCrashed and Little America, said Lessons in Chemistry was probably his “favorite book” that he’d ever read. One aspect of Bonnie Garmus’ book that has been heralded since its publication is its accuracy when it comes to science and mid-20th century life.
Eisenberg told the publication that he wanted the adaptation to be just as accurate as the source material, noting that he hired experts to consult on everything from the science to the cooking. He even went as far as to have the specific test tubes and beakers used in science labs during that era.
While we wait for Lessons in Chemistry to make its long awaited debut on Apple TV+, now would be a good time to check out all the other new and returning shows on the 2023 TV schedule.
