# Mr. Corman
**Mr. Corman** is an American comedy-drama television series created by, written and directed by, produced by, and starring [Joseph Gordon-Levitt](https://www.edgepedia.org/joseph-gordon-levitt), which premiered on Apple TV+ on August 6, 2021[1](https://www.apple.com/tv-pr/originals/mr-corman/). Its ten episodes follow Josh Corman, a fifth-grade teacher in California's San Fernando Valley whose dream of a career in music did not pan out, and who struggles with anxiety, loneliness, and self-doubt after his ex-fiancée Megan moves out and his high school friend Victor moves in[1](https://www.apple.com/tv-pr/originals/mr-corman/). The series was produced for Apple TV+ by the studio A24[1](https://www.apple.com/tv-pr/originals/mr-corman/).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Premiere | August 6, 2021, on Apple TV+, with the first two episodes released together and one new episode weekly[2](https://www.apple.com/tv-pr/news/2021/05/apple-original-comedy-mr-corman-created-by-directed-by-and-starring-joseph-gordon-levitt-to-make-global-debut-friday-aug-6-on-apple-tv/) |
| Format | 10 episodes of about 29 minutes each; rated TV-MA[3](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/mr-corman) |
| Central role | Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Josh Corman, a fifth-grade teacher and former aspiring musician[1](https://www.apple.com/tv-pr/originals/mr-corman/) |
| Main cast | Arturo Castro (Victor Morales), Debra Winger (Ruth Corman), Bobby Hall a.k.a. Logic (Dax Peterson), Juno Temple (Megan), Jamie Chung (Emily)[2](https://www.apple.com/tv-pr/news/2021/05/apple-original-comedy-mr-corman-created-by-directed-by-and-starring-joseph-gordon-levitt-to-make-global-debut-friday-aug-6-on-apple-tv/) • [3](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/mr-corman) |
| Directing | Gordon-Levitt directed 8 of the 10 episodes; Aurora Guerrero directed the other two[4](https://www.lemonde.fr/culture/article/2021/08/03/hamishim-et-mr-corman-la-solitude-en-deux-series_6090359_3246.html) • [5](https://au.rollingstone.com/tv/tv-reviews/mr-corman-review-joseph-gordon-levitt-28537/) |
| Filming | Wellington, New Zealand, where production moved after COVID-19 shut down Los Angeles[6](https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3144346/joseph-gordon-levitt-tackles-anxiety-stress-and-fear-new) |
| Reception | Metascore 59 (mixed or average); Rotten Tomatoes 70% from 40 reviews; IMDb 6.5[7](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/mr-corman/critic-reviews/) • [3](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/mr-corman) |
## Spoilers
### Premise and characters
Josh Corman is, in Apple's description, an artist at heart but not by trade. His lifelong dream of a music career did not pan out, and he teaches fifth grade at a public school in the [San Fernando Valley](https://www.edgepedia.org/san-fernando-valley) while living with his high school buddy Victor after his ex-fiancée Megan moves out[1](https://www.apple.com/tv-pr/originals/mr-corman/). The series frames him as representative of what Apple's press material called a contemporary generation of 30-somethings, rich with good intentions and poor with student loans[1](https://www.apple.com/tv-pr/originals/mr-corman/).
The supporting cast includes Arturo Castro as Victor, Debra Winger as Josh's mother Ruth, the rapper Logic (Bobby Hall) as Dax Peterson, Juno Temple as Megan, and [Jamie Chung](https://www.edgepedia.org/jamie-chung) as Emily[2](https://www.apple.com/tv-pr/news/2021/05/apple-original-comedy-mr-corman-created-by-directed-by-and-starring-joseph-gordon-levitt-to-make-global-debut-friday-aug-6-on-apple-tv/) • [3](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/mr-corman). [Hugo Weaving](https://www.edgepedia.org/hugo-weaving) also appears[8](https://www.rogerebert.com/streaming/joseph-gordon-levitt-mr-corman-apple-tv-review-2021).
