By Susan Hornik

HOPE AND HEARTBREAK

There’s a moment while watching Hulu’s Holocaust drama, We Were the Lucky Ones, when viewers realize that each of the major characters narrowly escapes a brutal death during the second World War. For author/co-executive producer Georgia Hunter, the story is even more personal, stemming from ten years of research she conducted on her own relatives’ experiences. “That this family was such a statistical anomaly is equal parts mind blowing and heartbreaking,” said Hunter, who adapted her 2017 bestselling book of the same name into the series, which details the miraculous survival of the Kurc family.

At 15, Hunter found out she had Jewish heritage, motivating her to write the book. “I discovered this part of my family history, from my grandmother, a year after my grandfather died,” Hunter told INDUSTRY. “I had interviewed her for a high school English assignment, which asked that I learn a bit about my roots. I will never forget that moment.”

BOOK WORM

Netflix’s many book-to-screen adaptations have become smash hits, in turn sparking a surge in popularity for the original source material. Many books have returned to (or even debuted on) bestseller lists around the world, years or even decades after their original release.

• 3 Body Problem: The two books this sci-fi epic is based on, Remembrance of Earth’s Past and Silent Spring, both appeared on Amazon’s top sales chart within days of the series’ debut.
• One Day: Following the limited series release, David Nicholls’ novel returned to #1 on The Sunday Times Bestsellers List and topped Amazon UK Best Sellers of 2024 list, 15 years after the release of the novel.
• Fool Me Once: This limited series climbed to #7 on Netflix, and sales of Harlan Coben’s novel skyrocketed to the Amazon UK Best Sellers of 2024 list and The New York Times Best Seller list. The tie-in cover also sold 20,000 physical copies post release in the U.S.

LITTLE HOUSE LEGACY

In the years since Little House on the Prairie star/director Michael Landon passed away, his children have continued to feel his loving presence. “My father is always in my daily thoughts,” said his daughter, Leslie Landon Matthews, who also had a role in the iconic family series. “He was a very smart, very giving father. He had such a brilliant sense of humor…even when he got sick from pancreatic cancer, he remained so positive about life.”

Landon’s nine children visited the set frequently. “When the show would go on location, we would all go with him,” noted Leslie. “One of my favorite memories was an acting job I got to do when I was 11 years old, where I played a dying child in the episode called ‘The Plague!’”

To honor the 50th anniversary of Little House, a special event was held last month in Simi Valley, where the series was once filmed. Nearly 20,000 fans showed up from more than 20 countries to celebrate the show and the cast.

LET THE GAMES BEGIN

With the sweeping success of hit reality series like Peacock’s The Traitors and ABC’s Claim to Fame, other television and streaming networks are looking to cash in on the reality craze.

This May, Amazon Prime dropped its new competition series, The Goat, which seeks to identify and crown the greatest reality star of all time.

Comedian Daniel Tosh hosts the series, featuring cast members and producers from mega hits like The Bachelorette, Real Housewives, Below Deck, FBoy Island, Survivor, and RuPaul’s Drag Race.

This season’s cast, including Tayshia Adams, Joe Amabile, Kristen Doute, Reza Farahan, Cj Franco, Wendell Holland, Teck Holmes, Justin Johnson, Alyssa Edwards, Paola Mayfield, Da’Vonne Rogers, Joey Sasso, Jason Smith, and Lauren Speed Hamilton, move into a massive luxury estate to compete in a series of hilariously wacky mental, physical, and social challenges to take home the title of the “Goat.”

BEHIND THE MIRROR

Back to Black, the bittersweet biopic about the British powerhouse soul singer Amy Wine house (and also the name of her breakthrough album), debuted this May. The film shines a spotlight on the tortured artist’s creative process as she writes and records her hit debut album.

Production notes describe the film as “Amy’s extraordinary genius, creativity, and honesty that infused everything she did. A journey that took her from the craziness and color of ‘90s Camden High Street to global adoration, and back again, Back to Black crashes through the looking glass of celebrity to watch this journey from behind the mirror, to see what Amy saw, to feel what she felt.”

Expect to see the film highlighted during awards season, as newcomer Marisa Abela is sensational as the tragic heroine. One of the beautiful moments in the film arrives when Marisa (as Amy) says, “I don’t write songs to be famous. I write songs because I don’t know what I’d do if I didn’t. I want people to hear my voice, and just forget their troubles.”