Showtime’s drama, United States of Tara, comes to the ABC from late July.
With the tagline, “Mum’s just not herself today,” Toni Collette plays a woman with multiple personalities.
John Corbett (Sex and the City) plays Max, her supportive husband of almost 20 years who works hard to keep up with Tara’s alter egos, while maintaining some sense of normalcy for their teenaged children: sarcastic and rebellious daughter, Kate (Brie Larson), and tender-hearted, bookworm son, Marshall (Keir Gilchrist).
Tara’s alter-egos include “T,” a provocative teenager who flits around in midriffs and low slung jeans; to “Buck,” a beer-swilling, trucker-hat wearing Vietnam vet who is prone to violence when (easily) provoked; to “Alice,” a 1950s Betty Crocker housewife who bakes pies, wearing her heels and without a meticulously hair-sprayed curl out of place.
Screenwriter Diablo Cody said of the piece, “I never imagined I’d write a show about mental illness or motherhood, for that matter. When most people hear “multiple personalities,” they immediately think of tragic stories like Sybil, or broad, silly comedies that make light of the disorder. A sensitive, humorous, humanist show about a family coping with DID seemed revolutionary to me. I did my homework so I could make Tara as real as possible.”
This 12-part series, co produced by Steven Spielberg, starts Wednesday 29 July at 9.30pm on ABC1.
abc.net.au/iview and don’t forget ABC2 on Thursdays for repeat.
i missed the first few episodes and want to see them. how can i do this?
I watched the first episode on ABC2 and I am hooked. Toni Collete is one of the most talented actors around, she switches betwen characters seemlessly and it really is a hoot to watch. Can’t wait for next week’s episode!
@jimmy i meant commercial networks (7,9,10) I thought this show would have been to expensive
Sounds like after the pilot its a really good show. Will give it a watch. Always watch ABC on wed nights pretty much from 7:30 till after lateline.
Toni was such a sweetheart on Rove last night. Can’t wait for the show!
surprised the ABC got this. It is incredible. Still baffled why FTA or Showcase didn’t get it
Fantastic that the ABC has this – no ads, the way it’s meant to be seen.
Hope they’ve bought HD master tapes…
this looks like a great show, I only hope the lead actress can pull off the different personalities
When you have a protag who’s a mentally unstable nutcase (a housewife with a multiple personality disorder), it isn’t hard to see why any Aus FTA wouldn’t to screen what’d be perceived as an uncommercial show, that’s on the Showtime cable network in the US.
There is even a Facebook site for United States of Tara too. You will find the link at the program’s website.
Word to the newbies… *avoid* the pilot episode. It’s awful. It makes such a conscious effort to introduce the audience to the characters and premise that it feels insultingly laboured. The series gradually improves from the second episode though.
Um… jezza, ABC1 is a FTA!
Fantastic series, i cant believe a FTA didnt pick it up
I urge everyone to watch this is a terrific series – stick with it after the pilot (which isn’t very good) and you’ll be rewarded.