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- SHOWTIME
- Oct 4, 2020
- SHOWTIME
- Oct 4, 2020
Summary A young slave named Onion (Joshua Johnson-Lionel) becomes a part of John Brown's (Ethan Hawke) family, interacting with other abolitionists like Frederick Douglass (Daveed Diggs) and eventually the 1859 raid of the Army depot at Harpers Ferry in this limited series adaptation of James McBride's novel of the same name.
- SHOWTIME
- Oct 4, 2020
- SHOWTIME
- Oct 4, 2020
Summary A young slave named Onion (Joshua Johnson-Lionel) becomes a part of John Brown's (Ethan Hawke) family, interacting with other abolitionists like Frederick Douglass (Daveed Diggs) and eventually the 1859 raid of the Army depot at Harpers Ferry in this limited series adaptation of James McBride's novel of the same name.
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Metascore
Universal Acclaim
Based on 25 Critic Reviews
84
100% Positive
25 Reviews
25 Reviews
0% Mixed
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Universal Acclaim
Based on 25 Critic Reviews
84
100% Positive
25 Reviews
25 Reviews
0% Mixed
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
The Good Lord Bird is an unusual thing: a smart, starry treatment of serious historical events that manages to retain a sense of humour without losing heart or gravitas.
Hawke mesmerizes as Brown — excellent casting for a wild-eyed character — and Johnson brings a mix of a child’s innocence and a young man’s recognition of the craziness of the world around him to his sometimes heartbreaking performance as Onion.
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 42 User Ratings
6.5
67% Positive
28 Ratings
28 Ratings
7% Mixed
3 Ratings
3 Ratings
26% Negative
11 Ratings
11 Ratings
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 42 User Ratings
6.5
67% Positive
28 Ratings
28 Ratings
7% Mixed
3 Ratings
3 Ratings
26% Negative
11 Ratings
11 Ratings
Not sure why viewer rating is so low because this is an amazing miniseries. Ethan Hawke is brilliant
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SEASON 1
A boldly entertaining and ultimately moving seven-part limited series, producer and star Ethan Hawke does justice to the legend, and to history. [28 Sep - 11 Oct 2020, p.9]
What matters most is that the series takes a brutish time in history frequently presented dryly out of respect, and dares successfully to capture the uproarious insanity of a righteous, outgunned rebel. Brown's image may not be wholly transformed by this rendition of "The Good Lord Bird," but surely Hawke's work here should elevate our estimation of his skills and how far he's willing to do to resurrect our estimation of figures moldering and, if not forgotten, at least somewhat misconstrued.
It’s startling how many laughs Hawke generates — and, for that matter, how funny The Good Lord Bird is as a whole, given its subject matter. Hawke, Richard, and their other collaborators (among the directors: Albert Hughes, Kevin Hooks, and Haifaa Al-Mansour) have managed to retain the satirical spirit of McBride’s book.
The performances, the production’s gritty authenticity and the high stakes struggle mixed with droll observations about the committed but flawed people engaged in it makes “The Good Lord Bird” the TV event of the fall, and one of the best limited series of the year.
“The Good Lord Bird” shouldn’t work, but somehow the evocatively shot series leaps from the pages of history. And though it might lose its way, in the same meandering fashion as one of Brown’s prayers, writers never forget that the goal is seeing Black people fighting for their freedom.
Excellent show! White supremacists can't appreciate quality, unfortunately.
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SEASON 1
White Supremacist are very angry about this show. That is a very good thing!
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SEASON 1
One of 2020's best shows.
Ethan Hawke is brilliant as the crazy, yet dedicated John Brown in the unique telling of a brutal period of American history.
While most shows about slavery are told in an unsparing manner, this shows manages to do so with some levity and refrains from painting Brown as some perfect white saviour.
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SEASON 1
Almost completely unwatchable, and period piece civil war shoot em ups are right in my wheelhouse. Too much "crazy" repeatedly shoved in your face at the expense of character and story development, blech.
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SEASON 1