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Washington Black

Washington Black

Journey beyond your wildest dreams.

2025Miniseries1 season8 episodes~45 min/epTV-14Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all shows

11-year-old George Washington "Wash" Black embarks on a globe-trotting journey of identity after fleeing a Barbados sugar plantation aboard a flying machine in the company of his master’s eccentric inventor brother.

Your rating, lists and review

Where to watch

Where can I watch Washington Black?

As of October 24, 2026, MovieCove lists Washington Black streaming on Hulu.

Subscription

Highlights

What stands out about Washington Black?

Washington Black earns 4 badges, led by Cult Classic and Preferred by Women.

  • Reception
  • Craft and mood

Reception

Is Washington Black worth watching?

Washington Black's Midcredits score is the 26th percentile of all shows, from 2.9K ratings across 6 sources. 60% liked it (rated it 7 or higher out of 10).

Midcredits score

How well it was received

26th percentile

Better received than 26% of shows

24th percentile among Adventure30th percentile among 2020s
Acclaim (how much people like it)23rd
Approval (how many liked it)32nd

Acclaim

Cult Classic: Rating-distribution shape vs the catalog

How much people like it

64 /100

23rd percentile of all shows

21st percentile among Adventure25th percentile among 2020s

Critics 69 · Audience 63

Critics liked it more than audiences did.

Rating distribution

Big peaks at both ends — people either love this or bounce off it hard.

Approval

How many liked it

60% liked it

32nd percentile of all shows

27th percentile among Adventure36th percentile among 2020s
60% rated it 7–1040% rated it 1–6

Critics 83% · Audience 65%

On Rotten Tomatoes, a bigger share of critics approved than audiences.

Reach

How many have seen it

77th percentile

2.9K ratings across platforms

68th percentile among Adventure79th percentile among 2020s
TMDB popularity, last 155 days to Oct 26Up 43% in 30 days

What reviewers say

Common ground

The show is visually beautiful but tonally uneven and simplified, with a rushed conclusion.

Fans praised

  • Visually spectacular global locations
  • Strong performances from young Wash and cast
  • Refreshing hopeful tone on dark history

Detractors panned

  • Slow, boring pacing and bland tone
  • Underdeveloped characters and weak dialogue
  • Rushed, unconvincing finale

What stands out

CinematographyDivisive82

Stunning global scenery, though some note budget limitations

AtmosphereDivisive78

Beautiful worlds from Arctic to desert; detractors find them underused

ActingDivisive72

Young Wash and supporting cast praised; detractors call some performances wooden

OriginalityDivisive68

Fresh hopeful take on slavery narrative; detractors see clichés

CharactersDivisive45

Wash's arc compelling but supporting cast shallow, some caricatures

Plot and storyDivisive42

Ambitious but uneven, predictable, rushed finale

EndingDivisive35

Rushed, fake-feeling conclusion; fans split

PacingDivisive30

Slow burn that drags; rushed final episode

Preferred by

Women vs men

Preferred by Women

Women scored it 38 points higher than men.

US vs non-US

Preferred by US Viewers

US viewers scored it 34 points higher than non-US viewers.

Episodes

1 season

Miniseries · 2025 · 8 episodes · 3.8 average across 8 rated episodes

  • S1E1

    The Flying Man & the Musician

    Jul 23, 202557 minTMDB rating 3.5
  • S1E2

    Movements of Jah People

    Jul 23, 202552 minTMDB rating 3.8
  • S1E3

    Of Love & Caribbean Rum

    Jul 23, 202537 minTMDB rating 4.7Season best
  • S1E4

    The Souls & Science of Black Folk

    Jul 23, 202545 minTMDB rating 4.1
  • S1E5

    St. George and the Dragon

    Jul 23, 202531 minTMDB rating 3.8
  • S1E6

    Selamiut

    Jul 23, 202542 minTMDB rating 3.6
  • S1E7

    J'ouvert Morning

    Jul 23, 202546 minTMDB rating 3.5
  • S1E8

    If You See My Mama, Whisper Her This...

    Jul 23, 202548 minTMDB rating 3.5Finale

Watch experience

What is Washington Black like to watch?

Conclusions only — categories and positions, no plot detail.

Earnest, serious and charged — a slow-burn watch that leaves you hopeful.

