Underground_(TV_series)

<i>Underground</i> (TV series)

Underground (TV series)

American TV series or program


Underground is an American period drama television series created by Misha Green and Joe Pokaski about the Underground Railroad in Antebellum Georgia.[2][3] The show debuted March 9, 2016, on WGN America.[4] On April 25, 2016, WGN renewed the show for a 10-episode second season,[5] that premiered on March 8, 2017. On May 30, 2017, it was announced that WGN had cancelled the show after two seasons.[6] The cancellation came after the network's parent company Tribune Media was attempted to be purchased by conservative corporation Sinclair Broadcasting Group, which led to speculation that the latter did not approve of the subject matter of the show.[7][8]

Quick Facts Underground, Genre ...

The Oprah Winfrey Network acquired rebroadcast rights for Underground in 2020.[9]

Cast

Main

  • Aldis Hodge[2] as Noah, a driven, perceptive, and restless slave on the Macon plantation. He is one of the Macon 7.
  • Jurnee Smollett-Bell[2] as Rosalee, a young, shy, and sheltered house slave on the Macon plantation. She is one of the Macon 7.
  • Jessica De Gouw[10] as Elizabeth Hawkes, a socialite with abolitionist ideals.
  • Alano Miller[11] as Cato, a cunning and charismatic slave. He is one of the Macon 7.
  • Christopher Meloni[2] as August Pullman, a secretive bounty hunter who walks a tightrope between morality and survival.
  • Amirah Vann[12] as Ernestine, the head house slave of the Macon plantation, who is fiercely protective of her children. She also uses her sexual relationship with Tom Macon to leverage protection for her children. He is the father of her two children, Rosalee and James. (recurring season 1, main cast season 2)

