Ratched is an American psychological thriller streaming television series created by Evan Romansky, developed by Ryan Murphy and starring Sarah Paulson in the title role of Nurse Mildred Ratched. A prequel to Miloš Forman's 1975 film One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (based on Ken Kesey's 1962 novel of the same title), it depicts the life of Mildred Ratched prior to the events portrayed in the film, albeit in a different state (California as opposed to Oregon). Ratched received a two-season series order. The first season premiered on Netflix on September 18, 2020. Speaking to Variety in August 2022, Sarah Paulson revealed that she is unsure if the second season is still happening.
Premise
Cast and characters
Main
Sarah Paulson as Mildred Ratched, a nurse who is hired by Dr. Hanover to work at Lucia State Hospital, but her motive to work there is to break her foster brother Edmund out of the hospital after he is admitted there for killing several priests. Finn Wittrock as Edmund Tolleson, the murderous and mentally unstable foster brother of Ratched, an inmate at Lucia State Hospital. Cynthia Nixon as Gwendolyn Briggs, Governor Willburn's press secretary and campaign manager, and Ratched's love interest. Jon Jon Briones as Dr. Richard Hanover/Dr. Manuel Bañaga, the director of Lucia State Hospital who hires Ratched. (season 1) Charlie Carver as Huck Finnigan, an orderly at Lucia State Hospital, his face badly disfigured from a war injury. He later gets promoted to head nurse after Betsy takes over the hospital from Dr. Hanover. (season 1) Judy Davis as Nurse Betsy Bucket, the head nurse at Lucia State Hospital and a rival of Ratched. She later takes over the hospital from Dr. Hanover after he goes on the run from the police for his past crimes. Sharon Stone as Lenore Osgood, a wealthy heiress who hires a hit man to kill Dr. Hanover for disfiguring her son after she hired him to treat her son's mental illness. (season 1)
Recurring
Corey Stoll as Charles Wainwright, a private investigator and hit man who accepts a contract on Dr. Hanover from Lenore Osgood Vincent D'Onofrio as Governor George Willburn, the governor of California Alice Englert as Nurse Dolly, a nurse trainee with undiagnosed nymphomania at Lucia State, and Edmund's love interest Amanda Plummer as Louise, the owner of the motel that Ratched and Wainwright stay at and a friend to Nurse Bucket Jermaine Williams as Harold, a security guard at Lucia State Annie Starke as Lily Cartwright, a patient at Lucia State who is being treated for her lesbianism Brandon Flynn as Henry Osgood, Lenore's psychopathic killer-turned-amputee son who was disfigured by Dr. Hanover when he was his patient Michael Benjamin Washington as Trevor Briggs, Gwendolyn's husband with whom she is in a lavender marriage Sophie Okonedo as Charlotte Wells, a patient at Lucia State with dissociative identity disorder
Guest
Hunter Parrish as Father Andrews
Robert Curtis Brown as Monsignor Sullivan
David Wells as Father Murphy
Emily Mest as Nurse Amelia Emerson
Daniel Di Tomasso as Dario Salvatore
Harriet Sansom Harris as Ingrid Blix, an opera singer who is lobotomized
Liz Femi as Leona
Joseph Marcell as Len Bronley
Ben Crowley as Reggie Hampson
Rosanna Arquette as Anna, Ratched and Edmund's former case worker in the foster care system Kerry Knuppe as Doris Mayfair Benjamin Rigby as Case Hitchen Teo Briones as Peter, a boy who is lobotomized by Dr. Hanover to cure daydreaming
Episodes
Production
Development
On September 6, 2017, it was announced that Netflix had given the production a series order for two seasons. Netflix reportedly won a bidding war over Hulu and Apple who also were interested in developing the project. The series was created by Evan Romansky who also wrote the pilot. His script was eventually received by television producer Ryan Murphy, who then spent a year securing the rights to the Nurse Ratched character and the participation of the Saul Zaentz estate and Michael Douglas, who owned the screen rights to One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest. Murphy directed the pilot and executive produced alongside Douglas, Aleen Keshishian, Margaret Riley and Jacob Epstein. Production companies involved in the series included Fox 21 Television Studios, The Saul Zaentz Company, and Ryan Murphy Productions. Mac Quayle, who has frequently collaborated with Murphy, composed the series' score which heavily borrows from Bernard Herrmann's classic score.