# Kindred (TV series)

Kindred is an American science fiction television series developed by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins and based on the 1979 novel of the same name written by Octavia E. Butler.
The series premiered with eight episodes on December 13, 2022, on FX on Hulu. In January 2023, the series was canceled after one season.

## Premise

Dana has just moved to Los Angeles to establish a life close to her only remaining family, her Aunt Denise, when she gets pulled back in time to the 19th century plantation in Maryland.
The modern setting is 2016.

## Cast

* Mallori Johnson as Dana James
* Micah Stock as Kevin Franklin
* Ryan Kwanten as Thomas Weylin
* Gayle Rankin as Margaret Weylin
* Austin Smith as Luke
* David Alexander Kaplan as Rufus Weylin
* Sophina Brown as Sarah
* Sheria Irving as Olivia

## Episodes

| No. | Title | Directed by | Teleplay by | Original release date |
| 1 | "Dana" | Janicza Bravo | Branden Jacobs-Jenkins | December 13, 2022 (2022-12-13) |
| 2 | "Sabina" | Amanda Marsalis | Branden Jacobs-Jenkins | December 13, 2022 (2022-12-13) |
| 3 | "Furniture" | Amanda Marsalis | Joy Kecken | December 13, 2022 (2022-12-13) |
| 4 | "The Waiter from Two Nights Ago" | Ayoka Chenzira | Bobak Esfarjani | December 13, 2022 (2022-12-13) |
| 5 | "Winnie" | Ayoka Chenzira | Zenzele Price | December 13, 2022 (2022-12-13) |
| 6 | "Celeste" | Destiny Ekaragha | Joy Kecken & Noah J. Rubenstein | December 13, 2022 (2022-12-13) |
| 7 | "Jane" | Destiny Ekaragha | Matthew Shire | December 13, 2022 (2022-12-13) |
| 8 | "Alice" | Alonso Alvarez-Barreda | Branden Jacobs-Jenkins and Noah J. Rubenstein | December 13, 2022 (2022-12-13) |

## Production and release

In March 2021, FX Productions announced that it had obtained the rights to adapt Octavia Butler's 1979 novel Kindred into a television series developed by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins. Janicza Bravo directed the pilot episode, and Mallori Johnson was cast in the lead role, in her acting debut. The rest of the main cast was revealed in September 2021, adding Micah Stock, Ryan Kwanten, Gayle Rankin, Austin Smith, Antoinette Crowe-Legacy, and David Alexander Kaplan.
After producing the television pilot, FX ordered the show to a full series in January 2022. Filming took place in June 2022 in Rome, Georgia. Twin Shadow provided the score for the series, making his television scoring debut.
Kindred was released on December 13, 2022, on Hulu. On January 30, 2023, the series was canceled after one season.

## Reception
### Critical reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 61% of 33 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.6/10. The website's consensus reads: "Mallori Johnson acquits herself impressively in a difficult role, but the rest of this ambitious adaptation of Octavia E. Butler's seminal novel is less successful in pulling off its tricky tonal balance." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the series a score of 64 out of 100, based on 21 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.

### Accolades

| Year | Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result |
| 2023 | Hollywood Makeup Artist and Hair Stylist Guild Awards | Best Contemporary Hair Styling in Television and New Media Series | Jamie Amadio, Chantell Carrtherol | Nominated |
| 2023 | NAACP Image Awards | Outstanding Breakthrough Creative (Television) | Branden Jacobs-Jenkins | Nominated |
| 2023 | NAACP Image Awards | Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series | Branden Jacobs-Jenkins | Nominated |