ToneFeelDemandexact position · filled zone: the category

What it asks of you

What it feels like

Moods
HopefulMelancholicTriumphant
Heaviest: middle
Register
WarmRomantic · 7% of shows
Told as
Nonlinear · 5% of shows: Events shown out of chronological order.SerializedSingle-season story
ToneThe show treats its historical adventure with earnest warmth, softening the brutal realities of slavery into a hopeful fairy tale.
The rideThe series carries a consistent hopeful tone underpinned by the melancholy of slavery and loss, with the heaviest emotional stretch in the middle as Wash faces new trials.
StructureThe series uses a retrospective framing, moving between Wash's childhood and his adult life in Nova Scotia.
Episode formatThe series tells one continuous story across its eight episodes, each chapter advancing Wash's journey without self-contained cases.
Season formatThe series is a limited, concluded run with one story arc across its single season.

How it leaves you

what you carry away
HopefulBittersweet
Why it leaves you this wayThe journey leaves a sense of possibility and resilience, tempered by the weight of lost connections and the gap between the fairy tale and historical reality.
How it ends · evidence
Bittersweet ending

Story archetype

where it sits among all shows
Monster — 18% of shows. A threat menaces the hero's world and must be defeated.Rags — 3% of shows. A rise from lowliness to fortune, status, or recognition.Quest — 6% of shows. A journey toward a defined objective, with companions and obstacles.Voyage — 2% of shows. Into a strange world and back again, changed.Comedy — 12% of shows. Confusion and cross-purposes resolved into harmony.Tragedy — 4% of shows. A flaw or fixation drives the protagonist to ruin.Rebirth — 7% of shows. A stalled or darkened life reopened and renewed.Mystery — 8% of shows. A question drives the story — who did it, what happened, what is real — until it is answered.No archetype — 40% of showsPredator — 7% of shows. A creature or killer hunts the protagonists (Jaws, Alien).Tyrant — 3% of shows. A human villain holds power over the hero's world (Die Hard).Invasion — 2% of shows. An external force attacks the home or world (Independence Day).Oppressive state — 3% of shows. A government, its agencies or a secret faction inside them is the monster (V for Vendetta).Corporate villainy — 1% of shows. A company or its bosses are the monster (Erin Brockovich).Institutional injustice — 1% of shows. A court, prison, police force, school or church is itself the enemy (Spotlight).Class system — under 1% of shows. The gap between rich and poor, or a rigid hierarchy, is the monster (Parasite).Technology turns — under 1% of shows. Technology people rely on becomes the threat (The Terminator).Inner demon — 1% of shows. The monster is within — addiction, illness, a dark double.Underdog triumph — 2% of shows. Rise through competition or contest (Rocky).Social ascent — 1% of shows. A climb in class or status (Pretty Woman).Fame and fortune — under 1% of shows. An artistic or showbiz rise (A Star Is Born).Rise and fall — under 1% of shows. Wealth or power gained, self lost (Scarface).Hidden worth revealed — under 1% of shows. The protagonist's true value finally recognized.Treasure hunt — 1% of shows. Retrieve an object of value (Raiders of the Lost Ark).Rescue — 2% of shows. Retrieve or save a person (Saving Private Ryan).Mission — 4% of shows. Accomplish or destroy a defined objective (Mission: Impossible).Journey home — under 1% of shows. The goal is getting back (Finding Nemo).Pilgrimage — under 1% of shows. The journey itself transforms; the destination is symbolic.Portal fantasy — under 1% of shows. Transported into another world (The Wizard of Oz).Fish out of water — 1% of shows. Displaced into an unfamiliar social world (Elf).Survival ordeal — under 1% of shows. Trapped in a hostile environment, fighting back (Cast Away).Time displacement — under 1% of shows. Unstuck in time (Back to the Future).Descent — under 1% of shows. A night-journey into an underworld or subculture (After Hours).Romantic comedy — 2% of shows. Lovers kept apart by confusion, united at last.Comedy of errors — 3% of shows. Mistaken identity or misunderstanding drives the plot.Farce — 2% of shows. Escalating absurd chaos and coincidence (The Hangover).Buddy comedy — 1% of shows. A mismatched pair forced together (Rush Hour).Comedy of manners — 2% of shows. Social codes and class satirized (Clueless).Hubris — 1% of shows. Pride or ambition invites the fall (There Will Be Blood).Obsession — under 1% of shows. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Corruption arc — 1% of shows. Step-by-step moral decay (The Godfather).Doomed love — 1% of shows. Love destroyed by circumstance (Brokeback Mountain).Crushed by fate — 1% of shows. Destroyed by forces beyond the protagonist's control.Redemption — 1% of shows. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Healing — 3% of shows. Recovery from grief or trauma (Good Will Hunting).Liberation — 2% of shows. Breaking free of a confining life (Room).Second chance — 1% of shows. A stagnant life re-opened to love or purpose (Groundhog Day).Puzzle — 1% of shows. A clue-by-clue puzzle you can try to solve before the reveal (Knives Out, Clue).Investigation — 6% of shows. A long pursuit of the truth that may never be fully solved (Zodiac, Memories of Murder).Enigma — 1% of shows. The mystery is what is real, or what is actually happening (Mulholland Drive).QuestRescue
Every story archetype, clockwise from the top
  • Monster 18%: Predator 7% · Tyrant 3% · Invasion 2% · Oppressive state 3% · Corporate villainy 1% · Institutional injustice 1% · Class system under 1% · Technology turns under 1% · Inner demon 1%
  • Rags 3%: Underdog triumph 2% · Social ascent 1% · Fame and fortune under 1% · Rise and fall under 1% · Hidden worth revealed under 1%
  • Quest 6% (this title): Treasure hunt 1% · Rescue 2% (this title) · Mission 4% · Journey home under 1% · Pilgrimage under 1%
  • Voyage 2%: Portal fantasy under 1% · Fish out of water 1% · Survival ordeal under 1% · Time displacement under 1% · Descent under 1%
  • Comedy 12%: Romantic comedy 2% · Comedy of errors 3% · Farce 2% · Buddy comedy 1% · Comedy of manners 2%
  • Tragedy 4%: Hubris 1% · Obsession under 1% · Corruption arc 1% · Doomed love 1% · Crushed by fate 1%
  • Rebirth 7%: Redemption 1% · Healing 3% · Liberation 2% · Second chance 1%
  • Mystery 8%: Puzzle 1% · Investigation 6% · Enigma 1%
  • No archetype 40%

