DINETTE, the series that premiered at Tribeca to rave reviews and critical acclaim, is now poised for a Season 2 premiere, September 24, 2021 on BRIC TV. Shot in January 2020 in Brooklyn and Queens, NYC and put on hold until now, DINETTE Season 2 is a queer ensemble comedy in six parts. Centering women, gender non-conforming and queer actors and characters. The series is a gender-swapping answer to the genre of male connection and character-centered narratives.

In some ways, the series is inspired by creator Shaina Feinberg’s childhood viewing of Diner. Feinberg said, “I remember as a kid watching Diner by Barry Levinson and it’s all about dudes. And there’s like one lady in it and she doesn’t do much. And I felt like I really related to the guys. Most of my work is doing this – slotting in women in “male” roles. Overall with most of the movies I’ve watched I’ve felt like the guys were more like me and my friends than the women. In my first feature I play the lead and my husband plays the manic pixie dream girl.”

In Season 1 the concept of gender-swapping in Hollywood was brought up directly when the documentary director played by Feinberg herself, asks Jaq (Jude Dry), what film they would make, and the answer is Jaws, but with all roles gender-swapped. There are in fact, only a few rare male characters in DINETTE and two of them are silent clowns played by Jeff Seal and Chris Manley.

“I was watching Reservoir Dogs and you know the men just talk and talk and talk, so I was thinking, why isn’t there a film where women just talk a lot?,” Feinberg added.

Season 2 of DINETTE will be available as of September 24th on BRIC TV online and available to binge in its entirety. Binge on Season 1 here.

SNAPSHOT REVIEW

What a refreshing series to watch. Independent productions offer so much more than scripted Hollywood tripe, as there are less expectations, and less cash to control the content. With each episode clocking in at an average of 10 minutes, this also works well for the ADD generation where 10-minutes is like asking one to commit to a full feature. You can actually watch all six episodes in about an hour, making it the perfect shorty binge watch.

The cast are great, and character development actually progresses well, given the short episodes. Each adds to the story line in equal parts, and some hilarious antics erupt in each episode. Candid and raw, catch this one when you can!

Director/ Creator, Shaina Feinberg is a filmmaker from New York City. She specializes in micro-budget filmmaking. Her first film, The Babymooners, blends documentary and narrative fiction and was picked up for distribution by Screen Media. Her six-part digital series, DINETTE, which follows a group of female and gender nonconforming friends, was produced by BRIC Arts Media, premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival (2018) and was shouted out by New Yorker TV writer Emily Nussbaum. Season two of DINETTE stars Alysia Reiner (Orange Is the New Black), Lisa Haas (Search Party) and Maeve Higgins (Extra Ordinary). Shaina’s short film, Shiva, which is a hybrid of improvised comedy and real-life grief, premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival (2017). Her follow-up to that piece, a 60-minute film called Senior Escort Service, won the Visionary Award at Cinequest Film Festival (2019) and is distributed by Random Media. Her third feature, Blunderpuss, is about a clown who goes on an apology tour after a brief stint in rehab. In 2019, Shaina was named by Indiewire as 1 of 25 queer filmmakers to watch. She co-wrote and directed Aliens of Extraordinary Ability, an original series for Audible. She also directed a second original series for Audible, Phreaks, which stars Christian Slater, Carrie Coon and Justice Smith. Her bi-weekly column in The New York Times, “Scratch” is an illustrated look at the world of business. Her first book, Every Body came out in January 2021 from Little, Brown.

CAST:

Alysia Reiner (“Luisa”) is an American actress and producer. Reiner is best known for playing Natalie “Fig” Figueroa in the Netflix comedy drama series Orange Is the New Black (2013–2019), for which she won a Screen Actors Guild Award for her role as part of the ensemble cast. She recently entered the world of Marvel Cinematic Universe when she joined the cast of Ms. Marvel.

Maeve Higgins (“Norah”) is an Irish comedian from Cobh, County Cork. She was a principal actor and writer of the RTÉ production Naked Camera, as well as for her own show Maeve Higgins’ Fancy Vittles. She stars in the SXSW breakout comedy Extra Ordinary and appears regularly on NPR’s Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me.

Michelle Hurst is an American actress. She played Miss Claudette Pelage in the first season of the streaming television series Orange Is the New Black.

Karolena Theresa (“Karolena”) is a New York-based, Queens-native, stand-up comedian, actress, comedy writer, comedic improviser, and short plus-size model. She is a tour member of Awkward Sex and the City and a recent cast member of the productions Handmaid’s Tale: The Musical. Her podcast Hoes With Feelings was just written up in Vulture.

Additional Cast: 

Luisa: Alysia Reiner (Orange Is the New Black, Better Things, Ms. Marvel)

Norah: Maeve Higgins: (Extra Ordinary, High Maintenance, Inside Amy Schumer)

Lucille: Mona Chalabi (The Fix, Star Talk)

Michelle Hurst (Orange Is the New Black)

Inga: Lisa Haas: (Search Party, Foxy Merkins)

Mick: Drae Campbell (Bull)

Dee: Donna Wood

About BRIC and BRIC TV:
BRIC is a leading arts and media institution anchored in Downtown Brooklyn whose work spans contemporary visual and performing arts, media, and civic action. For over forty years, BRIC has shaped Brooklyn’s cultural and media landscape by presenting and incubating artists, creators, students, and media makers. As a creative catalyst for our community, we ignite learning in people of all ages and centralize diverse voices that take risks and drive culture forward. BRIC is building Brooklyn’s creative future.

BRIC TV is Brooklyn’s only nonprofit cable channel and digital network. With an audience of tastemakers and a reach of millions, it is the voice of the borough—reflecting the best that Brooklyn has to offer and telling Brooklyn’s story to itself and to the world. The Emmy award-winning lineup delivers documentary series, hyper-local news, politics, music, comedy, scripted series and more. BRIC TV is community television with an edge, a megaphone for the under-represented, a patron of the independent arts, and the home of trendsetting artists, musicians, and other makers.

 

About the Author

Bryen Dunn is a freelance journalist with a focus on travel, lifestyle, entertainment and hospitality. He has an extensive portfolio of celebrity interviews with musicians, actors and other public personalities. He enjoys discovering delicious eats, tasting spirited treats, and being mesmerized by musical beats.