Mr. Mercedes (TV series)

Mr. Mercedes is an American crime drama television series based on the Bill Hodges novel trilogy by Stephen King, which consists of Mr. Mercedes, Finders Keepers, and End of Watch. The series premiered on Audience on August 9, 2017. It was developed by David E. Kelley and stars Brendan Gleeson and Harry Treadaway. In November 2018, it was announced that Audience had renewed the series for a ten-episode third season, which premiered on September 10, 2019. In May 2020, the show was discontinued, with no indication of whether the show had been officially canceled or that it would return for a fourth season. Its existing three seasons were later picked up in September 2020 by streaming service Peacock.

Premise
Retired detective Bill Hodges is still haunted by the unsolved case of "Mr. Mercedes", who claimed 16 lives when he drove a stolen Mercedes through a line of job-seekers at a local job fair. Meanwhile, brilliant young psychopath Brady Hartsfield emerges to focus his attention on Hodges. What begins as an online cat-and-mouse game soon has deadly real-life consequences as an increasingly desperate Hartsfield becomes bent on leaving his mark on the world.

Main
Actors are credited among main cast only in the episodes in which they appear.
 * Brendan Gleeson as Kermit William "Bill" Hodges, a retired detective who is contacted by Brady
 * Harry Treadaway as Brady Hartsfield (seasons 1–2), an electronics store worker.
 * Holland Taylor as Ida Silver, Hodges' next-door neighbor
 * Justine Lupe as Holly Gibney, Janey's OCD-afflicted niece that becomes close with Hodges
 * Jharrel Jerome as Jerome Robinson, Hodges' young, friendly neighbor that becomes involved in his investigation of Brady
 * Breeda Wool as Lou Linklatter, Brady's sarcastic lesbian coworker
 * Scott Lawrence as Peter Dixon (seasons 1–2), Hodges' former partner
 * Robert Stanton as Anthony "Robi" Frobisher (season 1), Brady's invasive boss
 * Kelly Lynch as Deborah Hartsfield (season 1), Brady's alcoholic, incestuous mother
 * Mary-Louise Parker as Janey Patterson (season 1), Olivia Trelawney's sister who helps Hodges with his investigation
 * Maximiliano Hernández as Antonio Montez (seasons 2–3), an assistant district attorney that begins working with Hodges
 * Jack Huston as Felix Babineau (season 2), a skilled neurosurgeon
 * Tessa Ferrer as Cora Babineau (season 2), the corrupt head of marketing at a major pharmaceutical corporation and Babineau's wife
 * Rarmian Newton as Pete Saubers (season 3), a high school student that unwittingly crosses paths with Bellamy
 * Gabriel Ebert as Morris Bellamy (season 3), a volatile criminal and fan of John Rothstein's books

Recurring

 * Nancy Travis as Donna Hodges (seasons 1–2), Hodges' estranged ex-wife
 * Maddie Hasson as Allie Hodges (seasons 1 and 3), Hodges' estranged daughter
 * Neko Parham as Lawrence Robinson (seasons 1–2), Jerome's protective father
 * Makayla Lysiak as Barbara Robinson (seasons 1–2), Jerome's sister
 * Ann Cusack as Olivia Trelawney (season 1), the woman whose Mercedes-Benz was used during Brady's murders
 * Katharine Houghton as Elizabeth Wharton (season 1), Trelawney and Janey's elderly mother
 * Laila Robins as Charlotte Gibney (season 1), Holly's controlling mother
 * Nicole Barré as Izzy Torres (season 1), Dixon's current partner
 * David Furr as Josh (season 1), a detective
 * Tammy Arnold as Maggie Wilmer (season 2), a nurse that Hodges befriends
 * Virginia Kull as Sadie MacDonald (season 2), a timid nurse who suffers from mild epilepsy
 * Mike Starr as Library Al (season 2), a kind hospital volunteer who distributes books to patients
 * Adam Stephenson as Jonathan Pettimore (season 2), a hospital administrator
 * Kate Burton as Mrs. MacDonald (season 2), Sadie's mother
 * Brett Gelman as Roland Finklestein (season 3), a defense attorney working with Hodges and Holly
 * Natalie Paul as Sarah Pace (season 3), an assistant district attorney
 * Glynn Turman as Judge Bernard Raines (season 3), a no-nonsense district judge
 * Bruce Dern as John Rothstein (season 3), a crude, reclusive bestselling author
 * Kate Mulgrew as Alma Lane (season 3), a woman who has been grooming Bellamy since he was a teenager
 * Josh Daugherty as Tom Saubers (season 3), Pete's depressed father who was disabled during Brady's massacre
 * Claire Bronson as Marjorie Saubers (season 3), Pete's mother
 * Meg Steedle as Danielle Sweeney (season 3), Bellamy's girlfriend
 * Patch Darragh as Andrew Halliday (season 3), an associate of Bellamy's who runs a bookstore

Development
In 2015, Sonar Entertainment optioned the screen rights to Stephen King's novel Mr. Mercedes with the intent of developing into a limited series. David E. Kelley was set to write the series while Jack Bender would direct. Executive producers were expected to include Kelley, Bender, Marty Bowen, Wyck Godfrey, and Gene Stein. Production companies involved with the series were to include Temple Hill Entertainment and Sonar Entertainment.