Recurring

  • Christopher Backus[13] as Jeremiah Johnson, an ex-con and slave catcher. (season 1)
  • Marc Blucas[14] as John Hawkes, an abolitionist lawyer.
  • Reed Diamond[15] as Tom Macon (ne Hawkes), John Hawkes' brother and the owner of the Macon plantation. (season 1)
  • James Lafferty as Kyle Risdin, a US Marshall and Elizabeth's ex-fiancé. (season 1)
  • Renwick Scott[16] as Henry, a teenaged slave with a rebellious streak and a heart of gold. He is one of the Macon 7. (season 1)
  • Chris Chalk[16] as William Still.
  • Adina Porter[17] as Pearly Mae, a strong-willed wife, mother, and slave who first gives voice to the song in which the runners will find clues to help guide them to freedom. Pearly Mae is literate and reads the Bible to her husband Moses, which makes the other slaves believe he is the one who can read, although it is only Pearly Mae who can read.
  • Mykelti Williamson[18] as Moses, a fiery preacher for the Macon plantation's field slaves. Many of the slaves believe that he can read the Bible; however, Moses is illiterate. It is his wife Pearly Mae who secretly reads for him. He is one of the Macon 7. (season 1)
  • Theodus Crane[16] as Zeke, a formidable slave in both strength and stature. He is one of the Macon 7. (season 1)
  • Andrea Frankle as Suzanna Macon, Tom Macon's wife and Pearly Mae's half-sister, who frequently expresses her disdain for Ernestine, her husband's mistress and mother of two of his slave children.
  • Toby Nichols as Thomas Roberts "T.R." Macon, Tom and Suzanna's son.
  • Mary Katherine Duhon as Mary Macon, Tom and Suzanna's teenage daughter. (season 1)
  • Kedrick Brown as Lou, Warrior Prisoner helping Noah to escape. (season 2)
  • Johnny Ray Gill[16] as Sam, a talented carpenter and Rosalee and James's older half-brother.
  • PJ Marshall[19] as Bill Meekes, the Macon plantation overseer.
  • Darielle Stewart as Boo, Moses and Pearly Mae's daughter. Although she is quiet and shy, she is one of the Macon 7. (season 1)
  • Maceo Smedley as James, Ernestine's youngest child. He is the younger brother of Sam and Rosalee.
  • Michelle Elaine as Corra, a house slave on the Macon Plantation.
  • Jannette Sepwa as Sarah, a house slave on the Macon Plantation.
  • Brady Permenter as Ben Pullman, August's son. (season 1)
  • Clarke Peters as Jay, August's slave. (season 1)
  • Jennifer Nettles as Charlotte, August's wife and Ben's mother. (season 1)
  • Devyn A. Tyler as Seraphina, Zeke's wife. (season 1)
  • Joseph Sikora as Frog Jack, a trader who cares about nothing but money.
  • David Born as Jim McNulty, leader of a small group of slave catchers (season 1)
  • Wayne Pere as Reverend Willowset, a southern reverend whose support Tom attempts to gain. (season 1)
  • David Kency as Clyde, a former slave who helps others escape on the Underground Railroad. (season 1)
  • William Mark McCullough as Theo, who helps the Macon 7 escape along the Underground Railroad. (season 1)
  • Sadie Stratton as Patty Cannon, an illegal slave trader who kidnapped free blacks and fugitive slaves to sell into slavery in the South.
  • Michael Trotter as Elden Donohue, a biographer who plans to write Patty Cannon's life story. (season 2)
  • Jesse Luken as Smoke, a slave catcher in Patty Cannon's gang. (season 2)
  • Cullen Moss as Jack, a less competent slave catcher in Patty Cannon's gang. (season 2)
  • Keith Arthur Bolden as Table Tapper, a preaching slave on the Rowe Plantation. (season 2)
  • Tyler Barnhardt as Matthew Roe, master of the Rowe Plantation. (season 2)
  • Marcus Hester as Gore, the overseer at the Rowe Plantation. (season 2)
  • Aisha Hinds as Harriet Tubman (season 2)
  • Bokeem Woodbine as Daniel, a slave who teaches himself to read. (season 2)
  • Indigo as Bette, Daniel's wife. (season 2)
  • Bailey Tippen as Toosie, Daniel and Bette's daughter. (season 2)
  • Neko Parham as Valentine, a runaway who is injured trying to escape. (season 2)
  • Robert Crayton as Elijah a runaway slave trying to escape.
  • Jasika Nicole as Georgia Goodman, an abolitionist who becomes friends with Elizabeth. (season 2)
  • Lane Miller as Lucas, an abolitionist in Georgia's group. (season 2)
  • Dawntavia Bullard as Emily, an abolitionist in Georgia's group. (season 2)
  • Rayan Lawrence as Elliot, an abolitionist in Georgia's group. (season 2)
  • Robert Walker-Branchaud as Thad, an abolitionist in Georgia's group. (season 2)
  • Rana Roy as Devi, Cato's lover. (season 2)
  • Alex Collins as Francis, Cato's manservant. (season 2)
  • DeWanda Wise as Clara, an ambitious, vengeful slave on the Rowe Plantation. (season 2)
  • Robert Christopher Riley as Hicks, Ernestine's lover on the Rowe Plantation. (season 2)
  • Jordane Christie as French, Ernestine's deceased husband, Sam's father (season 2)
  • John Legend as Frederick Douglass (season 2, Legend is also an executive producer on the show)
  • Candice Glover as Gullah Woman #1 (season 2)
  • Angela Bassett as Midwife

Production

On February 27, 2015, WGN America gave a 10-episode straight-to-series order for the series which is created by Misha Green and Joe Pokaski.[2] Season one was filmed in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.[20] Season two was filmed in Savannah, Georgia.

Broadcast

In Canada, the show was broadcast on Bravo. Season one was made available on the Australian streaming platform, Stan, in January 2017. In the United Kingdom, the show was broadcast on Sky1.

Episodes

Series overview

More information Season, Episodes ...

Season 1 (2016)

More information No. overall, No. in season ...

Season 2 (2017)

More information No. overall, No. in season ...

