One of the biggest names to dominate the Emmy awards on Sunday wasn't necessarily a famous one.
HBO miniseries "Olive Kitteridge" nabbed six statuettes on TV's biggest night, including three acting honors for stars Frances McDormand, Richard Jenkins and Bill Murray.
While smash hits like "Game of Thrones" won big, many viewers at home may not be familiar with the cabler's quiet drama that also scored wins for director Lisa Cholodenko and writer Jane Anderson.
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So what is "Olive Kitteridge"?
The Emmy darling – also nominated for three 2015 Golden Globes – is an adaptation of Elizabeth Strout's Pulitzer Prize-winning 2008 novel about a misanthropic schoolteacher. McDormand stars as the title character alongside Jenkins as her doting husband, Henry, the local pharmacist. The story chronicles 25 years of the couple's life together in the sleepy, fictional community of Crosby, Maine, as they navigate the ups and downs of marriage.
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Olive demonstrates chronic social anxiety and emotional turmoil, and has difficulty building relationships. Her polarizing behavioral quirks and rigid demeanor make her an unconventional protagonist, but the story dedicates itself to making Olive a sympathetic character in spite of her flaws.
Co-stars include Emmy nominee Zoe Kazan as Henry's naïve assistant, Denise, "Friday Night Lights" breakout Jesse Plemons as her (spoiler alert) eventual husband, Jerry, and "The Newsroom's" John Gallagher Jr. as Olive and Henry's resentful son, Christopher.
Murray appears later in the series, playing an unexpectedly poignant figure in Olive's life as she endures devastating personal loss in her twilight years.
Cholodenko, an Oscar nominee for co-writing and directing 2010's "The Kids Are All Right," told Emmy audiences during her acceptance speech that "Olive Kitteridge" is really a "four-hour movie" despite airing in installments.
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Younger viewers may find its deliberate pace and understated tone jarring in today's whirlwind digital landscape, which might be why "Olive Kitteridge" initially flew under the radar. The series did pick up millennial relevance during the Emmys telecast, trending on Twitter and other social media platforms.
Old-fashioned Olive herself, however, would likely prefer new fans to just read the book.
-- Erin Biglow
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