Tiny Beautiful Things (miniseries)

Tiny Beautiful Things is an American comedy drama television miniseries that premiered on Hulu on April 7, 2023. It is based on the 2012 book of the same name by Cheryl Strayed. It has been adapted by Liz Tigelaar and produced by Best Day Ever Productions, Jaywalker Pictures, Hello Sunshine, and ABC Signature. It received generally positive reviews from critics.

Tiny Beautiful Things
Promotional poster
Genre	Comedy drama
Created by	Liz Tigelaar
Based on	Tiny Beautiful Things by Cheryl Strayed
Starring	Kathryn Hahn Sarah Pidgeon Quentin Plair Tanzyn Crawford
Music by	Ingrid Michaelson Gabriel Mann Juan Ariza
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of episodes	8
Production
Executive producers	Liz Tigelaar Reese Witherspoon Lauren Neustadter Laura Dern Jayme Lemons Cheryl Strayed Brian Lindstrom Stacey Silverman Kathryn Hahn Rachel Lee Goldenberg
Producers	Vail Romeyn Todd Leykamp Jocelyn Bioh
Cinematography	Tobias Datum
Editors	Garret Price Phyllis Housen Rebekah Fridman Katie Wedemeyer
Running time	26–32 minutes
Production companies	Best Day Ever Productions Jaywalker Pictures Hello Sunshine ABC Signature
Original release
Network	Hulu
Release	April 7, 2023 (2023-04-07)

The show received two Primetime Emmy Awards nominations for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for Kathryn Hahn and Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for Merritt Wever.

Synopsis

The show centers on Clare, a writer who reluctantly becomes a popular advice columnist during a period of turmoil in her life.^[1]

Cast and characters

Main

• Kathryn Hahn as Clare Pierce^[2]
  • Sarah Pidgeon as younger Clare
• Quentin Plair as Danny Kincade, Clare's husband
• Tanzyn Crawford as Rae Kincade, Clare and Danny's daughter

Recurring

• Michaela Watkins as Amy Adler, Clare's friend
• Owen Painter as younger Lucas, Clare's younger brother
• Nick Stahl as older Lucas
• Tijuana Ricks as Mel Green, Clare and Danny's couples therapist
• Merritt Wever as Frankie Pierce, Clare's late mother
• Elizabeth Hinkler as Shan, receptionist at the nursing home
• Julien Marlon Samani as Zach Charles, an uber driver
• Johnny Berchtold as Jess, Clare's first husband
• Aneasa Yacoub as Montana, Rae's friend
• Marlow Barkley as Little Clare

Episodes

No.	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original release date [3]
1	"Pilot"	Rachel Lee Goldenberg	Liz Tigelaar	April 7, 2023 (2023-04-07)
2	"Yours Sugar"	Rachel Lee Goldenberg	Nancy Won	April 7, 2023 (2023-04-07)
3	"The Ghost Ship"	Desiree Akhavan	Ellen Fairey	April 7, 2023 (2023-04-07)
4	"Under the Stars"	Desiree Akhavan	Jocelyn Bioh	April 7, 2023 (2023-04-07)
5	"The Nose"	Stacie Passon	Des Moran	April 7, 2023 (2023-04-07)
6	"Broken Things"	Stacie Passon	Naomi Iwamoto	April 7, 2023 (2023-04-07)
7	"Go"	Desiree Akhavan	Deirdre Shaw	April 7, 2023 (2023-04-07)
8	"Love"	Desiree Akhavan	Kaitlyn Fahey	April 7, 2023 (2023-04-07)

Production

Cheryl Strayed had discussed adapting her book of essays Tiny Beautiful Things with Laura Dern and Reese Witherspoon while they worked together making the 2014 film Wild, adapted from Strayed's memoir.^[4]

