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The 1619 Project (TV series)

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For other adaptations, see The 1619 Project (disambiguation).

The 1619 Project
Promotional artwork
GenreDocuseries
Presented byNikole Hannah-Jones
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of episodes6
Production
Executive producers
  • Oprah Winfrey
  • Nikole Hannah-Jones
  • Shoshana Guy
  • Roger Ross Williams
  • Kathleen Lingo
  • Caitlin Roper
Production companies
Original release
NetworkHulu
ReleaseJanuary 26 (2023-01-26) –
February 9, 2023 (2023-02-09)

The 1619 Project is an American documentary television miniseries created for Hulu. It is adapted from The 1619 Project, a New York Times Magazine journalism project focusing on slavery in the United States, which was later turned into the anthology The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story.[1][2] Hosted by project creator Nikole Hannah-Jones, the executive producer of the docuseries is Oprah Winfrey.[3][4] The series is a six-episode program produced by Lionsgate Television and was released on Hulu on January 26, 2023.[5][6] It received generally positive reviews from critics.

Development

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Background

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The 1619 Project premiered in The New York Times in 2019. It focused on the arrival of the first slave ship in the early American colonies as the starting point for a different national origin story of the United States.[7] In exploring this thesis, the project aims to demonstrate that slavery has shaped every aspect of American life since then, from policing to justice to capitalism, and that recognition of this fact is essential for social progress.[7][8]

The project debuted as a collection of essays in The New York Times Magazine in August 2019 – the 400th anniversary of the introduction of Black slavery to America.[7][9] While project creator Nikole Hannah-Jones was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Commentary for her introductory essay, the original project also met with criticism from across the political spectrum, with many historians disputing its original claim that protecting slavery was a major motivation behind the American Revolutionary War.[10] The New York Times eventually qualified that specific claim to say that it was a motivating factor for "some" colonists, while maintaining that the legacy of slavery is pervasive in shaping modern American life.[11][10]

According to Jake Silverstein, editor-in-chief of The New York Times Magazine, work on turning the content into a television documentary began more than three years before its release.[12] Following the success of the original project, which was published in the magazine, in a special broadsheet section, and as a podcast, the project aimed to reimagine the series in a new format and reach millions of viewers.[12]

Format

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In the docuseries, Hannah-Jones appears both on-camera and in voice-over.[13] The episodes shift between interviews, analyses of American history and culture, and Hannah-Jones's own personal story as a biracial woman growing up in the United States.[13] Each of the six episodes focuses on a different facet of Black life in America, including "Democracy", "Race", "Music", "Capitalism", "Fear," and "Justice".[14][15]

Release

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The 1619 Project premiered on Hulu on January 26, 2023.[16][17] It was released internationally in the Star hub on Disney+ and on Star+ in Latin America.[18][19] It made its linear premiere on ABC in the United States on May 31, 2023.[20][21]

Reception

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Critical response

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The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 93% approval rating with an average rating of 8.6/10, based on 15 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "Presented with a personal touch by host Nikole Hannah-Jones, The 1619 Project is a comprehensive and often eye-opening treatise on American history."[22] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 67 out of 100 based on 7 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[23]

Daniel D'Addario of Variety praised the performance of Nikole Hannah-Jones, and called the television series a "genuinely impressive assemblage of American stories."[13] C. T. Jones of Rolling Stone stated, "It succeeds both technically and as a piece of art, skillfully weaving shots of Black Americans with firsthand accounts, explanations, interviews and stories that have been consistently omitted from the historical record."[24] Judy Berman of Time described Nikole Hannah-Jones as an "ideal host" with "an appetite for making bold arguments," and said, "The 1619 Project makes astute connections between the antebellum and pre-civil-rights past, and a present in which Black Americans still disproportionately face police violence, workplace exploitation, and other forms of inequality," while acknowledging the right-wing backlash against The 1619 Project, arguing that the television series is "posed to spark fresh controversy."[25]

Brian Lowry of CNN asserted, "The 1619 Project basically provides an extended taste of what made the Times' effort both celebrated and controversial, earning Hannah-Jones the Pulitzer Prize in the process. As constructed, it certainly doesn't lack for ambition, which as a TV production turns out to be a source of weakness as well as its strength, even among those willing to hear it."[9] Daniel Fienberg of The Hollywood Reporter said that The 1619 Project is "most effective when it feels most personal," noting the imprint of Hannah-Jones's own personal story at its core, while observing that the 55-minute episode format feels rushed "with little autobiographical notes scattered in," and added, "Hulu's adaptation remains cogent and persuasive, but in failing to sufficiently adapt its storytelling to the visual demands and possibilities of TV, it fails to make itself essential", and that "each episode feels like the summarizing of an essay".[7] Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor of The New Yorker called The 1619 Project a "fascinating and incomplete project," saying, "Nikole Hannah-Jones's documentary series offers a damning portrait of American racism, but its emphasis on the past at times obscures the complexity of the present."[10]

Accolades

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The series was nominated for Best TV Documentary Or Documentary Series at the 2023 Dorian TV Awards.[26][27] It was nominated for Outstanding Documentary at the 2023 Black Reel Awards for Television Awards.[28][29]

