• Source: Feud: Capote vs. The Swans

Feud: Capote vs. The Swans is the second season of the American anthology television series Feud created by Ryan Murphy, Jaffe Cohen, and Michael Zam for FX. Directed by Gus Van Sant, Max Winkler, and Jennifer Lynch, it is written by Jon Robin Baitz. The eight-episode season is based on the book Capote's Women: A True Story of Love, Betrayal, and a Swan Song for an Era written by Laurence Leamer. Its first two episodes premiered on January 31, 2024, with episodes available on Hulu the day after broadcast on FX.




Premise


Acclaimed writer Truman Capote ruins his friendships with the Swans, a socialite group of New York City high society, by writing a thinly veiled fictionalized account of their scandalous and hedonistic lives in his (ultimately unfinished) novel, Answered Prayers. When Esquire publishes the chapter "La Côte Basque 1965", after the restaurant of the same name frequented by the Swans and Capote himself, several vow to ruin his life in revenge.




Cast






= Main

=
Naomi Watts as Babe Paley
Diane Lane as Slim Keith
Chloë Sevigny as C. Z. Guest
Calista Flockhart as Lee Radziwill
Demi Moore as Ann Woodward
Molly Ringwald as Joanne Carson
Treat Williams as Bill Paley
Joe Mantello as Jack Dunphy
Russell Tovey as John O'Shea
Tom Hollander as Truman Capote




= Recurring

=
Jessica Lange as Lillie Mae Faulk, Capote's mother
Ella Beatty as Kerry O'Shea
Roya Shanks as Louisa Firth
Jamie Askew as Jennifer Jones
Scott Zimmerman as David Selznick




= Guest

=
Rebecca Creskoff as Happy Rockefeller
David Healy as Nelson Rockefeller
Daniel Adaro as Chris O'Shea
Tom Stratford as Bill Blass
Marin Ireland as Katharine Graham
Alison Wright as Pamela Harriman
Pawel Szajda as Albert Maysles
Yuval David as David Maysles
Chris Chalk as James Baldwin
Charlotte Cronin as Cornelia Guest
Jeffrey Grover as Richard Avedon
Dennis Staroselsky as Stanley Siegel
Jessica DiGiovani as Kate Paley
Dan Cordle as Joe Capote




Episodes






Production






= Development

=
FX renewed the Feud series for a second season in February 2017, with Ryan Murphy and Jon Robin Baitz attached as writers, with an initial focus on the relationship between Charles, Prince of Wales and Diana, Princess of Wales.
By April 2022, the focus had shifted onto Truman Capote and his tempestuous relationship with New York high society with Gus Van Sant on board to direct and Naomi Watts attached to star.
Baitz adapted the bestselling book Capote's Women by Laurence Leamer for the series. Executive producers on the series include Murphy, Alexis Martin Woodall, Baitz, Van Sant, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Watts, Eric Kovtun, and Scott Robertson.
It was the last project of Treat Williams before his death in 2023.




= Casting

=
In August 2022, Tom Hollander was cast as Truman Capote with the cast also including Diane Lane and Calista Flockhart. In September 2022, Demi Moore joined the cast.




= Filming

=
Filming began in New York in the autumn of 2022.




Release


The first two episodes of the season premiered on January 31, 2024, with episodes available on Hulu the following day. Internationally, the series will be available on Disney+ through Star and on Star+ in Latin America.




Reception






= Streaming viewership

=
Feud: Capote vs. The Swans debuted at No. 1 on Hulu on its first full day of release. JustWatch, a guide to streaming content with access to data from more than 20 million users around the world, estimated that the show was the sixth most-streamed series in the U.S. for the week of February 5–11. The streaming aggregator Reelgood, which monitors real-time data from 5 million users in the U.S. for original and acquired streaming programs and movies across subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) and ad-supported video-on-demand (AVOD) services, calculated that the series was the eighth most-streamed television show in the U.S. during the week of February 4. It climbed to the third most-streamed show the following week, before moving to the ninth spot by February 21.




= Critical response

=
On Rotten Tomatoes, Feud: Capote vs. The Swans holds an approval rating of 77% based on 64 reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "While this Feud might lack the abundance of incident that made its predecessor such a nasty delight, Capote vs. the Swans' luxe milieu and dynamite ensemble will keep spectators entertained." On Metacritic, the season has a weighted average score of 68 out of 100, based on 33 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.
David Bianculli of NPR praised the season, concluding that Capote vs. the Swans merits attention for its quality. Bianculli described it as a strong drama with a compelling story and a powerhouse cast, noting that the actors deliver particularly powerful performances in this installment of Feud. Alison Herman of Variety commended the show's portrayal of the "complex, enduring, often co-dependent bond between straight women and gay men." Herman described the series as a sincere and moving exploration of this dynamic, a rarity treated with empathy and depth. Herman noted that this unique focus helps make the show's flaws more forgivable, viewing them as part of its ambitious storytelling. Benjamin Lee of The Guardian awarded Capote vs. the Swans four out of five stars and praised it for its thoughtful approach, crediting the shift away from Charles and Diana. Lee commended the performances of Tom Hollander, Naomi Watts, and Chloë Sevigny, as well as the show's exploration of the emotional toll on high society figures. While the expected cattiness is present, Lee found the series more focused on the poignant relationships between Capote and his female friends. Despite some minor flaws in pacing, Lee concluded that the second season surpasses the first by emphasizing melancholy over meanness. Carol Midgley of The Sunday Times awarded Capote vs. the Swans four out of five stars and found it to be a visually stunning and sharply written series that, while too long at nearly eight hours, is elevated by Tom Hollander's mesmerizing portrayal of Truman Capote. Hollander's performance, marked by his convincing physical transformation and voice work, captures Capote's descent into alcoholism, drug abuse, and self-destruction. Midgley also praised Naomi Watts as Babe Paley, highlighting the cast's strong performances. Though the series explores rich people's self-obsession, Midgley found that Hollander's nuanced portrayal brings depth and pathos to Capote’s tragic decline. Emma Fraser of IGN rated Capote vs. The Swans eight out of ten, praising the actors' performances, particularly that of Hollander. Fraser also complimented the show's costumes and production design, describing it as a "delicious cautionary tale of writing.
Jackson McHenry of Vulture noted that Capote vs. the Swans offers plenty of surface-level details about Capote, highlighting his public persona, but struggles to delve into his creative inner life. McHenry observed that while the show delivers on the cattiness, glamour, and intriguing facts—such as Capote serving spaghetti and chicken hash with champagne—it falls short in providing deeper insight into why Capote's social circle was so groundbreaking or how 1960s society was evolving during that time. Melanie McFarland of Salon observed that the female characters in Baitz's script lacked depth, noting that the writing focuses heavily on one layer of the women's interiority, primarily portraying their vindictiveness, prejudice, or selfishness, without suggesting deeper dimensions. She also critiqued comparisons made by FX and the show to The Real Housewives franchise, arguing that this comparison undermines the cast's efforts. McFarland pointed out that while Bravo's housewives may appear as shallow as Capote’s socialites, Andy Cohen excels at turning problematic personalities into captivating spectacles. In contrast, Baitz and the cast overwork the characters, making them appear rigid rather than allowing them the flexibility to be authentically wicked.




= Accolades

=




References






External links


Feud: Capote vs. The Swans at IMDb

Kata Kunci Pencarian:

• Feud: Capote vs. The Swans
• Feud (TV series)
• Tom Hollander
• Treat Williams
• Ella Beatty
• Demi Moore
• Molly Ringwald
• Slim Keith
• Demi Moore filmography
• 76th Primetime Emmy Awards