Lessons in Chemistry (miniseries)
Lessons in Chemistry is an American historical drama miniseries created by Lee Eisenberg, based on the novel of the same name by Bonnie Garmus. It stars Brie Larson as chemist Elizabeth Zott who begins hosting her own feminist cooking show in 1960s America.
The series began streaming on Apple TV+ on October 13, 2023 and ended November 22, 2023. It received positive reviews from critics, and received nominations for two Golden Globe Awards, Best Limited or Anthology Series and Best Actress โ Miniseries for Larson. In 2024 Sarah Adina Smith won the Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Movies for Television and Limited Series for directing the second episode "Her and Him".
Premise
After being fired from her job as a lab tech, chemist Elizabeth Zott uses her new job hosting a 1960s television cooking show titled Supper at Six to educate housewives on scientific topics.
Cast
Main
- Brie Larson as Elizabeth Zott
- Lewis Pullman as Calvin Evans
- Aja Naomi King as Harriet Sloane
- Stephanie Koenig as Fran Frask
- Patrick Walker as Reverend Curtis Wakely
Recurring
- Derek Cecil as Dr. Robert Donatti
- Thomas Mann as Boryweitz
- Andy Daly as Dr. Richard Price
- Alice Halsey as Madeline Zott
- Amentii Sledge as Linda Sloane
- Yasir Hashim Lafond as James "Junior" Sloane
- Joshua Hoover as Anthony Powers
- Kevin Sussman as Walter Pine
- Marc Evan Jackson as Dr. Leland Mason
- Paul James as Charlie Sloane
- Rainn Wilson as Phil Lebensmal
Guest
- Adam Bartley as Scientist
- Tate Ellington as Dr. Ellington
- B. J. Novak as Six-Thirty (voice)
- Beau Bridges as Harry Wilson
- Jake Short as Ralph Bailey
- Ashley Monique Clark as Martha Wakely
- Rosemarie DeWitt as Avery Parker
Episodes
Production
It was announced in January 2021 that Apple TV+ had issued a straight-to-series order for the show, with Brie Larson set to star and executive produce. The series began production by August 2022, with Lewis Pullman, Aja Naomi King, Stephanie Koenig, Patrick Walker, Thomas Mann, Kevin Sussman and Beau Bridges added to the cast.
Reception
The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 86% approval rating with an average rating of 7.4/10, based on 69 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "Touching on several hot button issues while benefiting immensely from a perfect pinch of Brie Larson, Lessons in Chemistry's ambitious ingredients add up to satisfying entertainment." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 68 out of 100 based on 30 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.