## Production
The project was reported in September 2019 as a dramedy in development at Apple TV+, from A24 and Gordon-Levitt's HitRECord banner, with Gordon-Levitt set to write, direct, executive produce, and star[9](https://www.thewrap.com/joseph-gordon-levitt-apple-tv-series-mr-corman-dramedy/). Apple announced the series order in May 2021, describing a 10-episode comedy created by, directed by, and executive produced by Gordon-Levitt alongside Bruce Eric Kaplan, Ravi Nandan, and Inman Young, with Pamela Harvey-White as producer[2](https://www.apple.com/tv-pr/news/2021/05/apple-original-comedy-mr-corman-created-by-directed-by-and-starring-joseph-gordon-levitt-to-make-global-debut-friday-aug-6-on-apple-tv/).
When the COVID-19 pandemic closed down Los Angeles, production decamped to Wellington, New Zealand, where Gordon-Levitt spoke to interviewers from a postproduction office during the release period[6](https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3144346/joseph-gordon-levitt-tackles-anxiety-stress-and-fear-new) • [10](https://www.televisionacademy.com/features/news/features/where-art-0). The series marked Gordon-Levitt's return to television after his co-starring role as Tommy on the NBC sitcom *3rd Rock from the Sun*, which ran from 1996 to 2001[9](https://www.thewrap.com/joseph-gordon-levitt-apple-tv-series-mr-corman-dramedy/).
## Style and themes
The show blends half-hour comedy-drama with surreal and musical interludes. Reviewers describe animated sequences, song-and-dance numbers, rotoscoped scenes mixing live action and animation, and daydream sequences in which [Technicolor](https://www.edgepedia.org/technicolor) fantasy interrupts Josh's daily routine[8](https://www.rogerebert.com/streaming/joseph-gordon-levitt-mr-corman-apple-tv-review-2021) • [11](https://www.nme.com/reviews/tv-reviews/mr-corman-review-joseph-gordon-levitt-3012132). When Josh cannot find the words to say to his mother, a musical number breaks out; a full episode imagines the alternative lives he could have led[12](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/tv/reviews/mr-corman-review-joseph-gordon-levitt-b1896741.html).
Anxiety is treated as a physical experience as much as a mental one. The second episode depicts a prolonged panic attack, and a later episode shows Josh mistaking chest pain for a heart attack, calling a doctor and giving up when told the wait would be two months[12](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/tv/reviews/mr-corman-review-joseph-gordon-levitt-b1896741.html) • [13](https://www.pluggedin.com/tv-reviews/mr-corman/). The pandemic enters the story in its later episodes, with Zoom dates becoming part of the narrative[14](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2021/aug/06/mr-corman-review-joseph-gordon-levitt-apple).
Gordon-Levitt described the character as one who catastrophizes, and said in interviews that Josh Corman is an alternate version of himself, a portrait of what life might look like for someone very much like him if his dreams had not panned out[15](https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/cswcms/mr-corman-is-a-character-that-catastrophizes-joseph-gordon-levitt-on-don-jon-and-mr-corman/) • [10](https://www.televisionacademy.com/features/news/features/where-art-0) • [12](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/tv/reviews/mr-corman-review-joseph-gordon-levitt-b1896741.html).
## Reception
Critical response was mixed. The season scored 59 on Metacritic, labeled mixed or average, with 9 positive, 8 mixed, and 4 negative reviews among 21 counted[7](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/mr-corman/critic-reviews/). On Rotten Tomatoes the season has a 70% Tomatometer based on 40 reviews, and the critics consensus says the show builds slowly, with its striking imagery and memorable musical sequences undermined by formulaic characterizations and a protagonist for whom it can be difficult to root[16](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/mr_corman/s01).
Reviewers divided over the same qualities. The Guardian's Rebecca Nicholson called it a slow burn that resists immediacy but rewards patience[14](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2021/aug/06/mr-corman-review-joseph-gordon-levitt-apple). The Independent praised the portrayal of panic attacks and the shift toward magical realism[12](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/tv/reviews/mr-corman-review-joseph-gordon-levitt-b1896741.html). Rolling Stone's Alan Sepinwall argued that Josh's story was ultimately not interesting enough to sustain a series, and criticized the direction as confusing best directed with most directed[5](https://au.rollingstone.com/tv/tv-reviews/mr-corman-review-joseph-gordon-levitt-28537/). Roxana Hadadi at RogerEbert.com called the show wayward and muddled, objecting that its female and characters of color function mainly to scold the protagonist[8](https://www.rogerebert.com/streaming/joseph-gordon-levitt-mr-corman-apple-tv-review-2021).
