In an earlier SHOOT installment of this season’s The Road To Emmy Series, Sam Williams, ACE recalled that back when he was wrapping editing on a murder mystery series, The Perfect Couple, he received a script for All Her Fault (Peacock) penned by Megan Gallagher. He was captivated from the very first page. “It is the best opening episode script I’ve ever read,” assessed Williams who jumped at the chance to work on the limited series and ended up serving as editor on episodes 1 and 3.
Williams’ first impression of All Her Fault proved to be spot on, most recently reaffirmed by last month’s announcement of the Emmy nominations. All Her Fault wound up with seven nods–including the first two in the career of creator, writer and executive producer Gallagher. She’s a nominee in the Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series and the Outstanding Writing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie categories. The latter was for the impactful finale, episode 8.
Adapted from a 2021 book of the same title by Irish novelist Andrea Mara, the story was relocated to America by Gallagher. The narrative centers on a woman who after a long day at work goes to pick up her child from a playdate with a new friend. The person who answers the door, though, has no idea who her child is. Sarah Snook–in an lead actress Emmy-nominated performance–stars as Marissa Irvine, the mom who’s mortified over the disappearance of her son. She’s representative in many respects of women who are stretched in everyday life trying to juggle a career while maintaining a household and children–and if anything goes wrong, they are first in line for blame. After all, even in everyday life when nothing ostensibly goes wrong, there’s an unhealthy dose of guilt felt anyway by many working mothers.
Gallagher, an American who’s lived in Norway for the past 20 years, was initially turned onto Mara’s book by Carnival Films, the U.K. production company with which she enjoys a collaborative relationship. (Carnival is part of the Universal Global Television family.) She was drawn to the story not only as a well crafted mystery and psychological crime thriller but also for its potential to break new ground in television. While working women, working mothers and labor discrepancies in a growing number of households are themes that have been touched upon in TV, they had never truly been front and center before, observed Gallagher who added that “virtually every woman I know” is dealing with these and related issues. This major cultural dynamic hasn’t received its due and Gallagher viewed All Her Fault as a story that could help fill that television void.
Towards that end, a pair of directors were brought into the fold–Minkie Spiro and Kate Dennis. Spiro served as lead director on the series, helming the first four episodes, with Dennis directing episodes 5 through 8. All Her Fault marked Gallagher’s first time working with Spiro and Dennis but she built a rapport and high level of trust with both directors over a relatively short time. Spiro, who also was an executive producer on the show, was involved early on in the creative process, putting her artistic stamp on varied aspects including casting, the sets and developing a visual language for the series. Gallagher described Spiro as “a cinematic director who works incredibly well with actors.”
Dennis brought much to the table as well, with Gallagher citing her intelligence and affinity for nonlinear storytelling, handling multiple story strands simultaneously, deftly navigating major story arcs, and shedding light on characters–including adroitly introducing the backstory of Josephine Murphy (aka nanny Carrie Finch, played by Sophia Lillis). Gallagher also credited Dennis with playing a key role in visually creating and evolving the dramatic staircase scene–pitting Irvine against her husband Peter (portrayed by Jake Lacy)–in episode 8.
“An additive process”
Gallagher noted that a novel of some 400-plus pages–even one with as many plot twists as Mara’s–typically is not enough to properly fill eight episodes of fast-paced television. Gallagher observed that adaptation is not so much about a writer making massive changes to the narrative. Rather it’s “an additive process,” weaving additional elements, angles and perspectives into the story.
“I know eventually we will get to this twist at the end of episode 7,” related Gallagher who described her role as doing everything she can to build up to that twist as best as possible, at times incorporating other elements, guiding viewers one way only for them to later discover that they’ve landed elsewhere–in a place they didn’t foresee.
A major dimension added by Gallagher came in the form of Detective Alcaras, a character who was not in the novel. Gallagher invented the Michael Peña-portrayed lead investigator to help cast a new light on synesthesia, a neurological trait that plays a key role in the book, linking the kidnapper nanny to her biological son. Alcaras uncovers this connection in part because, as written by Gallagher, he has a special-needs son and a familiarity with the neurodivergent world. This aspect of the story is special and most personal to Gallagher who has an autistic child. It also underscores Gallagher’s strong collaborative bond with Spiro as the writer entrusted the director/executive producer with a storyline “that meant a lot to me.”
Gallagher said that Mara’s novel was a terrific foundation to build on. The author’s thriller maintained its energy, momentum and relevance throughout, replete with intentional misdirects, suspense and surprises, capped by an inspired, “unbelievable ending.”
Nominations tally
In addition to Gallagher’s two nominations and the lead actress nod for Snook, All Her Fault has been recognized in four other Emmy categories–casting for a limited or anthology series or movie (casting directors David Rubin, Matt Lander, associate casting director Djinous Rowling, and location casting by Jane Norris); original dramatic music score (composer Jeff Beal); original main title music (Beal); and best supporting actress in a limited or anthology series or movie. The nominee in the latter category is Dakota Fanning for her portrayal of Jenny Kaminski, a working mom who’s a close friend of Snook’s Irvine. Kaminski and Irvine lean on each other during the crisis. The women are empowered by their friendship and a kinship as working moms.
Noting that she doesn’t spend a lot of time thinking about awards, Gallagher said that she felt going into Emmy season that Snook had a really good chance of being nominated for her performance. But Gallagher wasn’t sure of much beyond that. She described herself as “gobsmacked” when first learning of her nomination for a writing Emmy.
Besides the Emmy attention, All Her Fault has performed well elsewhere this awards season, including garnering two Golden Globe nominations–for Best Television Limited Series, and for outstanding performance by a female actor in a limited series (Snook).
All Her Fault also received four Critics Choice Award nominations–with Snook winning for Best Actress in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television. The other Critics Choice nods were for Best Limited Series, supporting actor (Peña) and supporting actress (Lillis).
Snook additionally earned an Actor Award nomination from SAG-AFTRA for lead actress in a limited series or TV movie.
While glad to see the show gaining industry recognition, Gallagher doesn’t want to fall into a self-congratulatory, ego-feeding trap. “I just have to put my head down and keep doing what I’m doing,” related Gallagher, relating that the worst thing she could do is rest on any laurels and think that she’s got it made. The reality is that the show has done well thanks to assorted people and great collaborative relationships. From a writing perspective, Gallagher’s self-described mindset has been to work her butt off and to be constantly worried if what she does will be good enough. That approach and attitude–with a measure of self-doubt–have generally led to her “best stuff” over the years, She affirmed, “I love what I’m doing.”
As for what’s next, Gallagher wasn’t at liberty to discuss her next project in detail but shared that she’s embarking on another mystery which has been greenlit by Peacock.
This is the 13th installment of SHOOT’s weekly 15-part The Road To Emmy Series of feature stories, connecting with directors, producers, cinematographers, editors, production designers, VFX talent and assorted other artisans to gain insights into their work and their collaborators. Coverage of the Creative Arts Emmy winners will appear on September 5 and 6, and we will report on winners at the primetime Emmy Awards ceremony on September 14.
