# P-Valley

P-Valley is an American drama television series created by Katori Hall. The series is an adaptation of Hall's play Pussy Valley, and follows primarily African-American women working at The Pynk strip club in the Mississippi Delta under the femme non-binary proprietor Uncle Clifford Sayles. P-Valley stars Brandee Evans, Nicco Annan, J. Alphonse Nicholson, and Elarica Johnson. It premiered on Starz on July 12, 2020, and was renewed for a second season two weeks after its premiere. The second season premiered on June 3, 2022. In October 2022, the series was renewed for a third season.
P-Valley has received critical acclaim and garnered nominations from the GLAAD Media Awards, Independent Spirit Awards, TCA Awards, and the NAACP Image Awards.

## Premise

The series follows the lives of employees working at a strip club called The Pynk in the fictional city of Chucalissa, Mississippi.

## Cast
### Main

* Brandee Evans as Mercedes Woodbine, a tough veteran stripper planning to leave The Pynk to open a dance gym
* Nicco Annan as Uncle Clifford Sayles, the non-binary owner and proprietor of The Pynk experiencing financial problems that threaten the club's survival
* Shannon Thornton as Keyshawn Harris / Miss Mississippi, a dancer and influencer experiencing abuse by her boyfriend and father of her children, Derrick
* Elarica Johnson as Hailey Colton / Autumn Night / Lakeisha Savage (seasons 1–2), a hurricane survivor who moves to Chucalissa from Texas after losing her daughter
* Skyler Joy as Gidget, a former dancer at the Pynk
* J. Alphonse Nicholson as LaMarques / Lil Murda, an aspiring rapper and Uncle Clifford's love interest
* Parker Sawyers as Andre Watkins, an associate at a commercial investment company trying to secure land for The Promised Land Casino and Resort
* Harriett D. Foy as Patrice Woodbine, a devout Christian, Mercedes' mother, who is later appointed mayor of Chucalissa
* Tyler Lepley as Diamond (season 1; recurring season 2), The Pynk's bouncer and an Iraq War veteran
* Dan J. Johnson as Corbin Kyle, the co-owner of a valuable piece of land sought for purchase, and the biracial half-brother of Wayne and Wyatt
* Isaiah Washington as Mayor Tydell Ruffin (season 1; guest season 2), Chucalissa's mayor who is determined to bring economic development to the city
* Loretta Devine as Ernestine Sayles (season 1; recurring season 2), Uncle Clifford's grandmother and former owner of Earnestine's Juke Joint, renamed the Pynk
* Morocco Omari as Big L (season 2; recurring season 1), an employee at The Pynk and Uncle Clifford's trusted advisor and righthand man
* Dominic DeVore as Duffy (season 2; recurring season 1), Gidget's ex-boyfriend and Roulette's love interest
* Jordan M. Cox as Derrick Wright (season 2; recurring season 1), Keyshawn's abusive boyfriend
* Psalms Salazar as Whisper (season 2), a new dancer at The Pynk
* Gail Bean as Roulette, a new dancer at The Pynk (season 3; recurring season 2)
* Bertram Williams Jr. as Woddy, Lil Murda's manager (season 3; recurring seasons 1-2)
* Thomas Q. Jones as Mane, the leader of Chief-Fi-Chief gang (season 3; recurring seasons 1-2)

