| Genre: | Historical fiction |
| Creator: | Barry Jenkins |
| Director: | Barry Jenkins |
| Composer: | Nicholas Britell |
| Country: | United States |
| Language: | English |
| Num Episodes: | 10 |
| Cinematography: | James Laxton[1] |
| Runtime: | 20–77 minutes |
| Network: | Amazon Prime Video |
The Underground Railroad is an American historical drama limited television 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 Limited or Anthology Series 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.
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.[2]
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.[3] On March 27, 2017, it was reported that Amazon Video had given the production a script-to-series commitment.[4] 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.[2] In June 2019, Nicholas Britell announced he would serve as composer on the series.[5]
In April 2019, Thuso Mbedu, Chase W. Dillon, Aaron Pierre and Joel Edgerton joined the cast of the series.[6] [7] In August 2019, Damon Herriman and William Jackson Harper joined the cast of the series in recurring roles.[8] [9] In September 2019, Lucius Baston joined the cast of the series in a recurring role.[10] In October 2019, Amber Gray joined the cast of the series in a recurring role.[11] In November 2019, Jim Klock joined the cast of the series in a recurring role.[12] In January 2020, Lily Rabe joined the cast of the series in a recurring role.[13] In February 2020, Fred Hechinger and the rest of the cast was announced.[14] [15]
Filming began in August 2019 in Savannah, Georgia, and production lasted 116 days before concluding on September 22, 2020.[16] [17] [18]
The Underground Railroad was released on Amazon Prime Video on May 14, 2021.[19] The Underground Railroad received a home media release through The Criterion Collection on June 25, 2024.[20]
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."[21] Metacritic gave the series a weighted average score of 92 out of 100 based on 37 critic reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[22]
Reviewing the series for Rolling Stone, Alan Sepinwall gave a rating of 4/5 and described the series as "an imperfect take on a painful, sprawling subject. But its emotional highs and lows are stronger than anything you are likely to find on TV this year, just as those images are more gorgeous and nightmarish."[23] Stephen Robinson of The A.V. Club gave the series an A and said, "Jenkins has assembled an amazing cast, including William Jackson Harper as Cora's love interest, Royal, and Lily Rabe, who chills the screen as Ethel, the wife of a North Carolina abolitionist (Damon Herriman)."[24]
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black Reel Awards | Outstanding TV Movie or Limited Series | Barry Jenkins | [25] | ||
| Outstanding Directing, TV Movie/Limited Series | |||||
| Outstanding Writing, TV Movie/Limited Series | |||||
| Outstanding Actress, TV Movie/Limited Series | Thuso Mbedu | ||||
| Outstanding Supporting Actor, TV Movie/Limited Series | William Jackson Harper | ||||
| Gotham Awards | Breakthrough Series – Long Format | The Underground Railroad | [26] [27] | ||
| Outstanding Performance in a New Series | Thuso Mbedu | ||||
| Hollywood Critics Association TV Awards | Best Streaming Limited Series, Anthology Series, or Live-Action Television Movie | The Underground Railroad | [28] [29] | ||
| Best Actor in a Limited Series, Anthology Series, or Television Movie | Joel Edgerton | ||||
| Best Actress in a Limited Series, Anthology Series, or Television Movie | Thuso Mbedu | ||||
| Best Supporting Actor in a Limited Series, Anthology Series, or Television Movie | William Jackson Harper | ||||
| Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series | Barry Jenkins, Adele Romanski, Mark Ceryak, Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Colson Whitehead, Richard Heus, Jacqueline Hoyt, and Richleigh Heagh | [30] | ||
| Outstanding Directing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie | Barry Jenkins | ||||
| Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards | Outstanding Casting for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie | Francine Maisler and Meagan Lewis | |||
| Outstanding Cinematography for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie | |||||
| Outstanding Music Composition for a Limited or Anthology Series, Movie, or Special (Original Dramatic Score) | |||||
| Outstanding Sound Editing for a Limited or Anthology Series, Movie, or Special | Onnalee Blank, Chris Kahwaty, Katy Wood, Bryan Parker, Jay Jennings, Harry Cohen, Luke Gibleon, Pietu Korhonen, John Finklea, and Heikki Kossi | ||||
| Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie | Onnalee Blank, Mathew Waters, Joe White, and Kari Vähäkuopus | ||||
| Television Critics Association Awards | Program of the Year | The Underground Railroad | [31] | ||
| Outstanding Achievement in Movies, Miniseries and Specials | |||||
| Individual Achievement in Drama | Thuso Mbedu | ||||
| American Society of Cinematographers Awards | Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Motion Picture, Limited Series, or Pilot Made for Television | James Laxton (for "Chapter 9: Indiana Winter") | [32] | ||
| Art Directors Guild Awards | Excellence in Production Design for a Television Movie or Limited Series | Mark Friedberg | [33] | ||
| British Academy Television Awards | Best International Programme | The Underground Railroad | [34] | ||
| Cinema Audio Society Awards | Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for Television Movie or Limited Series | Joseph White Jr., Onnalee Blank, Mathew Waters, Geoff Foster, and Kari Vahakuopus (for "Chapter 10: Mabel") | [35] | ||
| Costume Designers Guild Awards | Excellence in Period Television | Caroline Eselin-Schaefer (for "Chapter 8: Indiana Autumn") | [36] | ||
| Critics' Choice Television Awards | Best Limited Series | The Underground Railroad | [37] | ||
| Best Actress in a Movie/Miniseries | Thuso Mbedu | ||||
| Best Supporting Actor in a Movie/Miniseries | William Jackson Harper | ||||
| Directors Guild of America Awards | Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Miniseries or TV Film | Barry Jenkins | [38] | ||
| Golden Globe Awards | Best Miniseries or Television Film | The Underground Railroad | [39] | ||
| Golden Reel Awards | Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Limited Series or Anthology | Onnalee Blank, Jay Jennings, Harry Cohen, Luke Gibleon, Chris Kahwaty, Katy Wood, Bryan Parker, Pietu Korhonen, Lars Halvorsen, Heikki Kossi, and John Finklea (for "Chapter 9: Indiana Winter") | [40] | ||
| Independent Spirit Awards | Best New Scripted Series | The Underground Railroad | [41] | ||
| Best Female Performance in a New Scripted Series | Thuso Mbedu | ||||
| NAACP Image Awards | Outstanding Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special | The Underground Railroad | [42] | ||
| Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series | Barry Jenkins (for "Chapter 9: Indiana Winter") | ||||
| Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Television Movie, Limited-Series or Dramatic Special | William Jackson Harper | ||||
| Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Television Movie, Limited-Series or Dramatic Special | Sheila Atim | ||||
| Peabody Awards | Entertainment | The Underground Railroad | [43] | ||
| Producers Guild of America Awards | Outstanding Producer of Limited or Anthology Television Series | The Underground Railroad | [44] | ||
| Writers Guild of America Awards | Adapted Long Form | Jihan Crowther, Allison Davis, Jacqueline Hoyt, Barry Jenkins, Nathan C. Parker, and Adrienne Rush |