Liz Tigelaar serves as series creator and writer on the project which is being produced by ABC Signature and Hello Sunshine. Tigelaar is also executive producer, alongside Witherspoon, Dern, Lauren Neustadter, Stacey Silverman, Jayme Lemons, Cheryl Strayed, and Kathryn Hahn.^[5] Tigelaar described the show as depicting an alternate version of Strayed "that hadn't hiked the Pacific Crest Trail" in Wild.^[6]

Hahn was revealed to be playing the role of Clare when it was announced for Hulu in June 2022.^[7] In August 2022, Sarah Pidgeon and Tanzyn Crawford were added to the cast.^[8]

Release

The series was released on Hulu on April 7, 2023.^[6] It also premiered on Disney+ in international territories.^[9][10] In India, the series premiered on Disney+ Hotstar on April 9, 2023.

Reception

Critical response

Kathryn Hahn's performance garnered critical acclaim and was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award.

The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported an 85% approval rating with an average rating of 7.6/10, based on 40 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "Tiny Beautiful Things is littered with cumbersome narrative choices, but Kathryn Hahn's soulful performance is one big plus that keeps this adaptation firmly compelling."^[11] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 73 out of 100 based on 14 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".^[12]

Joel Keller of Decider asserted, "Kathryn Hahn makes Tiny Beautiful Things a compelling watch, mainly because she's so good at playing someone barely holding things together. But the rest of the series, especially the flashback sequences, give us a pretty full picture of why her character continues to spiral."^[13] Taylor Gates of Collider, gave the series a grade of A−, praised the performance of Kathryn Hahn, and complimented the humor of the series, writing, "Tiny Beautiful Things uses specificity to offer commentary on universal experiences and has the unique ability to strip the most complex topics down into their simplest, most resonant parts. And so for that, I have to say: Thank you."^[14]

Accolades

Year	Award	Category	Nominee(s)	Result	Ref.
2023	Golden Trailer Awards	Best Digital - Drama	Tiny Beautiful Things	Nominated	[15][16]
	Primetime Emmy Awards	Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie	Kathryn Hahn	Nominated	[17]
		Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie	Merritt Wever	Nominated
	Sentinel Awards	Depiction of End of Life	Tiny Beautiful Things	Won	[18][19]
2024	Astra Television Awards	Best Streaming Limited Series	Tiny Beautiful Things	Nominated	[20][21]
		Best Actress in a Limited Series or Streaming Movie	Kathryn Hahn	Nominated
		Best Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Streaming Movie	Sarah Pidgeon	Nominated
		Best Writing in a Limited Series or Streaming Movie	Liz Tigelaar	Nominated
		Best Directing in a Limited Series or Streaming Movie	Rachel Lee Goldenberg	Nominated
	Satellite Awards	Best Miniseries and Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television	Tiny Beautiful Things	Nominated	[22]
		Best Actress in a Miniseries, Limited Series, or Motion Picture Made for Television	Kathryn Hahn	Nominated
		Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Miniseries and Limited Series, or Motion Picture Made for Television	Merritt Wever	Nominated
	Screen Actors Guild Awards	Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie	Kathryn Hahn	Nominated	[23]

