Elizabeth Olsen may have gotten in the acting game much later than her older sisters, but now she's finally managed to appear on a medium they haven't. Olsen is headed to television after a straight-to-series order of a tentatively titled project called Widow that will serve as the beginning of Facebook entering the arena of legitimate television programming. Olsen will star in the series, which has been reported to be a half-hour dramedy.
Widow will run for 10 episodes and will tell the tale of a young grieving widow who reconnects with lovers she's had in the past. Not much is known about the project or Olsen's character beyond that, as even the series' name is not rock-solid at this point. What is known is the series was created and written by Kit Steinkellner, who Deadline reported was originally developing the series with Elizabeth Olsen at Showtime before Facebook acquired it.
Elizabeth Olsen will executive produce the tentatively titled series along with James Ponsoldt, who will also direct multiple episodes of the show. Lizzy Weiss is also on the executive producer's list and will serve as Widow's showrunner. The series will be among the first of high-end content Facebook will bring to its platform, as the social media site is making a real effort towards making premium original content available on its Facebook Watch platform.
Whether or not audiences will respond to half-hour television on Facebook remains to be seen, but there's no denying casting Elizabeth Olsen in Widow is a great way to get folks interested. Olsen is at a point in her career where big opportunities in film and television are coming her way, so the fact that she's making a move to star in a series that will air on Facebook is a sign that she has faith this project will connect positively with audiences. Olsen commented on the series at the time of the announcement, and expressed her eagerness to show Widow's story to the world.
I couldn't be prouder of the group we have brought together for this show. Kit's story has been near and dear to me for years and I can't wait to share our dark, funny, and complicated show with the world.
Elisabeth Olsen's upcoming Facebook series is not the only project floating around the web with the name Widow. YouTube Red has a pilot with the same title and similar premise to this series, so it wouldn't be all that surprising if Widow gets renamed as it gets closer to airing on the platform. In the meantime, perhaps Olsen can get better acclimated to the world of streaming by making an appearance on Fuller House Season 4? I'm sure her sisters would love that.
Elizabeth Olsen's tentatively titled Widow series has a home at Facebook, but no release date to speak of just yet. For a look at some upcoming television shows that have release dates and will be coming to television in the early months of 2018, head on over to our midseason premiere guide.
