The Year the Nuns and the Gays Took Over SXSW

“It’s certainly one of the cooler emails to receive while you’re scheduling your itinerary at a film festival. The TV series Mrs. Davis, which premieres next month on Peacock, was one of many series launching promotional stunts in Austin during the SXSW festival,” wrote Kevin Fallon, Senior Editor @TheDailyBeast

“The show, from co-creators Damon Lindelof and Tara Hernandez, had its premiere in Texas, and, while reviews are embargoed, let me say that it is gonzo, timely, and definitely one to watch. It is absolutely the best TV series that I have ever watched about a nun who wants to take down an AI robot that the world has started to treat like God, all while fighting Nazis in her search for the literal Holy Grail.

Should I have needed extra convincing to watch outside of that outrageous logline, the nuns were out in full force in Austin. They were eating barbecue. They were handing out donuts. They were at the record store. And, yes, a mini convent took the stage at Darwin’s Piano Bar, performing karaoke for thrilled and slightly bewildered patrons. “I heard one is going to be in a canoe,” Hernandez told me while I interviewed her and Lindelof at the festival. “I need to see that.”

Both the show and these stunts encapsulated what truly felt like the spirit of this year’s SXSW. After several COVID-impacted years—while in-person last year, the festival felt muted—everything seemed bigger, from the crowd to the stacked lineup. There also seemed to be a cravenness for going wild, which was also reflected in the major projects that premiered there. We came to see nuns running amok, and we came to enjoy it.”

Read the full Daily Beast article HERE.