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The Rig (TV series)

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The Rig
Genre
Created byDavid Macpherson
Written by
  • David Macpherson
  • Matthew Jacobs Morgan
  • Meg Salter
Directed by
Starring
Music byBlanck Mass
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series1
No. of episodes6
Production
Executive producers
ProducerSuzanne Reid
Production locationsEdinburgh, Scotland
CinematographyJohn Lee
Editors
  • Andrew McClelland
  • Colin Fair
Running time47–55 minutes
Production companiesWild Mercury Productions
Amazon Studios
Original release
NetworkAmazon Prime Video
Release6 January 2023 (2023-01-06) –
present

The Rig is a British supernatural thriller[1] television series created by David Macpherson for Amazon Prime Video. The series is directed by John Strickland, and is the first Amazon Original to be filmed entirely in Scotland. The series was released on 6 January 2023 and consists of six episodes.[2] In February 2023, The Rig was renewed for a second series which is scheduled to premiere on 2 January 2025.

Premise

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A Scottish oil rig in the North Sea is enveloped in an unnatural fog that cuts them off from outside communications. Spores found in the fog cause infected crew members to experience behavioural changes. After examining the spores, a scientist onboard the oil rig suspects that an ancient parasite has been unleashed from the ocean floor.

Cast and characters

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  • Emily Hampshire as Rose Mason: The oil company representative and scientist, and a fresh face on-board the rig.[3][4]
  • Iain Glen as Magnus MacMillan: The leader of the crew and the offshore installation manager of the rig.[4]
  • Martin Compston as Fulmer Hamilton, the radio and communications officer on the Kinlock Bravo crew
  • Mark Bonnar as Alwyn Evans, an older and experienced crew member with an interest in history, archaeology, and reading
  • Rochenda Sandall as Cat Braithwaite, the medic on the rig
  • Owen Teale as Lars Hutton, a crew member who's been stationed on the rig for a long time, and who begins to sow tension and division on the rig
  • Richard Pepple as Grant Dunlin
  • Calvin Demba as Baz Roberts, a young, relatively inexperienced crew member who wants to get off the rig
  • Emun Elliott as Alec "Leck" Longman
  • Abraham Popoola as Easter Ayodeji
  • Stuart McQuarrie as Colin Murchison
  • Molly Vevers as Heather Shaw
  • Dougie Rankin as William Johnson
  • Nikhil Parmar as Harish
  • Mark Addy as David Coake

