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After the strange and wild ride that was The Rehearsal, we can’t wait to see more from Nathan Fielder. Luckily, we won’t have to wait much longer because The Curse, the new series Fielder created with Benny Safdie, will be coming out soon! Starring Fielder and Emma Stone as a married couple who host an HGTV house-flipping show, The Curse looks to be a hilarious and bizarre series.
Editor's Note: This piece was updated on November 1, 2023.
The Curse
TV-MASatireA newlywed couple struggle to make their vision for eco-living a reality in a small New Mexico town.
- Release Date
- November 10, 2023
- Cast
- Emma Stone , Nathan Fielder , Benny Safdie , Corbin Bernsen , Barkhad Abdi , Constance Shulman , Gary Farmer
- Main Genre
- Comedy
- Seasons
- 1
- Website
- Writers
- Nathan Fielder , Benny Safdie , Carrie Kemper
- Network
- Showtime
- Streaming Sevice
- Paramount+
- Showrunner
- Nathan Fielder
When and Where Can You Watch 'The Curse'?
Image via A24\/Paramount+<\/p>\n"">Image via A24/Paramount+
The Curse will initially be available to stream on Paramount+ with Showtime and on-demand starting on November 10, 2023. The series will then have a linear debut on Showtime on November 12. The series also premiered its first three episodes during the New York Film Festival, which ran at Lincoln Center from September 29 through October 15. You can stream the series on Paramount+ using the following link once it premieres, so be sure to add it to your bookmarks.
Is There a Trailer for 'The Curse'?
An eerie minute-long teaser trailer for The Curse was released on Showtime's YouTube channel on September 27, 2023. The preview doesn't reveal too much and instead consists of the characters played by Stone and Fielder awkwardly filming an intro for an episode of their home renovation show, as the camera slowly begins to zoom out from them and ominous music plays in the background.
The official trailer for The Curse was released by Showtime on October 12, 2023. The trailer finds Stone and Fielder hosting a problematic home renovation show, that quickly spirals into a nightmare scenario after a little girl places a curse on the couple after being the victim of a cruel prank. On October 30, this was followed by a brand-new teaser for The Curse that was released via X (Twitter). The video (which you can see in the post below) is a 30-second promo that begins with Stone and Fielder in character introducing their home renovation show. We're then shown a quick run of scenes from the show that reveal the emotional conflicts of doing a show like this, while still maintaining a tongue-in-cheek sense of humor that just makes it all so much better. If the teasers and trailer are anything to go by, this series is shaping up to be equal parts creepy and comedic.
Who Stars in 'The Curse'?
The Curse stars Nathan Fielder and Emma Stone as a husband and wife house-flipping team. Fielder, who plays Asher, is hot off his unsettling 2022 series The Rehearsal which seamlessly mixed reality and simulation with remarkable results. Fielder was also the star of the Comedy Central docuseries Nathan for You, a hilarious series focusing on him helping struggling businesses, often to mixed results. Fielder’s awkward earnestness is what made The Rehearsal and Nathan for You work, so it will be exciting to see him in a different kind of project. Outside of playing himself, Fielder has also appeared in films such as The Night Before and The Disaster Artist. Academy Award winner Emma Stone also stars in The Curse, playing Asher’s wife, cohost, and business partner Whitney. Stone is known for roles including Wichita in the Zombieland films, Gwen Stacy from The Amazing Spider-Man movies, Olive from Easy A, Mia from La La Land, and she played the titular role in Disney's Cruella.
