Underground is an American period drama television series created by Misha Green and Joe Pokaski about the Underground Railroad in Antebellum Georgia. The show debuted March 9, 2016, on WGN America. On April 25, 2016, WGN renewed the show for a 10-episode second season, that premiered on March 8, 2017. On May 30, 2017, it was announced that WGN had cancelled
the show after two seasons. The cancellation came after the network's parent company Tribune Media was attempting to be purchased by conservative corporation Sinclair Broadcasting Group, which led to speculation that the latter did not approve of the subject matter of the show.
The Oprah Winfrey Network acquired rebroadcast rights for Underground in 2020.
Contents
Cast
Main
Aldis Hodge as Noah, a driven, perceptive, and restless slave on the Macon plantation. He is one of the Macon 7.
Jurnee Smollett-Bell as Rosalee, a young, shy, and sheltered house slave on the Macon plantation. She is one of the Macon 7.
Jessica De Gouw as Elizabeth Hawkes, a socialite with abolitionist ideals.
Alano Miller as Cato, a cunning and charismatic slave. He is one of the Macon 7.
Christopher Meloni as August Pullman, a secretive bounty hunter who walks a tightrope between morality and survival.
Amirah Vann as Ernestine, the head house slave of the Macon plantation, who is fiercely protective of her children. She also uses her sexual relationship with Tom Macon to leverage protection for her children. He is the father of her two children, Rosalee and James. (recurring season 1, main cast season 2)
Recurring
Christopher Backus as Jeremiah Johnson, an ex-con and slave catcher. (season 1)
Marc Blucas as John Hawkes, an abolitionist lawyer.
Reed Diamond as Tom Macon (ne Hawkes), John Hawkes' brother and the owner of the Macon plantation. (season 1)
James Lafferty as Kyle Risdin, a US Marshall and Elizabeth's ex-fiancé. (season 1)
Renwick Scott as Henry, a teenaged slave with a rebellious streak and a heart of gold. He is one of the Macon 7. (season 1)
Chris Chalk as William Still.
Adina Porter 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 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. (season 1)
Theodus Crane as Zeke, a formidable slave in both strength and stature. He is one of the Macon 7. (season 1)
Andrea Frankle as Suzanna Macon, Tom Macon's wife and Pearly Mae's half-sister, who frequently expresses her disdain for Ernestine, her husband's mistress and mother of two of his slave children.
Toby Nichols as Thomas Roberts "T.R." Macon, Tom and Suzanna's son.
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. Season one was filmed in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Season two was filmed in Savannah, Georgia.
Broadcast
In Canada, the show was broadcast on Bravo. Season one was made available on the Australian streaming platform, Stan, in January 2017. In the United Kingdom, the show was broadcast on Sky1.
Episodes
Critical reception
On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the first season of Underground holds an approval rating of 93% with an average score of 7.3/10 based on 30 reviews. The site's critics consensus reads, "Underground blends credible terror with enough compelling thrills to overcome the storyline's occasional cliches." On Metacritic, the first season has a weighted average score of 75 out of 100, based on 32 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Dan Fienberg of The Hollywood Reporter gave the first season a positive review, stating that "Underground is a thriller, an adventure yarn, before it's a Brussels sprouts message drama." Joshua Alston of The A.V. Club gave the series an A− and wrote: "Underground benefits from its deliberate pacing. This is, after all, a heist story, except that the thieves are literally stealing their own bodies. All the components of a tense thriller are here." Mekeisha Madden Toby of The Wrap praising for its story, cast and writing which makes this series worth the investment.
Rotten Tomatoes reported that the second season of Underground holds an approval rating of 100%, with an average score of 7.7/10 based on 10 reviews. The site's critics consensus reads, "Anchored by terrific performances, Underground's sophomore season shows no signs of slipping, tapping into the same sense of urgency without sacrificing its rich characterization." On Metacritic, the second season has a weighted average score of 79 out of 100, based on 4 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".