There's Something Wrong with Aunt Diane

There's Something Wrong with Aunt Diane
Directed by	David Fincher
Produced by	David Fincher Joe Penhall
Written by	John E. Douglas Mark Olshaker
Starring	Shell Ruin
Music by	Jason Hill
Cinematography	Christopher Blauvelt Harris Savides
Edited by	Sarah Flack
Release dates	February 16, 2016
Running time	42-55 minutes
Country	Worldwide
Language	English

There's Something Wrong with Aunt Diane is an American drama television series created by David Fincher, which premiered on HBO on February 16, 2018. Based on the true story of Diane Schuler, a 36-year-old suburban mother drove the wrong way on the Taconic Parkway in upstate New York and crashed head-on into an SUV, killing herself and seven others. In the aftermath, Diane Schuler was portrayed as a reckless drunk and a mother who cracked. The series uses the 2011 book The Taconic Tragedy: A Son's Search for the Truth as its source material, as well as the 2011 HBO documentary of the same name. It stars British recording artist Shell Ruin in the lead role, as well as Kevin James as her husband Daniel, and singers Alesha and Putanovska in reoccurring roles as Schuler's sisters.

Plot

The 2009 Taconic State Parkway crash was a traffic collision that occurred shortly after 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, July 26, 2009, on the Taconic State Parkway in the town of Mount Pleasant, near the village of Briarcliff Manor, New York. Eight people were killed when a minivan being driven by 36-year-old Diane Schuler traveled 1.7 miles in the wrong direction on the parkway and collided head-on with an oncoming SUV. The deaths included Schuler, her daughter and three nieces, and the three passengers in the SUV. The crash was the worst fatal motor vehicle accident to occur in Westchester County since July 22, 1934, when a bus accident in Ossining claimed 20 lives.

The ensuing investigation into the crash's cause received nationwide attention. Toxicology tests conducted by the medical examiner revealed that Schuler was heavily intoxicated with both alcohol and marijuana at the time of the crash. Schuler's husband, Daniel, has consistently denied that she used drugs or alcohol "excessively," and has made multiple national media appearances to defend his wife and call for further investigation into other possible medical causes for her erratic driving. An independent investigator hired by the Schuler family obtained DNA testing and toxicology testing of Schuler's samples, and also confirmed the results of the original testing.

Cast

• Shell Ruin as Diane Schuler
• Kevin James as Daniel "Danny" Schuler
• Alesha as Jay Schuler
• Putanovska as Jackie Hance
• Eric Dane as Warren Hance
• Billy Zane as Tom Ruskin
• John Travolta as Dominic Barbara

Development and production

A television series based on the events of the Taconic Parkway crash had been in production since 2012, when American writer Ryan Murphy originally working on the idea. In late 2016, HBO confirmed that David Fincher had signed a £100 million deal to produce an HBO original series based on the events. Ruin was cast in the title role shortly afterwards. In February 2017, HBO announced that the production of Diane would be based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Principal photography began in May 2017. Details surrounding the series were kept under wraps for the most part, but in late 2017 it was revealed that Ruin's frequent collaborators Alesha and Putanovska would appear as Schuler's sisters.

List of episodes

Season one (premiered February 16, 2018)

• "An American Woman"
• "The Road to Hunter Lake"
• "Mommy, There's Something Wrong with Aunt Diane"
• "Vultures"
• "The Con – Part 1"
• "The Con – Part 2"
• "What About Bryan?"
• "A Private Affair"
• "The Perfect Wife"
• "Denial Is the First Sign of Guilt"
• "Closure"

Schuler family reaction

In January 2018, a statement was released on behalf of the Schuler family condemning the series and its "tasteless, speculative nature". Daniel Schuler gave several interviews to ABC News and Good Morning America stating his disapproval of the series and reaching out to Netflix to cancel the show. Jay Schueler, the sister-in-law of Diane, appeared on British television declaring Shell Ruin "a disgrace" for agreeing to be involved in the making of the series and called the series "a work of fiction". Before the series aired in February 2018, Ruin released a statement saying "Sometimes art is uncomfortable, but it's still important we tell this story".

Reception

On Metacritic, the first season has a score of 78 out of 100 based on 24 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". On Rotten Tomatoes, it has a 96% approval rating with an average score of 7.67 out of 10 based on 70 reviews, and the site's critical consensus states, "There Something Wrong with Aunt Diane distinguishes itself in a crowded genre with ambitiously cinematic visuals and a meticulous attention to character development." Ruin received critical acclaim for her performance as Diane Schuler.

The first season of Diane was named among the best TV shows of 2018 by Time, The Daily Telegraph, New York Observer and The Independent. It was ranked No. 10 on Metacritic's year-end list of the best TV shows of 2017 compiled from rankings by various critics and publications.