There’s always been something a little uncanny about those house flipping couples on television, and the wildly popular format is particularly ripe for parody. Enter Emma Stone, Nathan Fielder, and Benny Safdie, as well as the shared muscle of A24 and Showtime, who are teaming up for The Curse, a new series beginning November 12 that promises to bring Fielder’s dry sensibility and Stone’s phenomenal comedic timing to the world of open-concept kitchens and accent walls.
Stone and Fielder play a couple living in Española, New Mexico attempting to balance filming a new TV show, and conceiving a child, all while contending with, you guessed it, a curse that threatens to derail their American dream. The show also features Safdie as the couple’s producer, and an impressive supporting cast including Barkhad Abdi and Corbin Bernsen. Early still images are extremely promising, with Safdie looking like a brunette Dog the Bounty Hunter, and Stone and Fielder in full demolition gear.
The first teaser trailer sets the tone with creepy, unsettling music and an off-kilter, performative vibe from Stone and Fielder as they film a clip introducing their next client, the Española Fire Department. Though everyone is smiling and cheerful, something simply seems off as Stone reads lines and the couple attempt stilted banter with a forced enthusiasm. The protracted zoom out effect further emphasizes the unease of the scene—it feels like a sinister twist on the artificial scenario humor Fielder is known for.
Fielder told GQ the series originated organically from a bro hang between himself and Safdie, who he’s long been a fan of. “In those initial hangouts it was clear we were on a similar wavelength,” Fielder said. “We both think a lot about tone and realism. We weren’t even intending to collaborate on a project actually, it just sort of happened organically the second time we hung out.” Safdie added, “We came up with the idea for The Curse and we’re like, ‘This is so stupid, but it’s really funny.”
Even at a mere 40-seconds, Stone’s comedic and dramatic range is already on display. Her last foray into prestige TV came back in 2018, when she starred opposite Jonah Hill in the trippy series Maniac. Compared to her prolific run in the early 2010s, Stone has been selective about projects lately. In a June 2023 W interview, Stone praised the performance of Fielder, who she noted is playing a fully-realized character as opposed to a riff on himself in Nathan for You and The Rehearsal. “I remember watching a scene a couple days in that I wasn’t in. I was texting him up a storm, saying: ‘You’re one of the best actors I’ve ever seen,’” she said. (Stone did note that working with Fielder creates an added level of stress because “at any given time, you do start to wonder if maybe there’s a prank happening.”)
The Curse will begin airing on Showtime November 12, though folks with the Paramount+ with Showtime package will have access a few days earlier. The Curse will get its world premiere as part of the New York Film Festival taking place from September 29 to October 15.