### Recurring

* Brandon Gilpin as DJ Neva Scared, the teenage DJ of The Pynk
* Angela Davis as Eloise (season 1; guest season 2), Mayor Ruffin's assistant and former dancer at the Pynk
* Steve Coulter as Tommy Bailey (season 1; guest season 2), police sheriff
* Azaria Carter as Terricka, Mercedes’ daughter and Patrice's granddaughter
* Helen Goldsby as Shelle, Terricka's adoptive mother. Shelle’s late husband Cortez, was Terricka’s biological father who had an affair with Mercedes despite not knowing she was 15.
* Ashani Roberts as Dr. Britney Seagram-Watkins, Andre's wife
* Josh Ventura as Wayne Kyle, the son of a prominent businessman and co-owner of a cotton plantation. He is the brother of Wyatt and half-brother of Corbin.
* Taylor Selé (season 1) and Sherman Augustus (season 2) as Cedric "Coach" Haynes, Mercedes' frequent client
* Cranston Johnson as Montavius (season 1), Hailey's abusive ex-boyfriend
* Cherokee M. Hall as Extra Extra, a dancer at the Pynk
* Cmayla Neal as Jupiter, a dancer at the Pynk
* Chinet Scott as Brazil, a dancer at the Pynk
* Sharae Monique Williams as Peanut Butter, a dancer at the Pynk
* Melo J as Toy, a dancer at the Pynk
* Joselin Reyes as Maite (season 1), a seamstress for the Pynk dancers
* Blue Kimble as Rome (season 2; guest season 1), a music executive who works with Keyshawn and Lil’ Murda
* John Clarence Stewart as Thaddeus Wilks / Big Teak (season 2), a member of Lil Murda's gang the Hurt Village Hustlas, recently released from prison on parole
* Shamika Cotton as Farrah Haynes (season 2), the wife of Mercedes' frequent client, Coach
* Miracle Watts as Big Bone (season 2), The Pynk's new bartender
* Toni Bryce as Nineveh (season 2; guest season 1), the seamstress for the Pynk dancers
* Nicholas G. Sims as Calvin (season 3), a Chief-fi-Chief gang member
* De’Adre Aziza as Red (season 3), first lady of the Hurt Village Hustlas
* Brandon J. Dirden as Detective Sykes (season 3)
* Moritz J. Williams as Chance (season 3)
* Chaz Hodges as Sage (season 3), a quirky employee who works for Roulette
* Bella Blaq as Elaine (season 3), an bold employee of Roulette's
* Jay Jones as Prince (season 3), the hot tempered leader of the Hurt Village Hustlas
* Mea Wilkerson as Haiku (season 3), a new dancer at the Pynk

### Special Guest

* Megan Thee Stallion as her "Tina Snow" alter ego (season 2)
* Joseline Hernandez as herself (season 2)

## Episodes
### Series overview

| Season | Episodes | Episodes | Originally released | Originally released |
| Season | Episodes | Episodes | First released | Last released |
| 1 | 8 | 8 | July 12, 2020 (2020-07-12) | September 6, 2020 (2020-09-06) |
| 2 | 10 | 10 | June 3, 2022 (2022-06-03) | August 14, 2022 (2022-08-14) |

### Season 1 (2020)

| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | U.S. viewers (millions) |
| 1 | 1 | "Perpetratin'" | Karena Evans | Katori Hall | July 12, 2020 (2020-07-12) | 0.261 |
| 2 | 2 | "Scars" | Kimberly Peirce | Katori Hall | July 19, 2020 (2020-07-19) | 0.216 |
| 3 | 3 | "Higher Ground" | Millicent Shelton | Katori Hall & Liz W. Garcia | July 26, 2020 (2020-07-26) | 0.251 |
| 4 | 4 | "The Trap" | Tamra Davis | Katori Hall | August 2, 2020 (2020-08-02) | 0.260 |
| 5 | 5 | "Belly" | Geeta V. Patel | Katori Hall | August 9, 2020 (2020-08-09) | 0.447 |
| 6 | 6 | "Legacy" | Tasha Smith | Katori Hall & Jacqui Rivera | August 16, 2020 (2020-08-16) | 0.466 |
| 7 | 7 | "Last Call for Alcohol" | Sydney Freeland | Patrik-Ian Polk | August 30, 2020 (2020-08-30) | 0.384 |
| 8 | 8 | "Murda Night" | Barbara Brown | Katori Hall | September 6, 2020 (2020-09-06) | 0.434 |

### Season 2 (2022)

| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | U.S. viewers (millions) |
| 9 | 1 | "Pussyland" | Barbara Brown | Katori Hall | June 3, 2022 (2022-06-03) | 0.243 |
| 10 | 2 | "Seven Pounds of Pressure" | Barbara Brown | Katori Hall | June 12, 2022 (2022-06-12) | 0.247 |
| 11 | 3 | "The Dirty Dozen" | Christine Swanson | Kemiyondo Coutinho | June 19, 2022 (2022-06-19) | 0.175 |
| 12 | 4 | "Demethrius" | Cierra Glaude | Teleplay by : Jocelyn Clarke & Patrik-Ian Polk and Katori Hall Story by : Jocelyn Clarke & Patrik-Ian Polk | June 26, 2022 (2022-06-26) | 0.221 |
| 13 | 5 | "White Knights" | Pamela Romanowsky | Katori Hall | July 3, 2022 (2022-07-03) | 0.183 |
| 14 | 6 | "Savage" | Melanie Mayron | Teleplay by : Nicole Jefferson Asher and Katori Hall Story by : Nicole Jefferson Asher | July 10, 2022 (2022-07-10) | 0.204 |
| 15 | 7 | "Jackson" | Jennifer Arnold | Ian Olympio & Nina Stiefel | July 24, 2022 (2022-07-24) | 0.281 |
| 16 | 8 | "The Death Drop" | Millicent Shelton | Kemiyondo Coutinho & Nina Stiefel | July 31, 2022 (2022-07-31) | 0.244 |
| 17 | 9 | "Snow" | Jenée LaMarque | Katori Hall | August 7, 2022 (2022-08-07) | 0.275 |
| 18 | 10 | "Mississippi Rule" | Katori Hall | Katori Hall | August 14, 2022 (2022-08-14) | 0.367 |

