Unprisoned
Unprisoned | |
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Genre | Comedy |
Created by | Tracy McMillan |
Starring |
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Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
No. of seasons | 1 |
No. of episodes | 8 |
Production | |
Executive producers |
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Production location | Los Angeles, California, USA |
Production companies |
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Original release | |
Network | Hulu |
Release | March 10, 2023 |
UnPrisoned is a comedy 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]
Cast
Main
- Kerry Washington as Paige Alexander, a family and marriage therapist with a large Instagram following. Despite her vocation, she struggles with her personal relationships. Due to her father's frequent imprisonment, she was in and out of various foster homes. She lived with her father's girlfriend Nadine from ages 8–18. She often imagines herself interacting with her "inner child" during stressful situations. Jordyn McIntosh plays young Paige
- Delroy Lindo as Edwin Alexander, Paige's father who has been imprisoned for the past 17 years. He wants to reconcile with his daughter and make a life for himself on the outside. He is a good cook, but struggles to find employment due to his status as an ex-felon. He is a huge flirt and quite successful with the ladies.
- Marque Richardson as Mal, Edwin's case worker. He becomes Paige's boyfriend for several episodes until she ends the relationship.
- Faly Rakotohavana as Finneas "Finn" Alexander, Paige's teenage son. He is biracial and his father is not in his life. He's an introverted gamer with an interest in card games. He bonds with his grandfather despite his mother's objections.
Recurring
- Brenda Strong as Nadine, Edwin's on-again off-again girlfriend. She took care of Paige from ages 8–18 after Edwin's incarceration, and is frustrated by the fact that she never called her "mom." Paige claims that she has a Cluster B personality disorder, but while she may come off as a bit cruel and superficial, she's seems to genuinely love both Edwin and Paige in her own way.
- Jee Young Han as Esti Nelson, Paige's foster sister from Pastor and Mrs. Nelson's home. She has a sassy "tell it like it is" personality and is often Paige's sounding board. She had been married and divorced three times.
- Edwin Lee Gibson as Fox, one of Edwin's friends from before his incarceration. He seems to still be involved in some shady business.
- Tim Daly as Bill, Paige's boyfriend at the beginning of the show. He breaks up with Paige when she pushes for a more "official" relationship.
Episodes
No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
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1 | "Repetition Compulsion" | Kevin Bray | Tracy McMillan | March 10, 2023 |
2 | "How to Be a Main Bitch" | Shiri Appleby | Jen Braeden | March 10, 2023 |
3 | "Are You My Mother Wound?" | Shiri Appleby | Yvette Lee Bowser & Lane Lyle | March 10, 2023 |
4 | "In Dad We Distrust" | Nastaran Dibai | Lauren Caltagirone | March 10, 2023 |
5 | "F**k Normal" | Nastaran Dibai | Miguel Nolla | March 10, 2023 |
6 | "Nigrescence" | Numa Perrier | Peter Saji | March 10, 2023 |
7 | "Unavailably Available" | Numa Perrier | Jen Braeden & Tracy McMillan | March 10, 2023 |
8 | "It's About Who You Want to Be" | Pete Chatmon | Tracy McMillan | March 10, 2023 |
Production
Filming
Production on the second season started on February 2024.[5]
Release
UnPrisoned premiered on March 10, 2023, on Hulu in the United States.[6] 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.[7]
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.[8]
Critical response
The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported an 92% approval rating with an average rating of 7.3/10, based on 12 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."[9] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 75 out of 100 based on 8 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[10]
Daniel D'Addario of
Accolades
Year | Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
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2023 | Black Reel Awards for Television
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Outstanding Comedy Series | Yvette Lee Bowser | Nominated | [15][16] |
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 Series | Numa Perrier | Won | [17][18] |
References
- Looper. Retrieved 2023-06-23.
- Rice, Lynette (2022-05-13). "Onyx Collective Picks Up 'Unprisoned' With Kerry Washington & Delroy Lindo; Comedy Will Stream On Hulu, Star+ & Disney+". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 2023-03-11.
- Andreeva, Nellie (2022-06-07). "'Unprisoned': Marque Richardson Joins Onyx Collective's Comedy Series". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 2023-03-11.
- Petski, Denise (2022-12-16). "'Unprisoned': Faly Rakotohavana & Jordyn McIntosh Join Onyx Collective's Comedy Series". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 2023-03-11.
- Campione, Katie (March 28, 2023). "Kerry Washington Comedy Series 'UnPrisoned' Debuts As Onyx Collective's Most-Watched Hulu Premiere To Date". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 2023-06-23.
- Corrine, Amber (March 29, 2023). "Kerry Washington's 'UnPrisoned' Scores Highest Viewership For Hulu Series Premiere". Vibe. Retrieved 2023-06-23.
- Blexmedia (March 30, 2023). "UnPrisoned Debuts As Onyx Collective's Most-Watched Hulu Premiere To Date". BlexMedia.com. Retrieved 2023-06-23.