Critical reception

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the first season of Underground holds an approval rating of 93% with an average score of 7.3/10 based on 30 reviews. The site's critics consensus reads, "Underground blends credible terror with enough compelling thrills to overcome the storyline's occasional cliches."[41] On Metacritic, the first season has a weighted average score of 75 out of 100, based on 32 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[42] Dan Fienberg of The Hollywood Reporter gave the first season a positive review, stating that "Underground is a thriller, an adventure yarn, before it's a Brussels sprouts message drama."[43] Joshua Alston of The A.V. Club gave the series an A− and wrote: "Underground benefits from its deliberate pacing. This is, after all, a heist story, except that the thieves are literally stealing their own bodies. All the components of a tense thriller are here."[44] Mekeisha Madden Toby of The Wrap praising for its story, cast and writing which makes this series worth the investment.[45]

Rotten Tomatoes reported that the second season of Underground holds an approval rating of 100%, with an average score of 7.7/10 based on 10 reviews. The site's critics consensus reads, "Anchored by terrific performances, Underground's sophomore season shows no signs of slipping, tapping into the same sense of urgency without sacrificing its rich characterization."[46] On Metacritic, the second season has a weighted average score of 79 out of 100, based on 4 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[42]

See also


References

  1. "'Underground' producer weighs in on recent slavery comparisons". Los Angeles Times. January 8, 2016. Archived from the original on August 8, 2020. Retrieved February 14, 2021.
  2. Littleton, Cynthia (February 27, 2015). "WGN America Gives Series Order to Slavery Drama 'Underground'". Variety. Archived from the original on March 28, 2019. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
  3. Petski, Denise (December 14, 2015). "'Underground' Gets March Premiere Date On WGN America". Deadine Hollywood. Archived from the original on December 24, 2015. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
  4. Kissell, Rick (April 25, 2016). "WGN America Renews 'Underground' for Second Season". Variety.com. Penske Business Media, LLC. Archived from the original on April 27, 2016. Retrieved April 28, 2016.
  5. Otterson, Joe (May 30, 2017). "'Underground' Canceled After 2 Seasons at WGN America". Variety. Archived from the original on May 30, 2017. Retrieved May 30, 2017.
  6. "John Legend Seeks New Home for 'Underground', Blasts "Far-Right" Sinclair". September 27, 2017. Archived from the original on June 13, 2020. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
  7. "Black Wall Street: The African American Haven That Burned and then Rose from the Ashes". June 28, 2018. Archived from the original on June 13, 2020. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
  8. Andreeva, Nellie (February 27, 2015). "Chris Meloni & 3 Others Cast, Kanye West Eyes Music Involvement As 'Underground' Gets WGN America Series Order". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on December 10, 2015. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
  9. Denise, Petski (March 12, 2015). "Alano Miller Joins WGN America's 'Underground'; Alex Meneses In NBC's 'Telenovela'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on December 24, 2015. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
  10. Erik, Pedersen (April 14, 2015). "Santino Fontana Joins 'Shades Of Blue'; Amirah Vann Cast In 'Underground'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on January 2, 2016. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
  11. Denise, Petski (June 24, 2015). "Melia Kreiling Joins 'Tyrant'; Chris Backus & Jussie Smollett In 'Underground'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on January 22, 2016. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
  12. Andreeva, Nellie (April 22, 2015). "Marc Blucas Joins WGN America Series 'Underground' In Recasting". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on December 13, 2015. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
  13. Erik, Pedersen (April 9, 2015). "Reed Diamond Joins 'Underground'; Jake Weber Cast In 'Tyrant'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on January 1, 2016. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
  14. Petski, Denise (October 11, 2015). "Underground': First Images Reveal Keys To Epic Escape In WGN America Drama Series". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on December 22, 2015. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
  15. Erik, Pedersen (April 15, 2015). "Adina Porter Cast In WGN America's 'Underground'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on December 31, 2015. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
  16. Erik, Pedersen (April 6, 2015). "Devon Gummersall & Mykelti Williamson Go 'Underground' With WGN America". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on January 2, 2016. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
  17. Desta, Yohana (October 12, 2015). "'Underground' is bringing riveting slave stories to television". Mashable. Archived from the original on February 3, 2016. Retrieved February 3, 2016.
  18. Denise, Petski (July 29, 2015). "John Legend & Get Lifted Board WGN America's 'Underground' – TCA". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on December 10, 2015. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
  19. Welch, Alex (March 10, 2016). "Wednesday cable ratings: 'Broad City' falls". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on March 11, 2016. Retrieved March 10, 2016.
