SXSW 2021 – Episodic Premieres/Pilot: Cruel Summer, Them, Dale’s House, Chad

Usually when you think of SXSW, you think music and films, but their Episodic Premieres and Pilot Competitions often showcase some real talent. This year, at SXSW Online 2021, we were able to watch a number of quality shows worth checking out – most of which were an early premiere, meaning it WILL be available on your television soon!

Them
Full Season Premieres April 9, 2021 on Amazon Prime Video

Them is a new horror anthology series coming to Amazon Prime Video from creator Little Marvin. Amid The Great Migration and with the promise of a new engineering opportunity, Henry (Ashley Thomas) and Lucky (Deborah Ayorinde) Emory move their family to an all-white neighborhood in Compton, California. Not only must the Emory’s face the terror of their neighbors, but something more grim threatens them.

First of all, round of applause for everyone’s performance here in these first two premiere episodes. Ayorinde goes from soft and happy to family defender in a split second when she fears for their safety. She’s bold, strong, and a force to be reckoned with all on her own. It’s evident Lucky’s been through hell and she doesn’t plan on accepting any more unfair treatment.

Henry is different, though. That’s not to say he won’t protect his family, but he does it in his own way. He wants them to have stability and he goes along with whatever the whacky cops have to say if it means no one gets harmed in the process. Thomas’ portrayal is visceral in how he emotes his internal pain and anguish, and though many viewers can never truly understand, he gives you insight into the horror blacks have experienced for generations in America. Even their children, Ruby (Shahadi Wright Joseph) and Gracie (Melody Hurd) are powerful. And Alison Pill’s act as the most vicious, inherently racist, and awful white folk ravages your anger.

But what is probably my favorite element of Them is the score. Perfectly timed, the grueling sounds send chills down your spine and ramp up your heartbeat. You know how sound departments will take happy-go-lucky, well-known songs and distort them as it fades out? Yeah, they do that here, and it is used so well.

Some might say this has deep Jordan Peele vibes here, and they’re probably not wrong, but Them seems to be working well at their own story.

The Hollywood Outsider Rating: 8.5/10

Cruel Summer
Premieres April 20, 2021 on Freeform (formerly ABC Family)

Pay little to no attention to the above still image – it is hardly a fair representation of the show.

We see the life of a young girl, Jeanette (Chiara Aurelia), change over the course of three summers on her birthday. Each glimpse provides insight into how she has morphed as an adolescent and what her friendships develop into, but we also learn about how she may be connected to a missing girl named Kate (Olivia Holt).

By the end of episode two of Cruel Summer, we learn very little as to what her involvement is but we begin to understand the dynamic of the acquaintanceship between Jeanette and Kate. This pacing of the exploration enhances the mystery and build-up. The story does tend to ping-pong around time, centered around those specific three summers, but each character is given a distinctive look for each scenario to make is reasonable to always understand where you are – year wise – in relation to the ongoing mystery.

Knowing this show is airing its first two episodes April 20th on Freeform (formerly ABC Familiy), you won’t be surprised to learn Cruel Summer is full of angsty teen drama but thankfully, the performances are a bit better than what you might expect from, say, the CW. Aurelia glimmers with youth and awkward-nerdy joy and grows into her dread-ridden young adult character.

The Hollywood Outsider Rating: 7.5/10

Chad
Premieres April 6, 2021 on TBS

Look,  I’ll be honest here. I’m not entirely sure how the vast and quick-to-anger world of the Twitters will respond to Chad. The TBS show is about a 14 year-old super awkward boy with a cultural identity crisis who’s desperate to fit in. Nasim Pedrad created and writes Chad, while also starring as Chad. Yes, the same gorgeous former-SNL star and actress is playing a 14 year-old boy, but (so far) there’s no transgender story here. She just… is this boy. It’s not even made clear in the show whether this is supposed to be laughed with or just another way to make Chad appear as though he has more to do to “fit in” since he’s not like other boys.

Anyhow, Pedrad is great, and when I say “great”, I mean that because I genuinely felt uncomfortable with the level of awkwardness Chad exudes at all times, ever. More than anything, the writing has a subtle undertone of comedy. Chad has no boundaries – happy to jump in for a group hug after catching his mom doing the dirty with a man – and Pedrad’s writing takes a comedic approach at how wrong and uncomfortable fetishizing culture and race is. It’s not a trend you just try on to try and be part of that group.

Somehow, I am uniquely interested in watching this TBS show that premieres on April 6, 2021.

The Hollywood Outsider Rating: 6/10

Dale’s House

Dale’s House is a horror comedy about two estranged best friends, Ben (Matt Kirsch) and Nilly (Julie Lake) that both somehow end up with an opportunity to house-sit the exact same house on the same day. Oh, but the house is demonic and will grant them success in exchange for their souls. So you know, an average Craiglist opportunity.

For a pilot, Dale’s House was a bit underwhelming in terms of what the story description is supposed to be. You definitely gather there is something demonic at play, and Kirsch and Lake have moderate chemistry, but if not for the synopsis going into the pilot, I wouldn’t have gathered the intention of the house. The comedy here is a bit more raw, not necessarily built-in, but more for us to laugh at how weird things are.

As a quirky horror comedy, I can see it flocking to Shudder or Netflix and grabbing some attention, but it certainly needs to enhance the storyline to maintain investment. Dale’s House has not been picked up for distribution as of yet.

The Hollywood Outsider Rating: 5/10

Follow our further discussion on over 30 film and episodic premieres screened at SXSW 2021 via this episode of The Hollywood Outsider podcast: