Is The Curse Based on a True Story?

Showtime’s “The Curse” stars Emma Stone and Nathan Fielder as two newlyweds who try and launch a house-flipping HGTV sequence within the city of Española, NM. However, their present, and their efforts to begin a household, turn out to be sophisticated by the presence of what would possibly simply be a curse.

The premise would possibly sound a bit absurd, but it surely additionally could ring a number of bells when you’ve ever seen any of tv’s many, many house-flipping and residential renovation reveals. From HGTV’s “Flip or Flop” and “Property Brothers” to Netflix’s “Tiny House Nation” and “Dream Home Makeover,” it is clear the general public has a unending urge for food for renovation and real-estate-related tv. Meanwhile, Stone and Fielder’s characters themselves would possibly recall to mind one other well-known couple within the televised house enchancment enterprise — Chip and Joanna Gaines, who cohosted the HGTV present “Fixer Upper” from 2013 to 2018. From there, they launched their very own media firm known as Magnolia and debuted their very own cable channel in 2020. They’re nonetheless very lively, and in June, they took on a brand new problem and renovated a big dilapidated fortress.

The couple have additionally garnered some criticism right here and there through the years for numerous causes. “Fixer Upper” by no means included any same-sex {couples} or queer individuals in any respect, and the Gainses have been additionally criticized in 2016 for showing in a video with their pastor Jimmy Seibert of the Antioch International Movement of Churches, who was overtly in opposition to homosexual marriage and supported conversion remedy. They additionally paid $40,000 to the EPA as a result of improper dealing with of lead paint in 2017. And not all of their house renovation reveals have truly made owners blissful, in line with reviews. In 2022, a present on their community known as “Home Work” was faraway from the air after owners complained of shoddy work. The Gainses denied they’d ever exploited purchasers in any manner, and reps for the couple didn’t instantly reply to POPSUGAR’s request for remark.

Still, all issues thought of, “The Curse” is unquestionably not primarily based on a real story, and it looks like Stone and Fielder’s characters will face way more chaos and catastrophe than Chip and Joanna ever have, if the trailer for the sequence is something to go by. Still, the present does appear poised to the touch on very actual fears about gentrification, exploitation, and the hurt completed by many seemingly altruistic ventures which are actually solely accomplished for the digital camera’s sake.