Sweetbitter 

A young woman learns how crazy it is to work in a restaurant.

Creator:

Stephanie Danler

Stars:

Ella Purnell, Tom Sturridge, Evan Jonigkeit

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Ella Purnell	...	Tess 14 episodes, 2018-2019
Tom Sturridge	...	Jake 14 episodes, 2018-2019
Evan Jonigkeit	...	Will 14 episodes, 2018-2019
Eden Epstein	...	Ariel 'Ari' 14 episodes, 2018-2019
Jasmine Mathews	...	Heather 14 episodes, 2018-2019
Daniyar	...	Sasha 14 episodes, 2018-2019
Paul Sparks	...	Howard 14 episodes, 2018-2019
Jimmie Saito	...	Scott 14 episodes, 2018-2019
Caitlin FitzGerald	...	Simone 13 episodes, 2018-2019
Todd Gearhart	...	Nicky 12 episodes, 2018-2019
Rafa Beato	...	Santos 11 episodes, 2018-2019
Gabriel Gutierrez	...	Manny 11 episodes, 2018-2019
Paul Tawczynski	...	Line Cook 8 episodes, 2019
Katerina Tannenbaum	...	Becky 7 episodes, 2018-2019
Sadie Scott	...	Rosalyn 6 episodes, 2019
Eric D. Hill Jr.	...	Eddie 5 episodes, 2019

Storyline

Sweetbitter follows 22-year-old Tess who, shortly after arriving in New York City, lands a job at a celebrated downtown restaurant. Swiftly introduced to the world of drugs, alcohol, love, lust, dive bars, and fine dining, she learns to navigate the chaotically alluring, yet punishing life she has stumbled upon. This is the story of a young woman's coming-of-age, set against the rich and grimy backdrop of exclusive restaurants, evoking the possibility, beauty, and fragility of being young and adrift.

---

Plot Keywords:

female protagonist | restaurant | new york | new york city | 2000s | 

---

Taglines:

Let it change you.

---

Genres:

Drama

---

Certificate:

TV-MA

Did You Know?

Trivia

Series based on one of Danny Meyer's original restaurants, Union Square Cafe.

---

Connections

Featured in Late Night with Seth Meyers: Josh Brolin/Ella Purnell/The Aces/Matt Byrne (2018)

---

Soundtracks

We Move Lightly
Song & Performed by Dustin O'Halloran
(Credits Theme)

User Reviews

as exciting as a well done steak...

I decided to give this a shot after seeing constant ads, also being a New Yorker with some experience in fine dining I was interested enough. Unfortunately there were so many glaring issues with this adaptation. The most frustrating part is there are glimmers of what could've been a great show throughout, opportunities squandered at every turn. One of the main issues is our star, Tess. It's hard to distinguish if it's mainly the fault of the writer, director or actor, but all three do their fair share to poison the pot. I get they are going for doe-eyed naivety but come on, give the audience a little credit, or the character some dimension. Everything, I mean everything she looks at she's gawking as if she has just discovered there are other humans on this planet- get's old real quick. Not to mention it's just not believable. NO ONE with her behavior (won't even discuss lack of experience) would last a day in that industry. However, I'm more than willing to suspend belief for plot but this show doesn't deliver the goods. The show does not give you any reason to root for her success except that she is the obvious protagonist and well, I guess you just should. She isn't particularly hard working or respectful, she walks around in a self absorbed bubble the entire season. For a coming of age there is little, if any personal growth exhibited on her end. All of the secondary characters are painfully one note. The season would have been more interesting had they paid more attention to some of them or even made it an ensemble show, as following wide eyed Tess around all day gets tiring. Then there's oh-so-troubled-Jake and I'm-so-illusive Simone. They both seem to have these massive fronts to feign the audience into intrigue, but I'm guessing not much is behind either door. There was no resolution into the season long tension within the 3 or insight into their motivations. The writers either didn't have answers or are holding out hope for a second season, either way not much happens in the first season besides the answer to if Tess will become a permanent hire. Luckily it's a short watch and they didn't milk this plot for a longer run time. I may even give it a chance if it gets renewed, hoping they juice up the writing, flesh out the ensemble and someone slaps that look off of Tess's face.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

2018 (USA)

Also Known As:

Sweetbitter

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Plan B Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

29 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

16:9 HD