References

1. White, James (March 7, 2023). "Kathryn Hahn Gives Advice (And Could Use Some) In The Tiny Beautiful Things Trailer". Empire Online. Archived from the original on March 8, 2023. Retrieved March 8, 2023.
2. Rankin, Seija (April 10, 2023). "The Making of 'Tiny Beautiful Things': "It's All So Raw, and You Can Feel It"". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on April 11, 2023. Retrieved April 11, 2023.
3. "Shows A-Z – Tiny Beautiful Things on Hulu". The Futon Critic. Retrieved March 16, 2023.
4. Press, Joy (December 14, 2022). "Tiny Beautiful Things Brings Cheryl Strayed's "Dear Sugar" Column to Life". Vanity Fair. Archived from the original on January 27, 2023. Retrieved March 8, 2023.
5. Echebiri, Makouchi (March 6, 2023). "Tiny Beautiful Things' Trailer Shows Kathryn Hahn Dealing With a Messy Life". Collider. Archived from the original on March 8, 2023. Retrieved March 8, 2023.
6. Alter, Rebecca (March 7, 2023). "Kathryn Hahn to Play Wild Multiverse's Cheryl Strayed". Vulture. Archived from the original on March 7, 2023. Retrieved March 8, 2023.
7. Long, Lacy (June 6, 2022). "Tiny Beautiful Things' Series Adaptation Casts Kathryn Hahn". Collider. Archived from the original on March 8, 2023. Retrieved March 8, 2023.
8. Andreeva, Nellie (August 8, 2022). "'Tiny Beautiful Things': Sarah Pidgeon & Tanzyn Crawford Join Hulu Drama Series; Rachel Lee Goldenberg To Direct". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on January 2, 2023. Retrieved March 8, 2023.
9. Cormack, Morgan (March 8, 2023). "21 TV shows written by women to look forward to in 2023". Radio Times. Archived from the original on March 8, 2023. Retrieved March 8, 2023.
10. Marshall, Alice (April 11, 2023). "How To Watch Tiny Beautiful Things Online And Stream All Episodes Now". CinemaBlend. Archived from the original on May 12, 2023. Retrieved May 12, 2023.
11. "Tiny Beautiful Things: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
12. "Tiny Beautiful Things: Season 1". Metacritic. Retrieved April 24, 2023.
13. Keller, Joel (April 7, 2023). "'Tiny Beautiful Things' Hulu Review: Stream It Or Skip It?". Decider. Retrieved April 28, 2023.
14. Gates, Taylor (March 31, 2023). "Tiny Beautiful Things' Review: Kathryn Hahn Will Make You Laugh and Cry at the Same Time". Collider. Archived from the original on March 31, 2023. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
15. "GTA23 Nominees – Digital & Innovative Categories – Golden Trailer Awards". Golden Trailer Awards. Archived from the original on October 23, 2022. Retrieved August 19, 2023.
16. Tinoco, Armando (June 5, 2023). "Golden Trailer Awards Nominations List: 'Stranger Things,' 'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,' 'Ted Lasso' & 'Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery' Among Most Nominated". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on June 5, 2023. Retrieved August 19, 2023.
17. Moreau, Jordan; Otterson, Joe (January 15, 2024). "Emmy Awards 2023: 'Succession' and 'The Bear' Tie With 6 Wins, 'Beef' Follows With 5 (Winners List)". Variety. Archived from the original on January 16, 2024. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
18. Pedersen, Erik (December 6, 2023). "'Grey's Anatomy', 'The Diplomat', 'Tiny Beautiful Things' Among Winners At Sentinel Awards". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on December 23, 2023. Retrieved January 11, 2024.
19. Schneider, Michael (December 6, 2023). "USC Annenberg's Norman Lear Center Reveals Sentinel Awards Winners; Host Larry Wilmore Pays Tribute to the TV Icon". Variety. Archived from the original on January 11, 2024. Retrieved January 11, 2024.
20. "Hollywood Creative Alliance Reveals the Nominees for the 2023 HCA TV Awards Streaming Edition" (Press release). Hollywood Creative Alliance. July 11, 2023. Archived from the original on October 23, 2023. Retrieved July 11, 2023.
21. Moye, Clarence (July 11, 2023). "2023 Hollywood Critics Association TV Awards: 'Yellowjackets', 'The Boys' Lead All Nominees with 14 Nominations". Awards Daily. Archived from the original on July 13, 2023. Retrieved July 11, 2023.
22. "IPA Reveals Nominations for the 28th Satellite™ Awards". International Press Academy. December 18, 2023. Archived from the original on December 19, 2023. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
23. "Nominations Announced for the 30th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards" (Press release). Screen Actors Guild. January 10, 2024. Archived from the original on January 10, 2024. Retrieved January 14, 2024.

External links

• Tiny Beautiful Things on Hulu
• Tiny Beautiful Things at IMDb