  20. Metcalf, Mitch (March 17, 2016). "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Wednesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 3.16.2016". ShowBuzzDaily. Archived from the original on March 19, 2016. Retrieved March 17, 2016.
  21. Metcalf, Mitch (March 24, 2016). "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Wednesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 3.23.2016". ShowBuzzDaily. Archived from the original on March 27, 2016. Retrieved March 24, 2016.
  22. Welch, Alex (March 31, 2016). "Wednesday cable ratings: 'Broad City' rises". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on April 3, 2016. Retrieved March 31, 2016.
  23. Welch, Alex (April 7, 2016). "Wednesday cable ratings: 'Little Women: LA' and 'Broad City' dip". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on April 8, 2016. Retrieved April 8, 2016.
  24. Welch, Alex (April 14, 2016). "Wednesday cable ratings: NBA Basketball wins the night". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on April 15, 2016. Retrieved April 14, 2016.
  25. Welch, Alex (April 21, 2016). "Wednesday cable ratings: NBA Playoffs continue to dominate". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on April 22, 2016. Retrieved April 30, 2016.
  26. Welch, Alex (April 28, 2016). "Wednesday cable ratings: 'Underground' stays steady, NBA playoffs score well". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on April 29, 2016. Retrieved April 30, 2016.
  27. Metcalf, Mitch (May 5, 2016). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Wednesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 5.4.2016". ShowBuzzDaily. Archived from the original on May 6, 2016. Retrieved May 5, 2016.
  28. Metcalf, Mitch (May 12, 2016). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Wednesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 5.11.2016". ShowBuzzDaily. Archived from the original on May 13, 2016. Retrieved May 12, 2016.
  29. Metcalf, Mitch (March 9, 2017). "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Wednesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 3.8.2017". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on March 10, 2017. Retrieved March 9, 2017.
  30. Metcalf, Mitch (March 17, 2017). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Wednesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 3.15.2017". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on March 17, 2017. Retrieved March 17, 2017.
  31. Metcalf, Mitch (March 23, 2017). "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Wednesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 3.22.2017". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on March 24, 2017. Retrieved March 23, 2017.
  32. Metcalf, Mitch (March 30, 2017). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Wednesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 3.29.2017". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on March 30, 2017. Retrieved March 30, 2017.
  33. Metcalf, Mitch (April 6, 2017). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Wednesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 4.5.2017". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on April 7, 2017. Retrieved April 6, 2017.
  34. Metcalf, Mitch (April 13, 2017). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Wednesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 4.12.2017". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on April 14, 2017. Retrieved April 13, 2017.
  35. Metcalf, Mitch (April 20, 2017). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Wednesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 4.19.2017". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on April 20, 2017. Retrieved April 20, 2017.
  36. Metcalf, Mitch (April 27, 2017). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Wednesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 4.26.2017". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on May 20, 2017. Retrieved April 27, 2017.
  37. Metcalf, Mitch (May 4, 2017). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Wednesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 5.3.2017". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on May 4, 2017. Retrieved May 4, 2017.
  38. Metcalf, Mitch (May 11, 2017). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Wednesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 5.10.2017". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on June 8, 2017. Retrieved May 11, 2017.
  39. "Underground: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on March 12, 2017. Retrieved March 9, 2017.
  40. "Underground: Season 1". Metacritic. Archived from the original on March 13, 2017. Retrieved March 9, 2017.
  41. "'Underground': TV Review". The Hollywood Reporter. March 7, 2016. Archived from the original on August 2, 2021. Retrieved January 6, 2023.
  42. "WGN America's Underground is a taut thriller disguised as a history lesson". The A.V. Club. March 7, 2016. Archived from the original on May 28, 2022. Retrieved January 6, 2023.
  43. "'Underground' Review: WGN's Escape-from-Slavery Drama Is Packed with History, Heartbreak and Thrills". TheWrap. March 9, 2016. Archived from the original on August 16, 2022. Retrieved January 6, 2023.
  44. "Underground: Season 2". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on February 20, 2022. Retrieved January 6, 2023.

Share this article:

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article Underground_(TV_series), and is written by contributors. Text is available under a CC BY-SA 4.0 International License; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.