Aquarius was a Syndication network period\crime drama series created by John McNamara which aired from May 28, 2015 to September 10, 2016, lasting for two seasons & 26 episodes.
Synopsis[]
Set in Los Angeles, California in 1967, the series centered on LAPD detective Sam Hodiak investigating the disappearance of a teenage girl named Emma Karn.
Along with Hodiak's younger colleague, undercover narcotics officer Brian Shafe, Hodiak finds himself coming up against Charles Manson and his infamous "Family", a mostly ragtag group of hippies who follow Manson into a life of sex, drugs, and rock-and-roll. Hodiak discovers that Emma is with Manson and the Family.
The first season revolved around the rise of the Family while the second season focuses on the Tate murders and Helter Skelter.
Cast[]
Main Cast
- David Duchovny as Detective Samson Benedictus "Sam" Hodiak
- Grey Damon as Officer/Detective Brian Shafe
- Gethin Anthony as Charles Manson
- Emma Dumont as Emma Karn
- Claire Holt as Officer Charmain Tully
- Michaela McManus as Grace Karn
- Brían F. O'Byrne as Ken Karn
- Chance Kelly as Detective Ed Cutler
- Ambyr Childers as Susan "Sadie" Atkins
- Madisen Beaty as Patricia "Katie" Krenwinkel
- Cameron Deane Stewart as Tex Watson
Recurring Cast
- Jason Ralph as Mike Vickery
- Beau Mirchoff as Rick Zondervan
- Tara Lynne Barr as Patricia "Katie" Krenwinkel (season 1)
- David Meunier as Roy Kovic
- Shaun Duke as Art Gladner
- Gaius Charles as Bunchy Carter
- Jodi Harris as Opal Hodiak
- Milauna Jemai Jackson as Kristin Shafe
- Spencer Garrett as Hal Banyin
- Chris Sheffield as Walt Hodiak
- Brian Gattas as Rue Fisher
- Don Luce as Sal Dunphy
- Leah Bateman as Janet
- Clare Carey as Lucille Gladner
- Lobo Sebastian as Guapo
- Jade Tailor as Rachel
- Marshall Allman as Robbie Arthur
- Michael Drayer as Jimmy "Too" Butano
- Abby Miller as Mary "Mother Mary" Brunner
- Alex Quijano as Joe Moran
- James Martinez as Ruben Salazar
- Gabriel Chavarria as Juan
- Tim Griffin as Ron Kellaher
- Omar J. Dorsey as Ralph Church
- Alison Rood as Officer Meg Frazetta
- Amanda Brooks as Sharon Tate
- Mark Famiglietti as Jay Sebring
- Johnny Kostrey as Wojciech Frykowski
- Andy Favreau as Dennis Wilson
- Calum Worthy as Steven Parent
- Jennifer Marsala as Abigail Folger
- Chase Coleman as Terry Melcher
- Mark L. Young as Bobby Beausoleil
- Jefferson White as Gary Hinman
Production[]
Series creator John McNamara calls his show "historical fiction"[16] as it is inspired by Manson but not historically accurate; this is also expressed in the episodes' opening slate.
It also contains completely fictional storylines in a period setting and involves historical events, politics, music, and social issues of the era. Syndication has published a blog of events from 1967 to provide context.The soundtrack consists of songs from the 1960s.
The episode titles are names of famous songs, or Manson Family songs. These songs are included in the episode itself.
The title of the series is a song from 1967 (from the cult musical "Hair"), which gave its name to the era in which the series is set. The season 2 episode titles are named after Beatles songs.
The series broadcast by Syndication is TV-14. It was planned to release an unrated version through other markets. The DVD released in September 2015 contains nudity and language that was left out of the broadcast version to maintain its TV-14 rating. The original vision was for the show to span six seasons.
On June 25, 2015, Syndication announced the renewal of "Aquarius" for a second season.
Reception[]
Metacritic gives season 1 of "Aquarius" a score of 58/100 based on reviews from 36 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".
Glenn Garvin of Reason praised the series for being more than just another retelling of the Manson story, noting: "The epic battles over race, gender, drugs, and the Vietnam war are all on display here." He also praises the "killer 1960s soundtrack".