The Answers: Everything We Know So Far About Darren Aronofsky's Upcoming FX Show
Darren Aronofsky may be more well-known as a movie director, but with "The Answers," the Oscar-nominated filmmaker behind "Black Swan," "The Wrestler," and "Requiem for a Dream" will be working on a new television series in the capacity of an executive producer. This won't be the first time Aronofsky has dabbled in the TV arena, as he's also got the Octavia Butler miniseries "Kindred" in the pipeline, and has done some documentary work on the small screen. However, like Aronofsky's upcoming film festival darling "The Whale," (based on the novel by Samuel D. Hunter) "The Answers" is a high-profile literary adaptation.
For anyone seeking, well, answers about "The Answers," here's everything we know so far.
When and where to watch The Answers
According to The Hollywood Reporter, "The Answers" has received a pilot order for FX. This means that, if the network likes what it sees with the first episode and decides to give it the go-ahead as a full series, you'll eventually be able to see it there.
THR notes that FX isn't quite as trigger-happy with straight-to-series pickups as other cable networks, but "The Answers" has some other noteworthy talent behind it in addition to Aronofsky, and this would seem to make it primed for success. Since it's in the very early stages of development, there's no specific time table yet for the show's potential release, but it's being produced by 20th Century Television, which, like FX, is now owned by Disney. In the long term, given FX's previous streaming arrangement with FX on Hulu, there's a chance it could wind up streaming on Disney+ or Hulu (which Disney owns two-thirds of and is looking to buy out completely before 2024, per Indiewire).
What we know about The Answers' story
"The Answers" is an adaptation of the Catherine Lacey novel of the same name. The story is described as one that's "set in the near future and follows a heartbroken young woman who joins an enigmatic experiment that promises to hack love." She and other women participate by "moving into an idyllic, secluded location," where they "start questioning what's really happening in the experiment, and are all been tasked with dating the same mysterious man."
The official book publisher's website, Macmillan, goes into more detail with its synopsis of "The Answers," explaining that the main character, Mary Parsons, becomes a subject in the experiment after medical bills drive her to take on a second job:
"Mary's new job title is Emotional Girlfriend in the 'Girlfriend Experiment' — the brainchild of a wealthy and infamous actor, Kurt Sky, who has hired a team of biotech researchers to solve the problem of how to build and maintain the perfect romantic relationship, casting himself as the experiment's only constant. Around Kurt, several women orbit as his girlfriends with specific functions. There's a Maternal Girlfriend who folds his laundry, an Anger Girlfriend who fights with him, a Mundanity Girlfriend who just hangs around his loft, and a whole team of girlfriends to take care of Intimacy. With so little to lose, Mary falls headfirst into Kurt's messy, ego-driven simulacrum of human connection."
What we know about the cast and crew of The Answers
No casting announcements have been made yet, but Kit Steinkellner, creator of the acclaimed, Elizabeth Olson-led Facebook Watch series, "Sorry for Your Loss," is writing the script for the pilot of "The Answers." She will executive produce the series with Aronofsky, "Dopesick" creator Danny Strong, and Gillian Robespierre ("Obvious Child," "Landline"), the latter of whom will direct the pilot.