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Published Feb 7, 2020

Breaking Down the First Episode of 'Briarpatch' (Live) | The Watch

Chris Ryan and Andy Greenwald, joined by guests Sam Esmail, Kim Dickens, and Jay Ferguson, delve into the visual storytelling and distinct tone of 'Briarpatch,' examining its directorial choices and rich character development, while discussing the adaptation journey from novel to screen.
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  • Adaptation

    Adapting the 'Briarpatch' novel into a television series presented unique challenges and opportunities for . He found the original 1984 novel's themes of a white man returning to his hometown to settle scores outdated, prompting him to explore different narratives and character dynamics 1. This adaptation allowed him to introduce new characters and elements, such as zoo animals, to enrich the storyline and explore deeper themes over ten episodes 2.

    The opportunity of a ten-part series is you can do the noir cool things...over ten episodes, you can kind of crack people's armor and see what actually is beating underneath.

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    Greenwald's creative process involved questioning his biases and making the story more visually engaging, which included adding absurd elements like a dead kangaroo in the street 2.

       

    Inspiration

    's passion for writing and storytelling was a driving force behind 'Briarpatch'. His journey from a critic to a narrative writer began with a web series script, which ignited his love for screenwriting 3. This passion project allowed him to explore characters deeply rooted in his personal experiences and inspirations, such as Jay Ferguson's character, Jake, who was inspired by people Greenwald knew, including his grandfather 4.

    I know guys like that...it was such an easy place for me to go to because of that familiarity with those types of characters in my life.

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    Kim Dickens4.

       

    Production

    Behind the scenes of 'Briarpatch', faced the logistical challenges of creating a visually compelling series on a tight schedule. The production team had only 13 days to shoot the pilot episode, compared to the usual eight days for subsequent episodes, which required efficient planning and execution 5. Night shoots were a particular challenge, but Greenwald embraced them, enjoying the creative energy they brought to the set 6.

    We were incredibly well supported by our studios, and we had live giraffes. We have live Tiger. We got the things that we wanted most to tell the story we got.

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    Despite the constraints, the team managed to maintain the integrity of the script, ensuring that the story's essence was captured on screen 6.

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