Despite mixed reviews, Amazon Prime has picked up Jill Soloway’s I Love Dick for a full series, to the delight of the art world.
Based on the autobiographical novel by writer and critic Chris Kraus, the comedy debuted in August as part of Amazon Prime’s “Pilot Season,” when the online TV giant invited users to vote on prospective shows they wanted to see produced as series.
Rumors that the streaming video service ordered the show were confirmed yesterday, when Amazon also revealed that it will promote the other two pilot candidates, Jean-Claude Van Johnson and The Tick, to full series. All three shows are slated to premiere on Amazon Prime next year in the US, UK, Germany, Austria, and Japan.
“These pilots were vast in scope, disruptive in tone, challenging in story and sometimes even funny,” Joe Lewis, Head of Half-Hour Series for Amazon Studios told Variety. “It’s rewarding to see customers embrace them in such a huge way. We can’t wait to premiere these series next year on Prime Video.”
Kevin Bacon, Griffin Dunne, and Kathryn Hahn in I Love Dick (2016)
The novel was adapted by the Emmy Award-winning screenwriter Jill Soloway, creator of the Amazon series Transparent, and will star Kathryn Hahn (as Chris), Griffin Dunne (as Sylvère), and Kevin Bacon (as Dick). The story follows a married couple who temporarily relocate to the artistic and academic community of Marfa, Texas, where Sylvère has been invited to attend a residency program by the mysterious and charismatic Dick, who turns the the couple’s perceptions of love and monogamy upside down.
Although the show’s love triangle revolves around three characters in the world of art and academia—making it particularly entertaining and relatable for members of the international art world—the plot’s story of a crush which threatens a marriage, and its multitude of subtexts, may help it find broader audiences, too.