State of the Union: SundanceTV lands big talent for new short-form comedy series

SundanceTV has assembled a starry ensemble in front of and behind the camera for its upcoming short-form comedy series State of the Union.

Deadline reports that Stephen Frears, who most recently directed the movies Victoria & Abdul and Florence Foster Jenkins, will direct each of the series’ 10 episodes and Nick Hornby, who wrote the book for High Fidelity and the screenplay for Brooklyn, will write State of the Union. Episodes will be shot in London sometime later this summer.

State of the Union will star Gone Girl’s Rosamund Pike and Bridesmaids‘ Chris O’Dowd as Louise and Tom who meet each week before their marriage counseling appointments. Each 10-minute episode will explore the couples past and present, including why they got married and why their relationship is struggling.

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Hornby has worked with Frears, Pike, and O’Dowd before and expressed his excitement about re-teaming with each of them for the series. He said.

"I am so pleased to be working again with Stephen, Rosamund and Chris.  I first met Stephen when he directed High Fidelity, Rosamund when she revealed her wonderful comic talent in An Education, and Chris when he made the forthcoming Juliet, Naked, and I think they will make a tremendous team. State of the Union is an unusual project, so it’s all the more gratifying that we have managed to attract talent of this magnitude."

Hornby and Frears will executive produce with Jamie Laurenson, Hakan Kousetta, Iain Canning and Emile Sherman. See-Saw Films, the company responsible for bringing The King’s Speech to theaters, will produce.

The series is a good bet for SundanceTV. The short form will make the series easy to consume and highly bingeable after all its episodes are released. The 10-minute episodes will also be easy to watch either on television or online.

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In addition, the combined talents of Frears, Hornby, Pike, and O’Dowd should make for a compelling show. In addition, each individual has their own fan base which could bring a wide swath of viewers to the series, leading to a success for Sundance.

Are you interested in exploring the State of the Union when it hits SundanceTV? Share your perspective in the comments.