Episodes

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No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release date
1"Episode 1"John StricklandDavid Macpherson6 January 2023 (2023-01-06)
The oil rig Kinloch Bravo begins experiencing strange events, such as tremors and electrical faults, before a mysterious fog rolls in. Without radio contact or working communications, the entire crew is stranded on the rig, where tensions begin to mount and tempers fray, especially after one of the crew has a serious accident.
2"Episode 2"John StricklandDavid Macpherson6 January 2023 (2023-01-06)
Baz begins experiencing strange symptoms and visions after surviving his fall. The Stand-By-Vessel makes contact with the Kinloch Bravo rig, and the crew begin to hope for a rescue, while talk turns to the forthcoming decommissioning of the rig. Leck dies under mysterious circumstances after standing out in the fog, and Alwyn dies after a strange encounter with Baz. Hutton makes his escape after being confined. Rose discovers that the ash contains parasitic spores.
3"Episode 3"John StricklandDavid Macpherson6 January 2023 (2023-01-06)
With Baz missing and presumed dangerous, Magnus sends groups out to look for him and bring him back, while Fulmer is isolated due to a fear of the parasite spreading. Baz begins showing increasingly strange and disturbing behaviour as Rose makes a perplexing breakthrough regarding the spores and their link to extinction events. More spores begin to grow, and Garrow becomes infected. More problems face the rig as the flare goes out and the electrical systems go down, and Fulmer makes a dangerous decision to prove he can still be trusted.
4"Episode 4"Alex HolmesMeg Salter6 January 2023 (2023-01-06)
Fulmer tries to recover from his injuries and helps Rose and Heather investigate the spores. Baz and Garrow seek a way to shut down the oil pipeline and realise that they need Fulmer, which leads to painful consequences for Fulmer as he struggles to keep a grip on his sanity. Magnus struggles with old memories as he tries to maintain order when the crew is disappointed after the signal comes back but they're unable to contact the coastguard. The fog appears to head inland, and the crew thinks they might finally be getting rescued as lights appear.
5"Episode 5"Alex HolmesMatthew Jacobs Morgan6 January 2023 (2023-01-06)
A lifeboat from Kinloch Charlie arrives, with a Pictor head Coake aboard. The new arrivals make their presence known as Coake undermines Magnus' position on the rig and create division between the crew. Fulmer helps Baz and Garrow with their mission. Coake's motives are investigated and the crew realise he isn't giving them the full truth. Coake sets in motion a plan to kill the crew members on the platform to gain control of the pump room, with Hutton, Murch, and Dunlin involved.
6"Episode 6"Alex HolmesDavid Macpherson6 January 2023 (2023-01-06)
The events that led to the explosion on the Kinloch Charlie rig are revealed, and Coake's part in them, as well as his true purpose on board and Pictor's plans. The crew races to find a solution as Rose and Fulmer work out the horrifying extent of what the coded messages they have discovered really mean. Magnus, Rose, and Fulmer go to help Baz stop the Ancestor from triggering another Storegga Slide. Coake attempts to finish his mission to kill the organism by doing the same as on Kinloch Charlie, but the crew manages to stop him. Rescue helicopters come to evacuate the crew of the Kinloch Bravo, but Baz stays behind. A tsunami is created and the rescued crew watches as it destroys the rig and heads towards the shore, presumably wiping out the coastline.

Production

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Development

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David Macpherson first came up with the idea for the series in 2018, based in part on the stories his father told him about working in the oil and gas industry. He sent a one-page pitch to producer Derek Wax, and began writing it in December 2018.[5][6] In November 2020, it was announced that Amazon had greenlit The Rig. The series is written and created by David Macpherson, and directed and executive produced by John Strickland. Derek Wax also executive produces, while Suzanne Reid produces. Wax's company Wild Mercury Productions produces the series.[7] On 22 February 2023, Amazon renewed the series for a second season.[8]

Writing

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Work started on the series' scripts in December 2018.[9] Meg Salter and Matthew Jacobs Morgan serve as writers.[7]

Casting

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In mid-March 2021, Emily Hampshire, Martin Compston, and Mark Bonnar were cast in key roles.[3] The next day, Iain Glen, Rochenda Sandall, Owen Teale, Richard Pepple, Calvin Demba, Emun Elliott, Abraham Popoola, Stuart McQuarrie, and Molly Vevers were cast.[4] Kelly Valentine-Hendry serves as the casting director for the series.[7]

Filming

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Filming started on 29 March 2021 at FirstStage Studios in Edinburgh.[10][11][7] at which a three storey oil rig stage was built, with some additional filming at a real oil rig in Scotland.[12] The series is the first Amazon Original to be filmed entirely in Scotland.[7] Filming wrapped in August 2021.[2][13][14] The first three episodes were directed by John Strickland, and the final three were directed by Alex Holmes.[5]

Filming for season 2 had begun by July 2023.[15]

Reception

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The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reports a 67% approval rating and an average rating of 6.2/10 based on 18 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "The Rig may not plumb its full potential thanks to too many crude clichés, but this supernatural eco-thriller has enough ambience and appealing performances to make for a solid binge."[1] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, gave a score of 69 out of 100 based on 7 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[16]

Release

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The official trailer was released on 29 November 2022.[6] The pilot episode premiered at Everyman cinema in Edinburgh, Scotland, on 6 December 2022.[17] The six-episode series was released on 6 January 2023.[6]

