The Underground Railroad is an American historical drama streaming television limited series created and directed by Barry Jenkins based on the 2016 novel of the same name by Colson Whitehead. The series premiered on Amazon Prime Video on May 14, 2021.
The series won the Golden Globe Award for Best Miniseries or Television Film, the BAFTA for Best International Programme, received a Peabody Award, and garnered several other nominations including the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series.
Premise
A fictional story of people attempting an escape from slavery in the southern United States in the 1800s utilizing a key plot element that employs the literary style of magic realism. In reality, "The Underground Railroad" was a network of abolitionists, hidden routes, and safe houses that helped enslaved African-Americans escape to freedom in the early to mid-1800s. In the novel and the series, it is an actual railroad complete with engineers, conductors, tracks, and tunnels. Cora, an enslaved woman from Georgia, joins newcomer Caesar to ride the subterranean train to freedom.
Cast
Main
Thuso Mbedu as Cora Randall
Chase W. Dillon as Homer, Ridgeway's assistant
Joel Edgerton as Arnold Ridgeway, a slave catcher
Fred Hechinger as Young Arnold Ridgeway
Peter Mullan as Ridgeway Senior, father of Arnold Ridgeway
Mychal-Bella Bowman as Fanny Briggs/Grace
Sheila Atim as Mabel
Recurring
Aaron Pierre as Caesar Garner
William Jackson Harper as Royal
Lily Rabe as Ethel Wells
Chukwudi Iwuji as Mingo
Calvin Leon Smith as Jasper
Damon Herriman as Martin Wells
Amber Gray as Gloria Valentine
Benjamin Walker as Terrance Randall
Justice Leak as James Randall
Lucius Baston as Prideful
Owen Harn as Chandler
Bri Collins as Olivia
Ryan James as Red
Will Poulter as Sam
Peter de Jersey as John Valentine
IronE Singleton as Mack
Marcus "MJ" Gladney Jr. as Ellis
Cullen Moss as Judge Smith
Jim Klock as Tom Hardman
Episodes
Production
Development
On September 16, 2016, it was announced that Barry Jenkins was set to adapt Colson Whitehead's novel The Underground Railroad into a limited series. Jenkins was expected to produce the series alongside Adele Romanski. Production companies involved with the series were set to include Plan B Entertainment. On March 27, 2017, it was reported that Amazon Video had given the production a script-to-series commitment. On June 5, 2018, it was announced that Amazon given the production a formal greenlight and that Jenkins would direct all eleven episodes of the series. In June 2019, Nicholas Britell announced he would serve as composer on the series.
Casting
In April 2019, Thuso Mbedu, Chase W. Dillon, Aaron Pierre and Joel Edgerton joined the cast of the series. In August 2019, Damon Herriman and William Jackson Harper joined the cast of the series in recurring roles. In September 2019, Lucius Baston joined the cast of the series in a recurring role. In October 2019, Amber Gray joined the cast of the series in a recurring role. In November 2019, Jim Klock joined the cast of the series in a recurring role. In January 2020, Lily Rabe joined the cast of the series in a recurring role. In February 2020, Fred Hechinger and the rest of the cast was announced.
Filming
Filming began in August 2019 in Savannah, Georgia, and production lasted 116 days before concluding on September 22, 2020.
Release
The Underground Railroad was released on Amazon Prime Video on May 14, 2021.
Reception
Critical response
The Underground Railroad received widespread critical acclaim. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported an approval rating of 94% based on 106 critic reviews, with an average rating of 8.9/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "With a superb ensemble and Barry Jenkins' singular eye, The Underground Railroad delicately translates its source material into a powerfully humane series that is as challenging as it is necessary." Metacritic gave the series a weighted average score of 92 out of 100 based on 37 critic reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".