References

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  1. ^ Johnson, Zack (January 26, 2023). "Nikole Hannah-Jones Talks Turning The 1619 Project into a Hulu Docuseries". D23. Retrieved June 27, 2023.
  2. ^ Hoskin, Maia Niguel (January 25, 2023). "Hulu Releases Nikole Hannah-Jones' Critically Acclaimed 'The 1619 Project; Highlighting Her Courage In Reframing America's History". Forbes. Retrieved June 27, 2023.
  3. ^ "Oprah set to adapt 'The 1619 Project' examining the legacy of slavery with Lionsgate". USA Today. July 8, 2020. Retrieved June 27, 2023.
  4. ^ Muhammad, Latifah (January 27, 2023). "'The 1619 Project': How to Watch the Docuseries Online". Billboard. Retrieved June 27, 2023.
  5. ^ Rice, Lynette (January 14, 2023). "'The 1619 Project': Hulu Announces Premiere Date For Docuseries From Nikole Hannah-Jones". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 27, 2023.
  6. ^ "Hulu Original Docuseries 'The 1619 Project' From Lionsgate And Pulitzer Prize-Winning Journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones To Premiere Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023". The New York Times Company. December 15, 2022. Retrieved June 27, 2023.
  7. ^ a b c d Fienberg, Daniel (January 18, 2023). "'The 1619 Project' Review: Nikole Hannah-Jones' Groundbreaking Initiative Gets a Frustrating Hulu Adaptation". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on February 24, 2023. Retrieved February 24, 2023.
  8. ^ Roberts, Robin (January 25, 2023). "Nikole Hannah-Jones Talks 'The 1619 Project'". Good Morning America. American Broadcasting Company. Archived from the original on February 24, 2023. Retrieved February 24, 2023.
  9. ^ a b Lowry, Brian (January 25, 2023). "'The 1619 Project' translates the Times' sweeping undertaking to Hulu". CNN. Archived from the original on March 31, 2023. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
  10. ^ a b c Taylor, Keeanga-Yamahtta (February 28, 2023). "Hulu's Fascinating and Incomplete '1619 Project'". The New Yorker. Archived from the original on March 31, 2023. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
  11. ^ Bridges, C. A. (January 27, 2023). "What is 'The 1619 Project' and why has Gov. DeSantis banned it from Florida schools?". Tallahassee Democrat. The Daytona Beach News-Journal. Archived from the original on January 28, 2023. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
  12. ^ a b Silverstein, Jake (January 26, 2023). "A New Expansion of The 1619 Project". The New York Times Magazine. Archived from the original on February 16, 2023. Retrieved February 24, 2023.
  13. ^ a b c D'Addario, Daniel (January 18, 2023). "'The 1619 Project' Is a Broad, Admirable Reframing of Our History From Nikole Hannah-Jones: TV Review". Variety. Archived from the original on February 24, 2023. Retrieved February 24, 2023.
  14. ^ Venable, Malcolm (January 20, 2023). "Hulu's 'The 1619 Project' Paints Creator Nikole Hannah-Jones and American History in a New Light". Shondaland. Retrieved June 27, 2023.
  15. ^ Lewis, Erianne (January 26, 2023). "The 1619 Project Premiere: Grade Hulu's Series About Untold American History". TVLine. Archived from the original on February 27, 2023. Retrieved January 26, 2023.
  16. ^ Warrier, Vishnu (January 26, 2023). "The 1619 Project release date and time on Hulu". Sportskeeda. Retrieved June 27, 2023.
  17. ^ Donnelly, Jim (January 31, 2023). "Watch the Limited Docu-Series "The 1619 Project" Exclusively on Hulu | What's On Hulu". ABC. Retrieved June 27, 2023.
  18. ^ Panaligan, E. J. (December 15, 2022). "'The 1619 Project' Hulu Limited Docuseries Set for January Premiere (TV News Roundup)". Variety. Retrieved June 27, 2023.
  19. ^ Kocan, Liz (January 13, 2023). "How to watch 'The 1619 Project' on Hulu this month". USA Today. Retrieved June 27, 2023.
  20. ^ ABC.com (May 12, 2023). "Watch the Broadcast Premiere of 'The 1619 Project,' the Hulu Originals Docu-Series, Wednesday, May 31 on ABC | ABC Updates". ABC. Retrieved June 27, 2023.
  21. ^ Manning, Luke (May 12, 2023). "Two Episodes of Hulu's "The 1619 Project" to Air Wednesday, May 31st on ABC". LaughingPlace.com. Retrieved June 27, 2023.
  22. ^ "The 1619 Project (2023)". Rotten Tomatoes.
  23. ^ "The 1619 Project". Metacritic.
  24. ^ Jones, C. T. (January 26, 2023). "Hulu's 'The 1619 Project' Is the American History the GOP Wants Us to Forget". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on March 2, 2023. Retrieved March 2, 2023.
  25. ^ Berman, Judy (January 26, 2023). "A New Docuseries Reveals How Much More the Embattled 1619 Project Has Left to Say". Time. Archived from the original on February 27, 2023. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
  26. ^ Coates, Tyler (June 26, 2023). "'Succession,' 'Abbott Elementary,' 'The Other Two' Among Dorian TV Award Winners". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 27, 2023.
  27. ^ Petski, Denise (June 26, 2023). "'Succession', 'Abbott Elementary' Top 2023 Dorian TV Awards Winners List". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 27, 2023.
  28. ^ "2023 Black Reel TV Award Nominees". Black Reel Awards. Retrieved June 27, 2023.
  29. ^ 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 June 27, 2023.
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