Underground (TV series)

Underground
Genre	Period drama
Created by	Misha Green Joe Pokaski
Starring	Jurnee Smollett-Bell Aldis Hodge Jessica De Gouw Alano Miller Christopher Meloni
Composer(s)	Laura Karpman Raphael Saadiq
Country of origin	United States
Original language(s)	English
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	10 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)	John Legend Mike Jackson (film producer) Ty Stiklorius Akiva Goldsman Tory Tunnell Joby Harrold
Producer(s)	W. Mark McNair
Location(s)	Baton Rouge, Louisiana Savannah, Georgia
Cinematography	Evans Brown Hernan Otaño Kevin McKnight
Production company(s)	Afemme Get Lifted Film Company Weed Road Pictures Safehouse Pictures Wandering Rocks Tribune Studios Sony Pictures Television
Distributor	Sony Pictures Television
Release
Original network	WGN America
Original release	March 9, 2016 – present
External links
Website

Underground is an American television period drama series created by Misha Green and Joe Pokaski about the Underground Railroad in Antebellum Georgia.^[1][2] The show debuted March 9, 2016, on WGN America.^[3] On April 25, 2016, WGN America renewed the show for a 10-episode second season.^[4]

Cast

Main

• Jurnee Smollett-Bell^[1] as Rosalee, a young, shy and sheltered mulatto house slave on the Macon plantation. She is one of the Macon 7.
• Aldis Hodge^[1] as Noah, a driven, perceptive and restless slave on the Macon plantation. He is one of the Macon 7.
• Jessica De Gouw^[5] as Elizabeth Hawkes, a socialite with abolitionist ideals
• Alano Miller^[6] as Cato, a cunning and charismatic slave. He is one of the Macon 7.
• Christopher Meloni^[1] as August Pullman, a secretive bounty hunter who walks a tightrope between morality and survival

Recurring

• Christopher Backus^[7] as Jeremiah Johnson, an ex con and slave catcher
• Marc Blucas^[8] as John Hawkes, an abolitionist lawyer
• Reed Diamond^[9] as Tom Macon (né Hawkes), John Hawkes' brother and the owner of the Macon plantation.
• James Lafferty as Kyle Risdin, a US Marshall and Elizabeth's ex-fiancé
• Amirah Vann^[10] as Ernestine, the head house slave of the Macon plantation who is fiercely protective of her children. She is also Tom Macon's lover, and they bore two children, Rosalee and James.
• Renwick Scott^[11] as Henry, a teenaged slave with a rebellious streak and a heart of gold. He is one of the Macon 7.
• Chris Chalk^[11] as William Still
• Adina Porter^[12] 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^[13] 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.
• Theodus Crane^[11] as Zeke, a formidable slave in both strength and stature. He is one the Macon 7.
• Andrea Frankle as Suzanna Macon, Tom Macon's wife and Pearly Mae's half-sister. Often expresses her disdain for Ernestine, her husband's mistress and mother of two of his slave children.
• Johnny Ray Gill^[11] as Sam, a talented carpenter and Rosalee and James's older half-brother.
• PJ Marshall^[14] 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.
• Maceo Smedley as James, Ernestine's youngest child. He is the younger brother of Sam and Rosalee.

Special guests

• Jussie Smollett^[7] as Josey, a slave whose wife was sold through John's firm
• Joseph Sikora^[7] as Frog Jack, a goods seller that made a trade with Noah
• Darius Johnson as extra , party goer on s2e1

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.^[1] Season one was filmed in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.^[15] Season two has currently wrapped up filming in Savannah, Georgia.

Broadcast

In Canada the show was aired on Bravo.

Critical reception

The online review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes gave Underground an average score of 93% for a "Certified Fresh" rating. The series received a score of 74 for "generally favorable" reviews from the online aggregator Metacritic.