Quest: A journey toward a defined objective, with companions and obstacles. · Rescue: Retrieve or save a person (Saving Private Ryan).

6% of shows fit this archetype

A loose fit — the map only half-holds this one.

Why this archetypeWash's flight from the plantation after a death drives a journey across continents, with his own rescue and self-discovery as the central goal.

What it's about

7 groups · 53 themes
Bonds — 31% of showsSelf — 27% of showsPower — 7% of showsMorality — 11% of showsSurvival — 9% of showsSociety — 10% of showsIdeas — 5% of showsRomantic love — 10% of showsMarriage — 2% of showsFamily bonds — 22% of showsParenthood — 1% of showsFriendship — 18% of showsLoyalty — 7% of showsIdentity — 20% of showsComing of age — 9% of showsAging — under 1% of showsSelf-worth — 7% of showsAmbition — 14% of showsPurpose — 16% of showsMemory — 3% of showsObsession — 2% of shows. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Power — 5% of showsCorruption — 3% of showsGreed — 2% of showsClass — 4% of showsOppression — 2% of showsFreedom — 4% of showsJustice — 14% of showsDuty — 2% of showsRevenge — 1% of showsGuilt — 1% of showsRedemption — 3% of shows. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Forgiveness — under 1% of showsSacrifice — 2% of showsBetrayal — 3% of showsDeception — 6% of showsSurvival — 12% of showsWar — 1% of showsViolence — 2% of showsMortality — 2% of showsGrief — 4% of showsTrauma — 5% of showsMental illness — under 1% of showsAddiction — under 1% of showsIllness and disability — under 1% of showsCommunity — 25% of shows. Consequences reach a town, institution or group.Isolation — 3% of showsPrejudice — 2% of showsDisplacement — 1% of showsFaith — 1% of showsTradition vs change — 3% of showsFame — 5% of showsLegacy — 3% of showsFate — 1% of showsFree will — under 1% of showsTruth — 6% of showsHope — 4% of showsNature — 3% of showsArt — 2% of showsTechnology — 1% of showsSelfPurposeSelf
Every theme, clockwise from the top
  • Bonds 31%: Romantic love 10% · Marriage 2% · Family bonds 22% · Parenthood 1% · Friendship 18% · Loyalty 7%
  • Self 27% (this title): Identity 20% (this title) · Coming of age 9% · Aging under 1% · Self-worth 7% · Ambition 14% · Purpose 16% (this title) · Memory 3% · Obsession 2%
  • Power 7%: Power 5% · Corruption 3% · Greed 2% · Class 4% · Oppression 2% · Freedom 4% (this title)
  • Morality 11%: Justice 14% · Duty 2% · Revenge 1% · Guilt 1% · Redemption 3% · Forgiveness under 1% · Sacrifice 2% · Betrayal 3% · Deception 6%
  • Survival 9%: Survival 12% · War 1% · Violence 2% · Mortality 2% · Grief 4% · Trauma 5% · Mental illness under 1% · Addiction under 1% · Illness and disability under 1%
  • Society 10%: Community 25% · Isolation 3% · Prejudice 2% · Displacement 1% · Faith 1% · Tradition vs change 3% · Fame 5% · Legacy 3%
  • Ideas 5%: Fate 1% · Free will under 1% · Truth 6% · Hope 4% · Nature 3% · Art 2% · Technology 1%