On May 25, 2016, it was announced that Audience had given the production a series order for a first season consisting of ten episodes. The previously announced creative team was still expected to be involved. In addition to writing and executive producing, David E. Kelley was also announced to be serving as the series' showrunner. Additional executive producers announced included Christopher Long, Bart Peters, Jenna Glazier, and Tom Patricia. On May 11, 2017, it was announced that the series would premiere on August 9, 2017.

On October 10, 2017, the Audience Network renewed the series for a second season consisting of ten episodes. It will be based on the three novels in the Bill Hodges trilogy, Mr. Mercedes, Finders Keepers and End of Watch. On April 15, 2018, it was announced that the second season would premiere on August 22, 2018. On November 19, 2018, it was announced that Audience had renewed the series for a third season consisting of ten episodes, which premiered on September 10, 2019.

In May 2020, Audience was discontinued, with no indication of whether the show had been officially canceled or that it would return for a fourth season.

Casting
Alongside the series order announcement, it was confirmed that Brendan Gleeson and Anton Yelchin had been cast in the series' two lead roles. Following Yelchin's death in June 2016, it was announced that his role had been recast with Harry Treadaway assuming the part. In December 2016, it was announced that Kelly Lynch and Ann-Margret had been cast in the series. In January 2017, it was reported that Jharrel Jerome, Justine Lupe, and Breeda Wool, Scott Lawrence, Robert Stanton, and Ann Cusack had joined the main cast, that Mary-Louise Parker was cast a recurring character, and that Ann-Margret's role had been recast with Holland Taylor following an illness in Ann-Margret's family. On April 25, 2017, it was reported that Stephen King would have a cameo in the series. In January 2018, it was announced that Jack Huston, Maximiliano Hernandez, and Tessa Ferrer had been cast as series regulars in season two. In March 2019, Kate Mulgrew, Brett Gelman, and Natalie Paul joined the series for the third season. On April 25, 2019, Meg Steedle had been cast in a recurring role for the third season.

Filming
In February 2017, principal photography for the first season began in Charleston, South Carolina. That month, filming took place in the Wagener Terrace area of the city as well as at the Upper King Street restaurant Little Jack's Tavern. Filming concluded for the first season by the end of May 2017. In January 2018, Audience announced production for season two would commence the following month in South Carolina.

During filming on March 2, 2019, special effects technician Mike Wilks survived a near-electrocution on set.

Marketing
On May 8, 2017, Audience released a series of "first look" images from the series. On June 5, 2017, Audience released a "behind-the-scenes" video for the series featuring interviews with the cast and crew. The following day, the first teaser trailer for the series was released. By the end of the month, Audience released a set of promotional photographs featuring the series' main cast.

On July 19, 2018, the series held a panel at San Diego Comic-Con in San Diego, California to promote season two. The panel featured executive producer and director Jack Bender as well as series stars Jack Huston, Max Hernandez, Breeda Wool, Justine Lupe, and Nancy Travis. On July 30, 2018, the official trailer for season two was released.

Distribution
The series airs on RTÉ1 in Ireland, on Canal+ in Poland, and on Starzplay in the United Kingdom. The first three seasons of Mr. Mercedes were picked up in September 2020 by streaming service Peacock.

Critical response
The first season of Mr. Mercedes has been met with a positive response from critics. On the review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, the first season holds an 83% approval rating with an average rating of 6.42 out of 10 based on 29 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, "Mr. Mercedes propels its tense, creepy narrative with quick-witted dialogue, strong characters, and terrifying surprises." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the season a score of 71 out of 100 based on 17 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

The second season also received a positive response from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the second season holds a 100% approval rating with an average rating of 7 out of 10 based on 11 reviews, with the critical consensus reading, "Mr. Mercedes gains a new, supernatural dimension in a rollicking second season that pits the talents of Brendan Gleeson and Harry Treadaway against each other, generating enough sparks to dazzle mystery aficionados and horror buffs alike." Metacritic assigned the season a score of 76 out of 100 based on 4 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

Related series
The character of Holly Gibney that was first introduced in the Bill Hodges trilogy was one of the main characters in King's 2018 novel The Outsider. That novel was adapted for the 2020 miniseries by HBO, with the Gibney character portrayed by Cynthia Erivo.