Black Cake (TV series)
2023 American TV series
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Black Cake is an American drama television series.[1] It is based on Charmaine Wilkerson's novel of the same name and premiered on Hulu in 2023.[2] It stars Chipo Chung, Mia Isaac, Adrienne Warren, Ashley Thomas and Glynn Turman.[3] The show is produced by Harpo Productions and shows Oprah Winfrey as one of the main executive producers.[4][5] It received generally positive reviews from critics.[6][7] Black Cake was canceled after one season.[8]
by Charmaine Wilkerson
- Mia Isaac
- Adrienne Warren
- Chipo Chung
- Ashley Thomas
- Lashay Anderson
- Faith Alabi
- Glynn Turman
| Black Cake | |
|---|---|
| Created by | Marissa Jo Cerar |
| Based on | Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson |
| Starring |
|
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 8 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
|
| Running time | 54–61 minutes |
| Production companies |
|
| Original release | |
| Network | Hulu |
| Release | November 1 – December 6, 2023 |
Premise
Two siblings learn about their late mother's dark past after she leaves her recordings to them.
Cast
Main
- Chipo Chung as Eleanor Bennett
- Mia Isaac as Coventina "Covey" Lyncook
- Adrienne Warren as Benny Bennett
- Ashley Thomas as Byron Bennett
- Lashay Anderson as Bunny Pringle
- Faith Alabi as Pearl Thomas
- Glynn Turman as Charles Mitch
- Ahmed Elhaj as Gibbs Grant
Recurring
- Jade Eshete as Mathilda
- Jeremiah Birkett as Bert Bennett
- Rupert Evans as Everett
- Samuel Lorenzo Bulgin as Percival Henry
- Anthony Mark Barrow as Clarence "Little Man" Henry
- Simon Wan as Lin
- Karise Yansen as Eleanor "Elly" Douglas
- Elliot Cowan as Steve
- Sonita Henry as Mabel Mathilda Martin
Episodes
| No. | Title | Directed by | Teleplay by | Original release date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Covey" | Natalia Leite | Marissa Jo Cerar | November 1, 2023 |
| 2 | "Coventina" | Natalia Leite | Teleplay by : Heather Jeng Bladt Story by : Marissa Jo Cerar & Heather Jeng Bladt | November 1, 2023 |
| 3 | "Eleanor" | Natalia Leite | Marissa Jo Cerar & Ihuoma Ofordire | November 1, 2023 |
| 4 | "Mrs. Bennett" | Tara Nicole Weyr | Kara Smith | November 8, 2023 |
| 5 | "Mother" | Tara Nicole Weyr | Hayley Tyler | November 15, 2023 |
| 6 | "Ma" | Mario Van Peebles | Yasmin Almanaseer | November 22, 2023 |
| 7 | "Birth Mother" | Zetna Fuentes | Marissa Jo Cerar & Hayley Tyler | November 29, 2023 |
| 8 | "Nine Night" | Zetna Fuentes | Marissa Jo Cerar | December 6, 2023 |
Release
Reception
Critical response
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 93% of 15 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.80/10. The website's consensus reads: "Cleverly plotted and viscerally well-acted, Black Cake is an engrossing drama that can have its surprising twists and eat them, too."[11] On Metacritic, the series has a score of 68 out of 100, based on 9 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[12]
Ronda Racha Penrice of TheWrap described Black Cake as groundbreaking and entertaining, praised the performances of the cast, and said, "It cracks open the door for never-ending narrative possibilities for truly diverse and dynamic stories."[13] Judy Berman of Time stated Black Cake is one of the few examples of a show in which the "floridly emotional tone serves the story," praised the performances of the actors, and complimented how the television series approaches the concept of family secrets. [14]
Accolades
Black Cake was one of 200 television series that received the ReFrame Stamp for the years 2023 to 2024. The stamp is awarded by the gender equity coalition ReFrame and industry database IMDbPro for film and television projects that are proven to have gender-balanced hiring, with stamps being awarded to projects that hire female-identifying people, especially women of color, in four out of eight key roles for their production.[15][16]
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Black Reel Awards | Outstanding Drama Series | Black Cake | Nominated | [17] |
| Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series | Nominated | ||||
| GLAAD Media Awards | Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series | Nominated | [18] | ||
| Humanitas Prize | Drama Teleplay | Marissa Jo Cerar | Won | [19][20] | |
| NAACP Image Awards | Outstanding Drama Series | Black Cake | Nominated | [21][22] | |
| Outstanding Writing in a Dramatic Series | Marissa Jo Cerar | Nominated |