Episodes

No.	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	U.S. viewers (millions)
1	"The Macon 7"	Anthony Hemingway	Misha Green & Joe Pokaski	March 9, 2016	1.421[16]
In 1857, a group of slaves on a Georgia plantation make the dangerous decision to journey 600 miles north for the promise of freedom.
2	"War Chest"	Anthony Hemingway	Misha Green & Joe Pokaski	March 16, 2016	0.989[17]
A plantation dance becomes the perfect distraction for a heist while John and Elizabeth step into a strange new world.
3	"The Lord's Day"	Anthony Hemingway	Misha Green & Joe Pokaski	March 23, 2016	0.895[18]
The timetable for escape is agreed upon and Rosalee is tasked with the most important part of the plan.
4	"Firefly"	Anthony Hemingway	Misha Green & Joe Pokaski	March 30, 2016	0.915[19]
A notorious slave hunter tracks the runners as John and Elizabeth face a lethal predicament.
5	"Run & Gun"	Romeo Tirone	Misha Green & Joe Pokaski	April 6, 2016	0.978[20]
The runners’ mad dash to catch a train heading north is complicated at every turn while the Macon slaves are questioned about their plans.
6	"Troubled Water"	Romeo Tirone	Jason Wilborn & Jennifer Yale	April 13, 2016	0.881[21]
The road takes its toll on August, as the runners are trapped in a floating coffin and Ernestine struggles to maintain her influence.
7	"Cradle"	Kate Woods	Misha Green & Joe Pokaski	April 20, 2016	0.946[22]
Innocence is lost when children are forced to face the harsh realities of the world.
8	"Grave"	Kate Woods	Misha Green & Joe Pokaski	April 27, 2016	0.992[23]
As death closes in, the runners' only hope is a suicidal attempt to hide in plain sight. Ernestine faces her worst fear.
9	"Black & Blue"	Tim Hunter	Misha Green & Joe Pokaski	May 4, 2016	0.905[24]
10	"The White Whale"	Tim Hunter	Misha Green & Joe Pokaski	May 11, 2016	1.012[25]

See also

• List of films featuring slavery

References

1. Littleton, Cynthia (February 27, 2015). "WGN America Gives Series Order to Slavery Drama 'Underground'". Variety. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
2. Framke, Caroline WGN's new drama Underground is a tense, terrific history of the Underground Railroad Vox. March 11, 2016
3. Petski, Denise (December 14, 2015). "'Underground' Gets March Premiere Date On WGN America". Deadine Hollywood. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
4. Kissell, Rick. "WGN America Renews 'Underground' for Second Season". Variety.com. Penske Business Media, LLC. Retrieved 28 April 2016.
5. Andreeva, Nellie (February 27, 2015). "Chris Meloni & 3 Others Cast, Kanye West Eyes Music Involvement As 'Underground' Gets WGN America Series Order". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
6. Denise, Petski (March 12, 2015). "Alano Miller Joins WGN America's 'Underground'; Alex Meneses In NBC's 'Telenovela'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
7. Denise, Petski (June 24, 2015). "Melia Kreiling Joins 'Tyrant'; Chris Backus & Jussie Smollett In 'Underground'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
8. Andreeva, Nellie (April 22, 2015). "Marc Blucas Joins WGN America Series 'Underground' In Recasting". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
9. Erik, Pedersen (April 9, 2015). "Reed Diamond Joins 'Underground'; Jake Weber Cast In 'Tyrant'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
10. Erik, Pedersen (April 14, 2015). "Santino Fontana Joins 'Shades Of Blue'; Amirah Vann Cast In 'Underground'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
11. Petski, Denise (October 11, 2015). "Underground': First Images Reveal Keys To Epic Escape In WGN America Drama Series". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
12. Erik, Pedersen (April 15, 2015). "Adina Porter Cast In WGN America's 'Underground'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
13. Erik, Pedersen (April 6, 2015). "Devon Gummersall & Mykelti Williamson Go 'Underground' With WGN America". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
14. Desta, Yohana. "'Underground' is bringing riveting slave stories to television". Mashable. Retrieved February 3, 2016.
15. Denise, Petski (July 29, 2015). "John Legend & Get Lifted Board WGN America's 'Underground' – TCA". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
16. Welch, Alex (March 10, 2016). "Wednesday cable ratings: 'Broad City' falls". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved March 10, 2016.
17. Metcalf, Mitch (March 17, 2016). "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Wednesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 3.16.2016". ShowBuzzDaily. Retrieved March 17, 2016.
18. Metcalf, Mitch (March 24, 2016). "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Wednesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 3.23.2016". ShowBuzzDaily. Retrieved March 24, 2016.
19. Welch, Alex (March 31, 2016). "Wednesday cable ratings: 'Broad City' rises". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved March 31, 2016.
20. Welch, Alex (April 7, 2016). "Wednesday cable ratings: 'Little Women: LA' and 'Broad City' dip". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved April 8, 2016.
21. Welch, Alex (April 14, 2016). "Wednesday cable ratings: NBA Basketball wins the night". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved April 14, 2016.
22. Welch, Alex (April 21, 2016). "Wednesday cable ratings: NBA Playoffs continue to dominate". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved April 30, 2016.
23. Welch, Alex (April 28, 2016). "Wednesday cable ratings: 'Underground' stays steady, NBA playoffs score well". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved April 30, 2016.
24. Metcalf, Mitch (May 5, 2016). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Wednesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 5.4.2016". ShowBuzzDaily. Retrieved May 5, 2016.
25. Metcalf, Mitch (May 12, 2016). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Wednesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 5.11.2016". ShowBuzzDaily. Retrieved May 12, 2016.

External links

• Official website
• Underground at the Internet Movie Database