Self

PurposeFreedom · 4% of showsIdentity
Interrogates its theme: Questions its theme without settling the answer.Intimate stakes: Consequences reach a person or a household.Single lead
How it treats its themeWash's journey from enslaved boy to free man is a search for meaning and self-determination, exploring who he can become outside the bounds of slavery.
StanceThe series examines what freedom and purpose mean for Wash personally, questioning the possibility of self-determination within historical oppression without celebrating or condemning outright.

The world

19th centuryRuralWildernessUrbanStylized realism
Orchestral modernSupportive music · original score
SettingBarbados sugar plantation and globe-trotting locations in the 1830s

Content guide

Is Washington Black okay for kids?

TV-14

Washington Black is rated TV-14. As of August 19, 2026, Midcredits content scores put its violence at moderate (50/100), sexual content at mild (33/100), language at moderate (52/100), drug and alcohol content at moderate (50/100) and frightening material at moderate (50/100). None has enough votes to rank yet.

Ratings in 24 other countries
  • Canada14+
  • AustraliaM
  • Germany12
  • France16
  • Ireland16
  • South Korea15
  • Brazil14
  • Austria12
  • Belgium16
  • BG16
  • FinlandK16
  • Greece16
  • Hungary16
  • LU16
  • Netherlands12
  • Poland16
  • Portugal16
  • Russia16+
  • SingaporeNC16
  • South Africa16
  • Spain16
  • Switzerland12
  • Taiwan15+
  • Türkiye18+
Overall
Moderate · all five categories
not ranked
Violence & Gore
Moderate
too few votes to rank (4 votes)
Sex & Nudity
Mild
too few votes to rank (6 votes)
Profanity
Moderate · audience split: No severity level holds a majority of voters
too few votes to rank (7 votes)
Alcohol & Drugs
Moderate
too few votes to rank (4 votes)
Frightening / Intense
Moderate · audience split: No severity level holds a majority of voters
too few votes to rank (6 votes)

Too few votes to rank this title overall (27 votes across 5 categories; ranking needs 10 in at least three).

Source: Midcredits content scores, 0 (none) to 100 (severe) per category, with each standing ranked against other shows that have them.

What content warnings does Washington Black have?

Not screened for content warnings yet.

Cast and crew

Who is in Washington Black?

Cast

Ernest Kingsley Junior
as George Washington 'Wash' Black
Screen debut: No prior film or television role.
Rupert Graves
as Mr. Goff
Iola Evans
as Tanna Goff
Newcomer: A standing when this show came out that sits in the bottom quarter of working actors today.
Edward Bluemel
as William McGee
Sharon Duncan-Brewster
as Miss Angie
Top draw: One of the 3 biggest draws in this cast: billing here weighted by career star power.
Eddie Karanja
as Young Washington Black
Newcomer: A standing when this show came out that sits in the bottom quarter of working actors today.
Tom Ellis
as Christopher 'Titch' Wilde
Top draw: One of the 3 biggest draws in this cast: billing here weighted by career star power.
Sterling K. Brown
as Medwin Harris
Veteran: 15 or more years in, with as much work as the typical long-career actor.Top draw: One of the 3 biggest draws in this cast: billing here weighted by career star power.
Billy Boyd
as Willard
Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine
as Gaius

Crew

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