Unprisoned

Last updated
Unprisoned
Genre comedy drama
Created by Tracy McMillan
Starring
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes16
Production
Executive producers
Production location Los Angeles, California, USA
Production companies
Original release
Network Hulu
ReleaseMarch 10, 2023 (2023-03-10) –
July 17, 2024 (2024-07-17)

UnPrisoned is a comedy-drama television series created by Tracy McMillan, starring Kerry Washington and Delroy Lindo. [1] The series is produced by Onyx Collective. [2] It premiered on Hulu on March 10, 2023. [3] UnPrisoned received generally positive reviews from critics. In November 2023, it was renewed for a second season [4] that premiered on July 17, 2024. [5] In September 2024, the series was cancelled after two seasons. [6]

Contents

Cast

Main

Recurring

Episodes

Series overview

Series overview
SeasonEpisodesOriginally released
1 8March 10, 2023 (2023-03-10)
2 8July 17, 2024 (2024-07-17)

Season 1 (2023)

No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release date
11"Repetition Compulsion" Kevin Bray Tracy McMillan March 10, 2023 (2023-03-10)
22"How to Be a Main Bitch" Shiri Appleby Jen BraedenMarch 10, 2023 (2023-03-10)
33"Are You My Mother Wound?"Shiri Appleby Yvette Lee Bowser & Lane LyleMarch 10, 2023 (2023-03-10)
44"In Dad We Distrust"Nastaran DibaiLauren CaltagironeMarch 10, 2023 (2023-03-10)
55"F**k Normal"Nastaran DibaiMiguel NollaMarch 10, 2023 (2023-03-10)
66"Nigrescence" Numa Perrier Peter SajiMarch 10, 2023 (2023-03-10)
77"Unavailably Available"Numa PerrierJen Braeden & Tracy McMillanMarch 10, 2023 (2023-03-10)
88"It's About Who You Want to Be" Pete Chatmon Tracy McMillanMarch 10, 2023 (2023-03-10)

Season 2 (2024)

No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release date
91"Don't Try Harder, Try Different" Shiri Appleby Tracy McMillan July 17, 2024 (2024-07-17)
102"How To Be A Cat"Shiri ApplebyLauren CaltagironeJuly 17, 2024 (2024-07-17)
113"How To Be Friends" Kevin Rodney Sullivan Peter SajiJuly 17, 2024 (2024-07-17)
124"Into-Me-You-See"Kevin Rodney SullivanJen BraedenJuly 17, 2024 (2024-07-17)
135"Trigger Happy" Thembi Banks Lane LyleJuly 17, 2024 (2024-07-17)
146"The Legend of the Rollerblades"Thembi BanksAmy Do ThurlowJuly 17, 2024 (2024-07-17)
157"A PTCD Christmas Carole" Pete Chatmon Tracy McMillanJuly 17, 2024 (2024-07-17)
168"The After-Party"Pete ChatmonJen Braeden & Lauren CaltagironeJuly 17, 2024 (2024-07-17)

Production

Filming

Production on the second season started in February 2024. [7]

Release

UnPrisoned premiered on March 10, 2023, on Hulu in the United States. [8] It was released internationally as an original series on Disney+, under the dedicated streaming hub Star, on Disney+ Hotstar, and on Star+ in Latin America. [9]

Reception

Audience viewership

According to Onyx Collective, the UnPrisoned premiere was Onyx Collective's most-watched Hulu premiere, and the series was the most-watched Hulu Original scripted series so far in 2023, as of March 2023. [10]

Critical response

The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported an 93% approval rating with an average rating of 7.8/10, based on 15 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "A snappy comedy with weighty themes in tow, UnPrisoned lets Kerry Washington and Delroy Lindo bounce off each other to delightful effect." [11] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 75 out of 100 based on 8 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". [12]

Daniel D'Addario of Variety praised the performances of Kerry Washington and Delroy Lindo and complimented the dynamic between the characters, calling the show a "family story with genuine heart." [13] Kristen Baldwin of Entertainment Weekly gave the show a grade of B+, writing, "The eight-episode season follows a fairly predictable path, and some of Paige's flights of fancy play more silly than funny. (Her chats with "Little Paige" largely work, though, because McIntosh is such a fierce little comedian.) Quibbles aside, UnPrisoned is the type of show that's still a rarity on TV: An intimate, heartfelt comedy about one family's piece of the Black experience." [14] Angie Han of The Hollywood Reporter applauded the performances of Kerry Washington and Delroy Lindo and described the series as "messy but fascinating." [15] Joel Keller of Decider asserted, "Winning performances by Kerry Washington and Delroy Lindo make UnPrisioned a fun show to follow, despite the heavy intergenerational subject matter that's explored on the show." [16]