Benny Safdie also stars, playing the producer of Asher and Whitney’s show. Safdie has made a name for himself for both his filmmaking and his acting. He was recently in Are You There God, It’s Me Margaret, Licorice Pizza, and Oppenheimer. In addition to its fantastic main cast, The Curse also boasts an impressive supporting cast with Constance Shulman, Corbin Bernsen, and Academy Award nominee Barkhad Abdi having all been confirmed to be guest starring in the series. Shulman has previously voiced Doug Funnie’s love interest Patty Mayonnaise in the classic Nickelodeon series Doug and played Yoga Jones in Netflix’s Orange is the New Black. You may also recognize her as Helen in the series Search Party. Corbin Bernsen has been in everything from L.A. Law to JAG to The White House Plumbers,but he is probably best known as Shawn’s dad Henry from the USA series Psych. Barkhad Abdi has previously been in Captain Phillips, the Hulu anthology series Castle Rock, and Blade Runner 2049. He also worked alongside Safdie on the film Good Time.
What Is 'The Curse'About?
With a plot that focuses on “how an alleged curse disturbs the relationship of a newly married couple as they try to conceive a child while co-starring in their new home-improvement show,” The Curse doesn’t sound like anything else on television right now. The show’s tone is described as “genre-bending,” seamlessly touching on topics of class, race, and gentrification, as Whitney and Asher must struggle with the ethical implications of inflicting their house-flipping services on a struggling New Mexico town. The Curse, a series about filming a series called “Flipanthropy,” is looking like a must-watch for fans of the Safdies and Nathan Fielder.
Who Is Making 'The Curse'?
In addition to starring in The Curse, Nathan Fielder and Benny Safdie are also the show’s co-creators and co-writers. Fielder has previously written and directed The Rehearsal. Safdie also has multiple writing credits, including for the Adam Sandler-led film Uncut Gems, which Benny Safdie also co-directed with his brother Josh Safdie. In addition to Fielder, The Curse’s directors include Nathan Zellner and David Zellner. The Zellners previously wrote Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter, which was directed by David. The duo also co-wrote and co-directed the Robert Pattinson film Damsel. All three of The Curse’s stars, Fielder, Stone, and Safdie, are executive producers, as is Benny Safdie’s brother and collaborator Josh. Stone's producing partners Dave McCary and Ali Herting are also executive producing the series.
More Shows Like 'The Curse'
The Watcher (2022)
- Release Date
- October 13, 2022
- Creator
- Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan
- Cast
- Bobby Cannavale , Naomi Watts , Jennifer Coolidge , Margo Martindale , Richard Kind
- Main Genre
- Mystery
- Seasons
- 1 (Renewed for Season 2)
- Number of Episodes
- 7
- Network
- Netflix
- Streaming Sevice
- Netflix
This Ryan Murphy series is often billed as true crime, but the number of liberties The Watchertakes with its source material makes its genre hard to classify. Focusing on a family whose dream home becomes a nightmare after strange and threatening letters begin appearing, The Watcher, like The Curse, touches on how cut-throat and intense the world of high-stakes real estate can be.
Flip or Flop
- Release Date
- April 16, 2013
- Cast
- Tarek El Moussa , Christina Hall
- Main Genre
- Reality TV
- Seasons
- 10
- Network
- HGTV
- Streaming Sevice
- Max
The real show that The Curse likely owes the most to, Flip or Flop is an HGTV classic. Starring former husband and wife Christina Hall (née Haack) and Tarek El Moussa, the series shows the two working through the process of buying, renovating, and selling dilapidated houses.
UnREAL
- Release Date
- June 1, 2015
- Creator
- Marti Noxon and Sarah Gertrude Shapiro
- Cast
- Shiri Appleby , Craig Bierko , Freddie Stroma , Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman , Johanna Braddy , Constance Zimmer
- Main Genre
- Drama
- Seasons
- 4
- Number of Episodes
- 38
- Network
- Lifetime
UnREAL (2015-2018)- This Lifetime original series was created by Marti Noxonand Sarah Gertrude Shapiro and chronicled the backstage drama and producer interference on the fictional dating show Everlasting. Starring Shiri Appleby as a producer who struggles with the ethics of the show’s manipulation, UnREAL focused on the ways the producers manufactured drama to ensure the audience received the over-the-top excitement they demanded. UnREAL wasn’t always the most realistic look at making reality television, but it sure was fun.