The second season is scheduled to be released on 2 January 2025.[18]

References

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  1. ^ a b "The Rig: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 25 December 2023.
  2. ^ a b Wehrstedt, Lisa (2 September 2021). "Martin Compston promises he doesn't die in 'first 10 minutes' of The Rig after that giant rug pull in BBC thriller Vigil". Metro. Archived from the original on 2 September 2021. Retrieved 17 September 2021.
  3. ^ a b Wiseman, Andreas; Nellie, Andreeva (17 March 2021). "'Schitt's Creek' Star Emily Hampshire Joins Amazon UK Series 'The Rig'; Scotland Shoot To Begin This Month". Deadline. Archived from the original on 17 March 2021. Retrieved 17 September 2021.
  4. ^ a b c Andreas, Wiseman; Grater, Tom; Andreeva, Nellie (18 March 2021). "'Game Of Thrones' & 'Line Of Duty' Stars Among Cast To Join Amazon Thriller Series 'The Rig'". Deadline. Archived from the original on 18 March 2021. Retrieved 17 September 2021.
  5. ^ a b Stephen, Phyllis (6 December 2022). "David Macpherson's The Rig – premiere held in Edinburgh". The Edinburgh Reporter. Archived from the original on 13 December 2022. Retrieved 13 December 2022.
  6. ^ a b c Ferguson, Brian (9 December 2022). "The Rig: Martin Compston, Iain Glen and Emily Hampshire return to Edinburgh to launch Scotland's supernatural North Sea thriller". The Scotsman. Archived from the original on 12 December 2022. Retrieved 13 December 2022.
  7. ^ a b c d e Grater, Tom (3 November 2020). "Amazon Commissions UK Supernatural Thriller Series 'The Rig' With 'Bodyguard' Director John Strickland & Wild Mercury". Deadline. Archived from the original on 25 July 2021. Retrieved 17 September 2021.
  8. ^ Kanter, Jake (22 February 2023). "'The Rig' Renewed By Amazon; Martin Compston, Iain Glen & Emily Hampshire Reprise Roles". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 22 February 2023. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
  9. ^ Swarbrick, Susan (24 April 2021). "The Rig: David Macpherson on his Amazon Prime Video thriller". The Herald. Archived from the original on 3 December 2021. Retrieved 2 December 2021.
  10. ^ Daniels, Nia (29 March 2021). "The Rig starts filming in Scotland for Amazon". Kemps Film and TV Production Services Handbook. Archived from the original on 25 September 2022. Retrieved 17 September 2021.
  11. ^ Ross, Alex (2 September 2021). "First look at Martin Compston's new drama The Rig". Planet Radio. Archived from the original on 18 February 2024. Retrieved 18 September 2021.
  12. ^ Burt, Kieran (27 January 2023). "Where was The Rig filmed?". Ready Steady Cut. Archived from the original on 15 October 2023. Retrieved 3 October 2023.
  13. ^ Robinson, Gregory (2 September 2021). "The Rig: First Look At Martin Compston's New Thriller Series". Tyla. Archived from the original on 18 September 2021. Retrieved 17 September 2021.
  14. ^ Horton, Tom (2 September 2021). "The Rig: First images offer glimpse of Martin Compston in new Amazon Prime Video series". The Scotsman. Archived from the original on 18 September 2021. Retrieved 17 September 2021.
  15. ^ "The Rig's Emily Hampshire reveals season 2 filming update". Digital Spy. 18 June 2023.
  16. ^ "The Rig: Season 1". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved 20 February 2023.
  17. ^ Stewart, Catriona (6 December 2022). "Martin Compston and Mark Bonnar on filming Amazon's The Rig". The Herald. Archived from the original on 12 December 2022. Retrieved 13 December 2022.
  18. ^ "Martin Compston's returning Scotland-set drama confirms release date". Digital Spy. 4 December 2024. Retrieved 6 December 2024.
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