Accolades

YearAwardCategoryNominee(s)ResultRef.
2023 Black Reel Awards for Television Outstanding Comedy Series Yvette Lee Bowser Nominated [17] [18]
Outstanding Directing in a Comedy Series Numa Perrier Nominated
Outstanding Lead Performance in a Comedy Series Kerry Washington Nominated
Outstanding Lead Performance in a Comedy Series Delroy Lindo Nominated
2024 Astra TV Awards Best Directing in a Streaming Comedy SeriesNuma PerrierWon [19] [20]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Delroy Lindo</span> British actor (born 1952)

Delroy George Lindo is a British actor. He is the recipient of such accolades as an NAACP Image Award, a Satellite Award, and nominations for a Drama Desk Award, a Helen Hayes Award, a Tony Award, two Critics' Choice Television Awards, and three Screen Actors Guild Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Madeline Brewer</span> American actress

Madeline Kathryn Brewer is an American actress, known for recurring roles in the Netflix series Orange Is the New Black (2013) and Hemlock Grove (2014–2015). She stars as Janine Lindo in the Hulu series The Handmaid's Tale (2017–present), which earned her a Primetime Emmy Award nomination.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Azie Tesfai</span> American actress and writer

Azie Tesfai is an American actress, writer, and producer. She is known for her television roles, including Jane the Virgin and Supergirl.

<i>Little Fires Everywhere</i> (miniseries) 2020 American drama television miniseries

Little Fires Everywhere is an American drama television miniseries, based on the 2017 novel of the same name by Celeste Ng. It premiered on Hulu on March 18, 2020 and consists of 8 episodes. The series stars Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington, both of whom were also executive producers, alongside Liz Tigelaar, Lauren Neustadter, and Pilar Savone. Set in the Cleveland suburb of Shaker Heights, Ohio, during the late 1990s, it features Witherspoon and Washington as mothers from different socioeconomic backgrounds.

Joy Gorman Wettels is an American television producer and founder of Joy Coalition. She is executive producer of Unprisoned, 13 Reasons Why and Home Before Dark.

<i>Only Murders in the Building</i> American mystery comedy-drama television series (2021–present)

Only Murders in the Building, often abbreviated as OMITB, is an American mystery comedy-drama television series created by Steve Martin and John Hoffman. The main plot focuses on a trio of strangers, all with a shared interest in true crime podcasts, who become friends while investigating a succession of suspicious murders in the Arconia, their affluent Upper West Side apartment building, and producing their own podcast about the cases, titled Only Murders in the Building. Its four ten-episode seasons premiered on Hulu in August 2021, June 2022, August 2023, and August 2024. The series was renewed for a fifth season in September 2024.

Zakiya Dalila Harris is an American author. She is best known for her bestselling debut novel The Other Black Girl, which was adapted into a television series for Hulu.

Raamla Mohamed is an American television writer known for her work on Little Fires Everywhere and Scandal. She is the writer and showrunner of the upcoming Hulu legal drama Reasonable Doubt.

<i>Aftershock</i> (2022 film) 2022 American film

Aftershock is a 2022 American documentary film directed and produced by Paula Eiselt and Tonya Lewis Lee. It follows Omari Maynard and Bruce McIntyre, whose partners died due to childbirth complications, which were preventable, as they fight for justice.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Onyx Collective</span> American content brand

Onyx Collective is a content brand owned and operated by Disney Entertainment, which primarily consists of projects from creators of color and other underrepresented groups. The brand was first launched on May 17, 2021, with several projects under development for Hulu and Disney+.

<i>Reasonable Doubt</i> (TV series) American television series

Reasonable Doubt is an American legal drama television series created by Raamla Mohamed for Hulu. The series stars Emayatzy Corinealdi as a corporate defense lawyer navigating challenging high-profile cases. The series also stars McKinley Freeman, Tim Jo, Angela Grovey, Thaddeus J. Mixson, Aderinsola Olabode, and Michael Ealy. Reasonable Doubt is Onyx Collective's first scripted television series. It premiered on September 27, 2022. On April 17, 2023, it was renewed for a second season which premiered on August 22, 2024. The series generally received positive reviews from critics.

Tara Duncan is an American executive in the entertainment industry. She is president of Onyx Collective, which focuses on content creators of color and underrepresented voices, and is known for her role in diversifying content. Duncan previously served as president of Freeform, Disney's cable network for Gen Z, from 2020–2023. As of 2021, Duncan was one of only a few entertainment industry executives in the United States who is black.

