Ratched: Sarah Paulson Channels Iconic Cuckoo's Nest Villainess in Netflix Prequel Series — First Look

Michael Ausiello
·2 min read

The nurse will see you now soon.

Netflix has announced that Ratched — the Ryan Murphy/Ian Brennan-produced prequel series starring Murphy muse Sarah Paulson as the titular asylum nurse from hell — will premiere on Sept. 18. Season 1 will consist of eight episodes.

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Inspired by the iconic One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest character, Ratched — which is set in 1947, 15 years before the events of the film — tells the origin story of asylum nurse Mildred Ratched, chronicling her evolution from fledgling nurse to full-blown villain.

The ensemble also includes Sharon Stone, Finn Wittrock, Sophie Okonedo, Vincent D’Onofrio, Jon Jon Briones, Charlie Carver, Judy Davis, Harriet Harris, Cynthia Nixon, Hunter Parrish, Amanda Plummer and Corey Stoll.

Netflix handed Ratched a two-season, straight-to-series order back in Sept. 2017.

Louise Fletcher won a Best Actress Oscar for playing Nurse Ratched in the 1975 film version of Cuckoo’s Nest, which starred Jack Nicholson as mental patient R.P. McMurphy.

“I identified very deeply with her loneliness,” Paulson told Vanity Fair of taking on the legendary character. “I think ultimately, at the end of the day, that is sort of what drives Mildred: a pursuit of survival and of finding some sense of home. Even though the methods that she chooses to achieve that internal security are somewhat questionable, I would argue that she’s doing them with a potentially selfish need, but a survival need nevertheless. Sort of an animal need that blinds her to the inappropriateness of some her actions.”

Proceed to the gallery above — or click here for direct access — to view more images from Ratched.

Launch Gallery: Netflix's <i>Ratched</i>: First Photos

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