The series ran for one season of 10 episodes[3](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/mr-corman). A retrospective at Slashfilm described it as a rare failure for Apple TV, an odd outcome given that it was created by and starred a lead actor of Gordon-Levitt's appeal and was produced by the fan-favorite studio A24[17](https://www.slashfilm.com/2199481/a24-produced-apple-tv-dramatic-flop-mr-corman/).
## References
1. [Mr. Corman, Apple TV Press](https://www.apple.com/tv-pr/originals/mr-corman/)
2. [Apple's "Mr. Corman," starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, to debut globally Aug. 6 on Apple TV+, Apple TV Press, May 3, 2021](https://www.apple.com/tv-pr/news/2021/05/apple-original-comedy-mr-corman-created-by-directed-by-and-starring-joseph-gordon-levitt-to-make-global-debut-friday-aug-6-on-apple-tv/)
3. [Mr. Corman - watch tv show streaming online, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/mr-corman)
4. [« Hamishim » et « Mr. Corman » : la solitude en deux séries, Le Monde, August 3, 2021](https://www.lemonde.fr/culture/article/2021/08/03/hamishim-et-mr-corman-la-solitude-en-deux-series_6090359_3246.html)
5. [Mr. Corman review, Rolling Stone (Australia)](https://au.rollingstone.com/tv/tv-reviews/mr-corman-review-joseph-gordon-levitt-28537/)
6. [Joseph Gordon-Levitt tackles anxiety, stress and fear in new Apple TV+ comedy-drama Mr. Corman, South China Morning Post](https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3144346/joseph-gordon-levitt-tackles-anxiety-stress-and-fear-new)
7. [Mr. Corman critic reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/mr-corman/critic-reviews/)
8. [Joseph Gordon-Levitt's Mr. Corman is a Misguided Attempt to Finger-Wag at White Privilege, RogerEbert.com](https://www.rogerebert.com/streaming/joseph-gordon-levitt-mr-corman-apple-tv-review-2021)
9. [Joseph Gordon-Levitt to Develop Schoolteacher Dramedy 'Mr. Corman' at Apple, TheWrap, September 5, 2019](https://www.thewrap.com/joseph-gordon-levitt-apple-tv-series-mr-corman-dramedy/)
10. [Where the Art Is, Television Academy](https://www.televisionacademy.com/features/news/features/where-art-0)
11. [Mr Corman review: Joseph Gordon-Levitt drama is a true telly curio, NME](https://www.nme.com/reviews/tv-reviews/mr-corman-review-joseph-gordon-levitt-3012132)
12. [Mr Corman review: Joseph Gordon-Levitt finds hope on the other side of anxiety, The Independent](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/tv/reviews/mr-corman-review-joseph-gordon-levitt-b1896741.html)
13. [Mr. Corman - Parents' Guide & TV Review, Plugged In](https://www.pluggedin.com/tv-reviews/mr-corman/)
14. [Mr Corman review – Joseph Gordon-Levitt tackles millennial malaise, The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2021/aug/06/mr-corman-review-joseph-gordon-levitt-apple)
15. ["Mr. Corman Is A Character That Catastrophizes", Creative Screenwriting](https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/cswcms/mr-corman-is-a-character-that-catastrophizes-joseph-gordon-levitt-on-don-jon-and-mr-corman/)
16. [Mr. Corman: Season 1, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/mr_corman/s01)
17. [A24 Produced One Of Apple TV's Biggest Dramatic Disappointments, Slashfilm](https://www.slashfilm.com/2199481/a24-produced-apple-tv-dramatic-flop-mr-corman/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › Unscripted, reality, and web-native series › Web-native and streaming-original series › Comedy, drama, and general-genre web series › Premiered 2017 to 2021*
*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license