Pointed Opinions

Pointed Opinions
Genre	Comedy Drama
Created by	Ifan Barber
Starring	Laura Linney Dianne Wiest Patricia Arquette Lorraine Toussaint Elisabeth Moss Bette Midler Regina King Emma Watson Natasha Lyonne Gemma Chan Woody Harrelson Donald Glover Anya Taylor Joy Courteney Cox Catherine Keener
Opening Theme	"Pointed Opinions Theme"
Location	New York, USA
Country Of Origin	USA
Number Of Episodes	16
Running Time	45 minutes
Original Channel:	HBO
Original Air Date	October 20th 2019 - present
Produced by	HBO Studios
Directed by	Various

Pointed Opinions is an American television comedy-drama television series created by Ifan Barber that premiered on HBO on October 20th 2019. The first season comprised of eight episodes and focused on the behind the scenes goings on in the professional and personal lives of the five female hosts of the daytime panel show, A Woman's Opinion. The series is loosely inspired by the ABC panel series The View and the subsequent tell-all book The Ladies Who Punch.

The first series starred Laura Linney, Dianne Wiest, Lorraine Toussaint, Bette Midler and Elisabeth Moss as the series leads with Woody Harrelson, Donald Glover and Courteney Cox in supporting roles. Catherine Keener also appeared in a multi-episode guest arc. When the show returned for its second series, Wiest departed and Patricia Arquette joined the cast. Bette Midler left the lead cast and retained a recurring guest role, Catherine Keener joined the lead cast in her place. Regina King also recurred in the second series. It has been announced that a third series is in development, with Emma Watson, Natasha Lyonne, Gemma Chan and Anya Taylor Joy joining the supporting cast. The cast remained the same for the fourth and fifth season. A sixth season has been commissioned, with casting as yet to be disclosed.

Cast

Main

• Dianne Wiest as Helen Winters, a popular news anchor and television personality and the creator of A Woman's Opinion, which is now in its ninth season. She is demanding and despite her onscreen warm persona, is actually a cold-hearted calculating manipulator. She is diagnosed with stage four brain cancer in the first episode, but conceals her deteriorating health from her colleagues. (1x1 - 1x8, 4x5)
• Laura Linney as Maura Vincent, a veteran television journalist who was initially Helen's protege but has come into her own, she is a dedicated mother and wife, she likes to keep the show as close to her values as possible but hides her distain for certain colleagues well. (1x1 - )
• Lorraine Toussaint as Sandy James, a former lawyer who became a short-lived talk show host after marrying a high-profile television executive. Now widowed and unemployed, she becomes Helen's newest hire as the ninth season of the show premieres. As the show progresses, her feud with Maura ignites. (1x1 - 5x8)
• Bette Midler as Jayne Barron, a beloved comedian and actress who is best known for her staunch political views. Much like Maura, she has been with the show since the start and considers Helen a close friend. After going for dinner with another friend, Helen's doctor, Jayne learns of Helen's diagnosis, but keeps quiet for her doctor friend's sake. ( Regular 1x1 - 1x8, recurring 2x1 - 3x8, regular 4x1 -)
• Elisabeth Moss as Alexandra Hendricks, a former reality tv star turned conservative pundit. She was a surprise hire by Helen, who seems to have taken a shine to Alex. Now establishing herself as a firm right-wing voice on the show, she crosses Maura badly during a debate about abortion. Maura later hires a private investigator to dig dirt on Alex, and discovers some shocking secrets. (1x1 - 5x8)
• Catherine Keener as Violet O'Hara, the head of daytime programming at ABN, the network that broadcasts the show. Initially on a two week visit from Los Angeles, a sudden turn of events leads to Violet relocating to New York permanently to help keep the show afloat. (Recurring 1x5 - 1x8, regular 2x1 -)
• Patricia Arquette as Rosamund Osmond, a disgraced talk show host who is hired as a last minute replacement for Helen after a shock turn of events. She becomes demanding and hated by onscreen talent and offscreen crew. (Regular 2x1 - 3x8, recurring 4x1 - 5x8, regular 6x1 - )

Supporting

• Woody Harrelson as Bob Gregson, Helen's oldest collaborator and the executive producer of the show. He has staunchly republican views and was key in the hiring of Alexandra, he continues to flirt with her, unaware she is a closeted lesbian. (1x1 - )
• Donald Glover as Mikey Daniels, the newest recruit in the production staff who is trying to rise through the ranks. He quickly becomes a favourite among the leading ladies and begins to outshine Bob behind the scenes. (1x1 - )
• Courteney Cox as Justine Winters, Helen's estranged daughter who arrives in New York for one final attempt at reconciliation, unaware of her mother's failing health. Eager to rebuild their relationship before she dies, Helen invites Justine to become a consulting producer of the show. (1x1 - )
• Regina King as Wanda Green, a notoriously opinionated actress and writer who is being pursued by Bob to replace Rosamund as the show's moderator. (Recurring 2x4 - 3x8, regular 4x1 - )
• Emma Watson as Miranda Hollingsworth, a British socialite who becomes the show's royal correspondent when royalty arrives in New York. She then continues to try and wedge herself into the show and its hosts' lives. (3x1 - 5x8)
• Natasha Lyonne as Kyra Macey, a wealthy New York businesswoman who, after guesting on the show, launches a vendetta against Alexandra for making false allegations about her. (Recurring 3x3 - 3x8, regular 4x1 -)
• Gemma Chan as Felix Heung, Violet's new protege who is secretly pursuing sexual relations with both Mikey and Alexandra. (3x2 - 3x6, 4x1 - 5x8)
• Anya Taylor Joy as Elspeth Winters, Helen's granddaughter and Justine's daughter who returns to New York after spending half her life in a Swiss boarding school. Now following in her grandmother's footsteps and pursuing a journalism career, Elspeth plans on writing a tell-all book about her grandmother and the show. (3x1 - )

Episodes

Season 1

Season 1 consisted of eight episodes and premiered on October 20th 2019.

Episode	Title	Synopsis	Airdate
1	A Woman's Opinion	The ninth season of popular daytime panel show The Woman's Opinion is well underway, but the life of its creator and moderator Helen Winters is about to change forever when her doctor reveals she' dying of stage four brain cancer. Returning to work with the surprise return of her estranged daughter, Helen puts on a brave face and introduces the nation to the series' newest addition, the wealthy retired lawyer Sandy James. Meanwhile, her co-hosts are continuing as normal, Jayne's usual stand-up gig comes under threat by a new club owner, while Maura finds out that one of her daughter's friend's mom is dating a private investigator, which may prove helpful in her plot to take down rival co-host Alexandra. Backstage at the show, Helen introduces her latest recruit, a young producer straight out of MTV, who Bob feels might threaten his place at the show.	October 20th 2019
2	Jayne's View	While out to dinner with her friend from college, who just happens to be Helen's private doctor, Jayne learns that Helen is dying. She intends to use this information to her advantage without alerting Helen that she knows. Meanwhile, Maura meets with the private investigator about looking into Alexandra. Bob misleads Mikey, but the misdirection then leads to an advantage for Mikey, who's actions impress Helen. Justine begins planning to make her mark on the show with her new appointment, but Helen has other ideas.	October 27th 2019
3	She's Cancelled
4	Who's The Boss?
5	Violet is!
6	Tensions
7	Mistress of Darkness
8	Climax