You may have found yourself, over the years, in situations where you have been tempted to reprimand another person’s misbehaving child. While most of us would keep such inclinations to ourselves, the premise behind the new NBC miniseries The Slap follows the fallout of what does happen in such a circumstance, and how it turns out to be about far more than a slap.
Zachary Quinto is among the stars of the series, which is based on a 2011 Australian TV series of the same name (itself inspired by Christos Tsiolkas’ 2008 novel). Quinto plays Harry, who slaps another couple’s misbehaving child at his cousin’s birthday party. That cousin is Hector (Peter Sarsgaard), who is already navigating some delicate domestic circumstances even before this incident, between family politics, awkward friendships and the young woman he is dangerously captivated by. This tension explodes following the slap.
The child’s parents vow legal action, but what no one can know is that this moment will ignite a chain of events that will uncover long-buried secrets within the group of friends and family.
The original book, and Australian series, was divided into episodes each told from the point of view of one character who was present at the slapping, so it will be interesting to see if the NBC adaptation follows suit, a la Showtime’s The Affair.
Joining Quinto and Sarsgaard in the eight-episode series are Uma Thurman, Melissa George, Thandie Newton and Brian Cox.
The Slap airs on NBC Thursdays at 8pm ET beginning Feb. 12.
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Jeff Riedel/NBC
