• TGN's Newsletter
  • Posts
  • The Crowded Room Creator Wants A Spinoff Show After The Finale-TGN

The Crowded Room Creator Wants A Spinoff Show After The Finale-TGN

Summary

  • Creator Akiva Goldsman expresses interest in a spinoff featuring characters Rya and Stan from The Crowded Room, praising Chris Abbott’s performance.

  • Critics recognize Tom Holland’s great acting in the show despite negative reviews overall, citing slow pacing as a major flaw.

  • Episode 6, focusing on Rya, receives high praise, showcasing Amanda Seyfried’s performance and highlighting the toll of helping Danny.

WARNING! This article contains spoilers for The Crowded Room

The Crowded Room creator Akiva Goldsman weighs in on a potential spinoff after the finale. As it ramped up towards its ending, the Apple TV+ drama finally revealed that its main character, Danny Sullivan (Tom Holland), was suffering from dissociative identity disorder. The diagnosis, known as multiple personality disorder for the time period that the show is set in, allows for Holland to do some of his best work. It also brings into sharper focus those around Danny that are trying to help him, whether it’s begrudgingly, in the case of attorney Stan Camisa (Christopher Abbott) or more sincerely, as therapist Rya Goodwin (Amanda Seyfried) does throughout the series.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, conducted before the current SAG-AFTRA strike, Goldsman discussed The Crowded Room finale and revealed that he would be interested in a spinoff that followed Rya and Stan. In the quote below, Goldman (both the creator and showrunner) also shared what he felt that Abbott brought to the project:

“I too had this reaction to Chris Abbott, who comes in late to the show. You’re just like, ‘Well, now I just want to watch a show about him and Amanda solving low-stakes murder mysteries in New York.’”

“(Stan) brings with him his own guilt and the feeling of self-blame, which is so central to this whole piece. I guess, ultimately, it’s about what we blame ourselves for and how important it is to forgive ourselves — and to forgive those around us after that — because this kind of guilt that we carry, this kind of shame that we carry, that we see in the mirror, is so debilitating.”

Seyfriend Was The Best Part Of Crowded Room (Though Holland Was Great)

A lot has been made about the negative reviews that The Crowded Room garnered. But actually digging into the reviews, the issue with the Apple TV+ was never the acting. Holland’s performance was specifically singled out for praise, even in assessments that were otherwise lukewarm or negative. The issue, most critics argued, was that The Crowded Room takes too long to get to Danny’s diagnosis, even though it’s fairly obvious early in the run, which makes for a frustrating viewing experience.

The Crowded Room begins to right itself with episode 6, which focuses on Rya, and details what the toll of working with Danny has been. Her home life is a mess, though she loves her son and mom. And though she’s helping Danny out of some sense that it would benefit her professionally, a scene where Rya breaks down in the car underscores how personal her worries for Danny have become. It’s arguably the show’s best episode, with Seyfried proving why she won an Emmy for The Dropout. It’s also an episode that garnered a lot of praise.

While it’s become a bad habit to take the most resonant parts of a story and try to spin a franchise, and Goldman’s comments seem to be a bit in jest, Seyfried and Abbott (who shines in the thriller romcom Sanctuary) would be welcome back to The Crowded Room if the right story presented itself. Given that the series has been described as an anthology, perhaps Holland could return as a different character. Maybe even a role that leans into his comedic side, and his charm, rather than away from it.

Source: EW