## Production
### Development

P-Valley, a television adaptation of Katori Hall's play Pussy Valley, first went into development at Starz in August 2016 after being shopped around to several networks. On November 26, 2018, it was announced that the network had given a series order to the adaptation with Chernin Entertainment producing the series and Karena Evans set to direct the first episode. The eight-episode first season was made using all women directors.

### Filming

The series is primarily shot in Atlanta, Georgia.
The series premiered on July 12, 2020, and was renewed for a second season on July 27, 2020. Season two had ten episodes with production starting in June 2021. On February 2, 2022, Hall announced that season two would take place a few months after the season one finale and would include the COVID-19 pandemic. The second season premiered on June 3, 2022. On October 20, 2022, Starz renewed the series for a third season.
On May 11, 2023, it was announced that the filming of season three had halted in solidarity with the 2023 WGA strike. Showrunner Katori Hall stated, "Like many of my fellow showrunners, I feel as though my writing & producing duties are inextricably linked. We will not be filming until a fair deal is reached. #WGAStrong." Production of season three resumed a year later, as shared in an announcement on May 8, 2024.
On May 8, 2024, it was announced that production had resumed for season 3 and wrapped in mid-November 2024.

### Casting

On November 26, 2018, Brandee Evans, Nicco Annan, Shannon Thornton, and J. Alphonse Nicholson were cast, with Evans as Mercedes and Annan as Uncle Clifford, and Thornton and Nicholson as series regulars. On February 20, 2019, Parker Sawyers was cast as Andre Watkins, Elarica Johnson was cast as Autumn Night, and Harriett D. Foy was cast as Patrice Woodbine. On March 19, 2019, Tyler Lepley was cast as Diamond and Dan J. Johnson was cast as Corbin Kyle. On April 24, 2019, Isaiah Washington was cast in a recurring role. On June 24, 2019, Loretta Devine was cast in a recurring role and Skyler Joy was cast as Gidget. On June 25, 2019, Thomas Q. Jones was cast in a recurring role. On July 29, 2019, Josh Ventura was cast in a recurring role.
Psalms Salazar and Gail Bean were announced as new cast members for season 2 on February 2, 2022. Morocco Omari, Jordan M. Cox, and Dominic DeVore were promoted to series regulars. John Clarence Stewart, Shamika Cotton, and Miracle Watts were announced as recurring cast members on March 15, 2022. In 2021, Washington announced he would not return for the second season, stating that he had been fired by Lionsgate. Showrunner Katori Hall disputed that Washington was fired in an April 2022 interview with EW. After the season 2 finale it was announced that Elarica Johnson, whose character Autumn Night moved away from Chucalissa, would not return to the series.
Gail Bean, Bertram Williams Jr, and Thomas Q. Jones were promoted to series regulars for season 3. Mea Wilkerson was introduced as a new cast member, playing Haiku, a new dancer at the Pynk." Additional new recurring cast members announced on May 20, 2024 are Nicholas G. Sims, De’Adre Aziza, Brandon J. Dirden, Moritz J. Williams, Chaz Hodges, Bella Blaq and Jay Jones.

### Choreography

Jamaica Craft serves as the show's choreographer. Before becoming a professional choreographer, she started her career dancing for TLC in Atlanta. The show has several body doubles and background dancers including Tess Artiste, Ashley Fox and Judy Gray. Professional exotic dancer Spyda is the stunt double for Brandee Evans.

