Limited Series – The Underground Railroad

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1:59

2021

Drama

History

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Popcornmeter

94%

Tomatometer

109 Reviews

76%

Popcornmeter

250+ Ratings

After escaping a Georgia plantation, Cora boards a train embarking on a harrowing trip as she seeks true freedom while being hunted by a notorious slave catcher.

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Critics Consensus

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.

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Eric Deggans

NPR

An emotional journey that touched every nerve of what it feels like to be a person of color striving to matter in America.

Dec 9, 2021

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Benji Wilson

Daily Telegraph (UK)

This is momentous, rhapsodic film-making that pushes television to places it has never been before. Get on board.

Rated: 5/5

Dec 9, 2021

Full Review

Lorraine Ali

Los Angeles Times

The brutal reality of slavery, the fantastical storytelling of a Pulitzer Prize-winning author and the cinematic poetry of an Oscar-winning director meet in Amazon Prime Video's "The Underground Railroad."

Dec 9, 2021

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Chris Robe

PopMatters

In addition to offering spaces for beauty and intimacy, The Underground Railroad series also deeply respects its Black characters’ varying points of view.

Jun 28, 2024

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Jeff Beck

The Blu Spot

The narrative may stray every now and again, but it doesn't stop this ten-hour epic from being a riveting experience that's easily worth the extensive time investment.

Rated: 3.5/5

Jun 24, 2024

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Jennifer Bisset

CNET

Tapping magical realism and a superb cast, including Thuso Mbedu and William Jackson Harper, The Underground Railroad is an emotional and chilling triumph.

Mar 30, 2023

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Audience Member

Top Notch Acting Performances from Thuso, Chase, and of course Edgerton!! Stunning cinematography, set design, and filming. You’re bound to feel deeply throughout each episode. Hopefully productions like these can help process ancestral trauma & dissolve hate.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/14/24

Full Review

Brett W

Holy smokes... it was an excruciatingly painful, nerve-shreddingly tense, hopeful, heartbreaking, hypnotic, thought-provoking, nauseating, sometimes beautiful, and ultimately human story that puts a fantastical, surrealist spin on our bloody history. That haunting score from Nicholas Britell is unforgettable, truly one of the most powerful I've ever experienced in the medium of television. Defying even my highest expectations, Barry Jenkins has crafted another glorious masterwork that's difficult to watch but absolutely pivotal viewing.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/07/24

Full Review

Gareth v

Brutal, moving and at times beautiful, this adaption by Barry Jenkins is a must see. At times this show was that powerful that I found it difficult to binge watch and needed a break from it's sheer intensity. The acting and direction are superb and if there is any criticism it is that it is long and could of been an episode or two shorter.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

06/23/23

Full Review

Audience Member

A remarkable book im told, this series is akin to watching a chinese movie without subtitles to an English only speaking audience, incoherent at best, disjointed, all the gear no idea.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

01/09/23

Full Review

tom m

Well done. I think I've become saturated with the stories of the incredible injustice, racism and general heinous behavior of that period of our history.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

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Audience Member

Like the book, a revelation, but a thing of great beauty itself.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/09/23

Full Review

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Thuso Mbedu

Cora

Chase W. Dillon

Homer

Joel Edgerton

Ridgeway

Aaron Pierre

Caesar

Amber Gray

Gloria Valentine

Fred Hechinger

Young Ridgeway

Episode 1

Aired May 14, 2021

Chapter 1: Georgia

When Caesar convinces Cora to escape from Randall plantation, their lives are irrevocably changed; the underground railroad takes Caesar and Cora on an unexpected journey.

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Episode 2

Aired May 14, 2021

Chapter 2: South Carolina

A seemingly paradise of progress and racial harmony hides dark secrets; the secrets of "Bessie" and "Christian"; bounty hunter Arnold Ridgeway begins his pursuit of Cora.

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Episode 3

Aired May 14, 2021

Chapter 3: North Carolina

After arriving to a dangerous small town in North Carolina, Cora must hide in an abolitionist's attic while putting everyone's lives in danger.

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Episode 4

Aired May 14, 2021

Chapter 4: The Great Spirit

A young Arnold Ridgeway comes of age while testing his belief in The Great Spirit.

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Episode 5

Aired May 14, 2021

Chapter 5: Tennessee - Exodus

Captured by Ridgeway, Cora is forced to travel across the barren inferno of Tennessee; Cora shares the perilous journey with Jasper, a noble runaway filled with inner-strength.

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Episode 6

Aired May 14, 2021

Chapter 6: Tennessee - Proverbs

For Arnold Ridgeway, a journey home reveals that "the past is not past"; a chance encounter with a freedman named Royal gives Cora new hope.

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Episode 7

Aired May 14, 2021

Chapter 7: Fanny Briggs

The fire burns.

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Episode 8

Aired May 14, 2021

Chapter 8: Indiana Autumn

Royal brings Cora to Valentine Farm, a thriving Black community and vineyard on the bountiful Indiana frontier; carrying the scars of her journey, Cora struggles to find peace.

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Episode 9

Aired May 14, 2021

Chapter 9: Indiana Winter

Cora's presence ignites tensions amongst the Valentine community; just as Cora was beginning to feel at home, chaos reigns.

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Episode 10

Aired May 14, 2021

Chapter 10: Mabel

A tale of motherhood; the beginning is the end is the beginning for both mother and daughter.

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