The 1619 Project (TV series)

The premise of The 1619 Project is that the arrival of the first slave ship in the early American colonies is the "true" national origin story of the United States.[3] 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.[3][1]

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.[3][4] 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.[5] 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.[6][5]

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.[2] 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.[2]

In the docuseries, Hannah-Jones appears both on-camera and in voice-over.[7] 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.[7] Each of the six episodes focuses on a different facet of Black life in America, including "Democracy", "Race", "Fear", "Justice", "Music", and "Capitalism".[8][9]

The 2023 television series received mixed reviews. Several critics acknowledged that "The 1619 Project" might seem overexposed,[10] with Judy Berman of Time magazine saying, "it's fair to ask whether the TV series is overkill" following the publication of the book, the curriculum, and the podcast since the project first launched in 2019.[9] Nevertheless, both Berman and C. T. Jones of Rolling Stone praised the docuseries, with Jones stating, "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."[10]

Acknowledging the right-wing backlash against The 1619 Project, Berman argued that the TV series is "posed to spark fresh controversy" though many of the issues are covered so frequently in the news, "some episodes feel a bit remedial".[9] Similarly, Brian Lowry of CNN noted that the various episodes, with different directors, is characterized by "unevenness ... at times exhibiting a cinematic flair, and in other instances playing like a more conventional documentary about the Black experience."[4] Writing for The Hollywood Reporter, Daniel Fienberg was also critical, concluding that "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".[3]

Most reviews praised Nikole Hannah-Jones's overall performance as host of the series. Berman described her as an "ideal host" with "an appetite for making bold arguments".[9] While acknowledging that Hannah-Jones sometimes "overstretches" and is "expansive to a fault" in her critique, Daniel D'Addario of Variety praised her "skill with interview subjects and her deftness at drawing small but crucial connections."[7] Fienberg concedes 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."[3]

Lowry of CNN argued that "Fear" is the strongest episode, because it traces the mentality of "vigilante-style actions by Whites that have resulted in the death of Black youths" back to "concerns about slave uprisings and controlling the Black population during slavery through the Jim Crow era and into modern policing."[4] Similarly, Berman observed that "at its best, The 1619 Project makes astute – and highly personal – 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."[9]

Writing in The New Yorker, Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor noted that "for most of the series there is very little sense of what anyone can do about any of these conditions, because the overarching emphasis on slavery as the cause of racism blots out any understanding of the ways that change has occurred over time – change that is almost always wrought by social movements composed of ordinary people."[5] Taylor points to two episodes in particular – "Justice" and "Capitalism" – as exceptions, because they offer "hope for a better future".[5]

• The 1619 Project (Hulu)