<i>How to Die Alone</i> 2024 American TV series or program

How to Die Alone is an American comedy series created by and starring Natasha Rothwell. The series follows a woman who has never been in love, and decides to change her life after a near-death experience. Conrad Ricamora, Jocko Sims, and KeiLyn Durrel Jones also star. It premiered on Hulu on September 13, 2024.

Vera Santamaria is a Canadian Emmy-nominated television and feature writer. She is executive producer and Co-showrunner of How To Die Alone for ABC Signature / Hulu / Onyx Collective starring co-showrunner & EP Natasha Rothwell. She was executive producer and co-showrunner on Hulu's second season of PEN15 which garnered her an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Comedy. Her other credits include Ms. Marvel, Orange Is the New Black, Schitt's Creek, BoJack Horseman and Community. Born and raised in Toronto, Vera began her career writing for landmark Canadian shows including Degrassi: The Next Generation, Little Mosque On The Prairie. She also co-created and executive produced the first North American television series to be centered on a South Asian family, How To Be Indie.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jee Young Han</span> American actress

Jee Young Han is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Marion Kang on Perry Mason and for her role as Esti Nelson on the Hulu/Onyx Collective series Unprisoned.

References

  1. ↑
    • Hullender, Tatiana (2023-03-25). "Unprisoned Cast & Creator On Comedic Timing Amidst Family Strife". Screen Rant . Retrieved 2023-03-31.
    • Otterson, Joe (May 13, 2022). "Kerry Washington, Delroy Lindo to Star in Onyx Collective Comedy Series 'Unprisoned'". Variety . Retrieved 2023-06-23.
    • Light, Row (March 15, 2023). "Delroy Lindo On Executive Producing And Starring Alongside Kerry Washington On UnPrisoned - Exclusive". Looper . Retrieved 2023-06-23.
  2. ↑
  3. ↑
  4. ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (2023-11-20). "Onyx's UnPrisoned Renewed For Season 2 On Hulu; Kerry Washington Re-Ups Over Deal With ABC Signature". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 2023-11-20.
  5. ↑ Caruso, Nick (June 12, 2024). "John Stamos Helps the UnPrisoned Family Work on Themselves in Season 2 Trailer". TVLine. Retrieved July 5, 2024.
  6. ↑ Otterson, Joe (September 27, 2024). "'UnPrisoned' Canceled After Two Seasons at Hulu". Variety. Retrieved September 27, 2024.
  7. ↑ "Kerry Washington on Instagram: "your main bitches are back. #UnprisonedSeason2"". Instagram. February 5, 2024. Retrieved March 26, 2024.
  8. ↑
  9. ↑
  10. ↑
  11. ↑ "Unprisoned: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved August 22, 2024.
  12. ↑ "Unprisoned: Season 1". Metacritic . Retrieved March 22, 2023.
  13. ↑ D'Addario, Daniel (2023-03-10). "Hulu's 'UnPrisoned' Tells a Post-Prison Family Story With Genuine Heart: TV Review". Variety . Retrieved 2023-03-11.
  14. ↑ Baldwin, Kristen (2023-03-09). "Delroy Lindo is so good in 'UnPrisoned,' it should be illegal". EW.com. Retrieved 2023-03-11.
  15. ↑ Han, Angie (2023-03-07). "'UnPrisoned' Review: Kerry Washington and Delroy Lindo in a Messy but Fascinating Hulu Dramedy". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2023-03-11.
  16. ↑ Keller, Joel. "'UnPrisoned' Hulu Review: Stream It Or Skip It?". Decider . Retrieved 2023-03-31.
  17. ↑ "2023 Black Reel TV Award Nominees". Black Reel Awards . Retrieved 2023-06-23.
  18. ↑ Complex, Valerie (June 15, 2023). "Black Reel 7th Annual Television Awards Featuring Gender Neutral Categories Announces Nominations; 'The Best Man: Final Chapters' Leads With 18 Noms". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved 2023-06-23.
  19. ↑ Schneider, Michael (January 8, 2024). "'The Boys,' 'Succession' Land Most Honors at Astra TV Awards — Full Winners List". Variety . Retrieved 2024-01-11.
  20. ↑ Major, Michael (January 9, 2024). "HBO's SUCCESSION and Prime Video's THE BOYS Lead the 2024 Hollywood Creative Alliance Astra TV Awards". BroadwayWorld . Retrieved 2024-01-11.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.