The series follows Franklin, played by Cynthia Erivo, from her early days in Detroit to global stardom—and doesn’t shy away from the obstacles she faced along the way.
In the first scene of the National Geographic channel’s “Genius: Aretha,” it is 1967, and Aretha Franklin (Cynthia Erivo) has just been crowned the Queen of Soul. But after she walks off the Chicago concert stage in her tiara, she is besieged by reporters bearing questions that are not fit for pop royalty.
Are her children in the audience? What does her father think of her new material? Where is her king? She answers with grace and tact, but when she gets to her dressing room, Franklin leans against a brick wall and sighs. After watching the first few episodes of “Genius: Aretha,” you might feel like sighing, too.
Anchored by Erivo’s fully committed performance and stirring singing, this eight-part miniseries, which debuts today, keeps Franklin in the spotlight at all times. But the focus is less on Franklin’s musical genius than on her turbulent personal life. Despite the resources devoted to the musical numbers, the series is so busy chasing after bad times and questionable men, it has trouble finding the sweet spot where personal pain and powerhouse chops meet and make beautiful music together.
What makes a genius a genius? For show creator Suzan-Lori Parks and director Anthony Hemingway, the answer lies in the way Franklin’s childhood as “Little Re,” the singing-prodigy daughter of the charismatic Rev. C.L. Franklin (Courtney B. Vance), shaped (and twisted) her musical career. The time-shifting episodes jump back and forth between pivotal Little Re moments – her first church solo, her tours of the gospel circuit, her two teen pregnancies – and the stratospheric highs and lows of grown-up Aretha’s life as a hit-making force of nature and a woman with a lot of baggage.
There are times when the synergy produces some moments of biopic magic. We see the Little Re (the phenomenal Shaian Jordan) sharing a piano bench with the Rev. James Cleveland (Omar J. Dorsey), and then we see the adult Aretha translating Cleveland’s style into the percussive playing that would become her signature. Little Re learns to move by watching legendary gospel singer Clara Ward (Tina Fears) from the side of the stage, and grown-up Aretha makes those moves her own. Little Re goes to a juke joint to see Sam Cooke trading gospel for sweaty soul, and then she tucks that nugget away for future reference.
The series portrays the actual people in Franklin’s life, from her talented sisters and formidable father to her collaborators and romantic partners, all played by modern stars including Courtney B. Vance, David Cross, and Rebecca Naomi Jones. Here, get to know the characters and the actors who portray them.
1 Cynthia Erivo as Aretha Franklin
The Grammy and Tony Award winning Erivo—who’s also a Golden Globe and Oscar nominee—stars as Franklin and puts to great use not only her acting chops but also her powerful voice. Her Franklin isn’t yet the iconic singer so many of us know, but instead a talented up and comer who has to learn how to make her way in the world. It’s a powerful portrait of The Queen of Soul coming into her own.2Courtney B. Vance as C.L. Franklin
2 Courtney B. Vance as C.L. Franklin
Vance is a Tony and Emmy winning actor who we recently saw in Lovecraft Country and as Johnnie Cochran in American Crime Story. Here, he plays C.L. Franklin, a minister and activist who was father to Aretha Franklin and her sisters and a powerful force in the singer’s life and career. Their relationship isn’t always easy, but some of the series’ best scenes come from watching Vance and Erivo play out the Franklin family dynamics.
3 David Cross as Jerry Wexler
Arrested Development star Cross plays Wexler, a music producer who’s said to have coined the phrase “rhythm and blues” and who worked extensively with Franklin in the 1960s, producing hits like “Respect” for her.4Rebecca Naomi Jones as Carolyn Franklin
4 Rebecca Naomi Jones as Carolyn Franklin
While she was a successful singer and songwriter on her own, Carolyn Franklin might still be best known for her collaborations—as both a writer and a backup singer—with her sister Aretha. On screen, she’s played by Rebecca Naomi Jones, the Grammy-nominated actress who recently appeared in Oklahoma! on Broadway.
5 Malcolm Barrett as Ted White
Barrett, a veteran of The Boys and Timeless, plays Ted White, Franklin’s first husband and manager. The pair had a creatively fruitful union, co-writing songs like “Think,” but rocky personal relationship and divorced in 1969.6Marque Richardson as King Curtis
6 Marque Richardson as King Curtis
Curtis was a Grammy-winning saxophone player who recorded and played live shows with Franklin and also collaborated with artists including Jimi Hendrix and Buddy Holly. Here, he’s portrayed by Richardson, who fans will recognize from True Blood, The Newsroom, and Dear White People.
7 Stacey Sargeant as Dinah Washington
The singer Dinah Washington was not only a huge influence on Franklin—who, in 1964, recorded an album of her songs as a tribute—but also a family friend. On Genius, Washington is played by Stacey Sargeant, most recently seen in the movie The Forty-Year-Old Version.8Pauletta Washington as Rachel Franklin
8 Pauletta Washington as Rachel Franklin
Family is an essential part of Franklin’s story and that includes her grandmother Rachel, who was among the relatives who helped raise Aretha and her sisters. Here, stage and screen veteran—and a Juilliard-trained musician herself—Pauletta Washington portrays Rachel Franklin.
