HBO has revealed new Lovecraft Country episode details for the upcoming horror drama series that is set to debut on Sunday, August 16. You can check out the synopsis for the first five episodes below!
RELATED: Lovecraft Country Official Trailer: This is Family Business
Season 1, Episode 1: “Sundown”
Debut Date: SUNDAY, AUGUST 16 (9:00-10:08 p.m. ET/PT)
Veteran and pulp-fiction aficionado Atticus Freeman (Jonathan Majors) travels from the Jim Crow South to his South Side of Chicago hometown in search of his missing father Montrose (Michael Kenneth Williams). After recruiting his uncle George (Courtney B. Vance) and childhood friend Letitia (Jurnee Smollett) to join him, the trio sets out for “Ardham,” MA, where they think Montrose may have gone looking for insight into Atticus’ late mother’s ancestry. As they journey across the Midwest, Tic, Leti, and George encounter dangers lurking at every turn, especially after sundown.
Teleplay by Misha Green; directed by Yann Demange.
Season 1, Episode 2: “Whitey’s on the Moon”
Debut Date: SUNDAY, AUGUST 23 (9:00-10:00 p.m. ET/PT)
Inexplicably recovered from their terrifying night, Leti and George luxuriate in their new surroundings, while Atticus grows suspicious of their Ardham Lodge hosts – Christina Braithwhite (Abbey Lee) and her elusive father Samuel (Tony Goldwyn) – who unveil cryptic plans for Atticus’ role in their upcoming “Sons of Adam” ceremony. Later, after Tic, Leti, and George stumble upon a clue that could lead them to Montrose, each takes an unwelcome walk down memory lane.
Teleplay by Misha Green; directed by Daniel Sackheim.
Season 1, Episode 3: “Holy Ghost”
Debut Date: SUNDAY, AUGUST 30 (9:00-10:00 p.m. ET/PT)
Hoping to mend her relationship with her sister Ruby (Wunmi Mosaku), Leti turns a ramshackle Victorian on Chicago’s North Side into a boarding house – an endeavor that stokes neighborhood racism and awakens dormant spirits stuck in the house. Meanwhile, Atticus remains burdened by a guilty conscience as George’s wife Hippolyta (Aunjanue Ellis) presses him for the full story of what happened in Ardham.
Teleplay by Misha Green; directed by Daniel Sackheim.
Season 1, Episode 4: “A History of Violence”
Debut Date: SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 6 (9:00-10:00 p.m. ET/PT)
After Christina mysteriously shows up at her doorstep, Leti confronts Atticus about his plan to surreptitiously return to Florida. Later, in search of missing pages to a crucial text, Leti, Tic, and Montrose head to Boston, with Hippolyta and Diana (Jada Harris) along for the ride. Back in Chicago, a handsome stranger nurses Ruby’s disappointment over a squandered job opportunity.
Teleplay by Misha Green; Story by Wes Taylor; directed by Victoria Mahoney.
Season 1, Episode 5 “Strange Case”
Debut Date: SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 13 (9:00-10:00 p.m. ET/PT)
After making a devil’s bargain with William, Ruby steps into the charmed shoes of a white woman, but her transformation only fortifies her resentment of the racial divide. A betrayal by Montrose unleashes Atticus’ pent up rage, leaving Leti deeply disturbed and sending Montrose into the comforting arms of his secret lover.
Teleplay by Misha Green and Jonathan Kidd & Sonya Winton; directed by Cheryl Dunye.
RELATED: Watch HBO’s Lovecraft Country Comic-Con@Home Panel!
Based on the novel of the same name by Matt Ruff, the ten-episode series follows Atticus Freeman (Jonathan Majors) as he joins up with his friend Letitia (Jurnee Smollett-Bell) and his Uncle George (Courtney B. Vance) to embark on a road trip across 1950s Jim Crow America in search of his missing father (Michael Kenneth Williams). This begins a struggle to survive and overcome both the racist terrors of white America and the terrifying monsters that could be ripped from a Lovecraft paperback.
Pick up a copy of the novel here!
The ensemble cast is led by Jonathan Majors (White Boy Rick) as Atticus Black, Jurnee Smollett-Bell (Birds of Prey) as Letitia Dandridge, Courtney B. Vance (American Crime Story) as George Black, Wunmi Mosaku (Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them) as Ruby Dandridge, Aunjanue Ellis (If Beale Street Could Talk) as Hippolyta Black, Michael Kenneth Williams (Hap & Leonard) as Montrose Freeman, Abbey Lee (Mad Max: Fury Road) as Christina Braithwhite, and Tony Goldwyn (Scandal) as Samuel Braithwhite. Also starring Jamie Harris (Rise of the Planets of Apes) as Eustace Hunt, Jamie Chung (The Gifted) as Ji-Ah, Jordan Patrick Smith as William, Jamie Neumann as Hillary, Erica Tazel as Dora Freeman, and Mac Brandt as Lancaster.
Lovecraft Country is executive produced by Misha Green, who also serves as showrunner, J.J. Abrams, Jordan Peele, Bill Carraro, Yann Demange (who also directed Episode 1), Daniel Sackheim (who also directed Episodes 2 and 3) and David Knoller (executive producer on Episode 1); based on the novel by Matt Ruff.
Produced by afemme, Inc., Bad Robot Productions, and Monkeypaw Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television, the series is set to premiere on August 16!