## Reception
### Critical response

Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported an approval rating of 100% for the first season based on 32 reviews, with an average rating of 8.7/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "A stunning, lyrical piece of neon noir, P-Valley explores the unseen lives of strippers in Mississippi through Katori Hall's singular gaze, celebrating the beauty of the craft without sugarcoating the challenges." On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 85 out of 100 based on 16 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".
Referred to as a Southern Gothic by critics, season one was praised for its portrayal of the Black women strippers' lives. Hannah Giorgis of The Atlantic wrote, "P-Valley is lush, resplendent, and sometimes haunting. All of the women's strife occurs against the backdrop of sweeping southern vistas or kaleidoscopic lighting, often with eerily bouncing beats soundtracking their dances." Similarly, Tambay Obenson reviewed the show for IndieWire, "These are richly crafted characters in what is essentially a quasi-family. It's obvious Hall did her homework, talking to dozens of strippers over six years, to make the production as authentic as possible."
Critics also noted the portrayal of social issues. Eric Deggans stated in a review for NPR, "...between the storylines about domestic abuse and a secret casino project, we see takes on colorism, closeted gay men and the struggle to survive when you're poor, Black and outside polite society in the South."
Brandee Evans' acting received positive reception. Writing for The Ringer, Allison Herman stated, "Evans is more than capable of carrying the show herself, and discovery of a freshly minted actress adds to the thrill." Nicco Annan's portrayal of Uncle Clifford was named to THR's list of Best TV Performances of 2020.
The second season received mainly positive critical reception. It holds an 90% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on ten critic ratings with an average rating of 8.0/10.

### Ratings
#### Season 1

Viewership and ratings per episode of P-Valley :
| No. | Title | Air date | Rating (18–49) | Viewers (millions) | DVR (18–49) | DVR viewers (millions) | Total (18–49) | Total viewers (millions) |
| 1 | "Perpetratin" | July 12, 2020 | 0.06 | 0.261 | — | — | — | — |
| 2 | "Scars" | July 19, 2020 | 0.07 | 0.216 | — | — | — | — |
| 3 | "Higher Ground" | July 26, 2020 | 0.08 | 0.251 | 0.11 | — | 0.19 | — |
| 4 | "The Trap" | August 2, 2020 | 0.11 | 0.260 | 0.09 | — | 0.20 | — |
| 5 | "Belly" | August 9, 2020 | 0.15 | 0.447 | 0.05 | 0.125 | 0.20 | 0.572 |
| 6 | "Legacy" | August 16, 2020 | 0.20 | 0.466 | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD |
| 7 | "Last Call for Alcohol" | August 30, 2020 | 0.16 | 0.384 | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD |
| 8 | "Murda Night" | September 6, 2020 | 0.13 | 0.434 | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD |

#### Season 2

Viewership and ratings per episode of P-Valley :
| No. | Title | Air date | Rating (18–49) | Viewers (millions) |
| 1 | "Pussyland" | June 3, 2022 | 0.08 | 0.243 |
| 2 | "Seven Pounds of Pressure" | June 12, 2022 | 0.08 | 0.247 |
| 3 | "The Dirty Dozen" | June 19, 2022 | 0.07 | 0.175 |
| 4 | "Demethrius" | June 26, 2022 | 0.07 | 0.221 |
| 5 | "White Knights" | July 3, 2022 | 0.07 | 0.183 |
| 6 | "Savage" | July 10, 2022 | 0.06 | 0.204 |
| 7 | "Jackson" | July 24, 2022 | 0.09 | 0.281 |
| 8 | "The Death Drop" | July 31, 2022 | 0.08 | 0.244 |
| 9 | "Snow" | August 7, 2022 | 0.08 | 0.275 |
| 10 | "Mississippi Rule" | August 14, 2022 | 0.10 | 0.367 |

### Awards and nominations

| Award | Year | Category | Nominee(s) | Result |
| Artios Awards | 2022 | Outstanding Achievement in Casting - Television Pilot and First Season - Drama | Billy Hopkins, Ashley Ingram, Kim Coleman, Tara Feldstein, Chase Paris | Nominated |
| Black Reel Awards for Television | 2021 | Outstanding Actress, Drama Series | Brandee Evans | Nominated |
| Black Reel Awards for Television | 2023 | Outstanding Drama Series | P-Valley | Pending |
| Black Reel Awards for Television | 2023 | Outstanding Lead Performance, Drama Series | Nicco Annan | Pending |
| Black Reel Awards for Television | 2023 | Outstanding Supporting Performance, Drama Series | Brandee Evans | Pending |
| Black Reel Awards for Television | 2023 | Outstanding Supporting Performance, Drama Series | J. Alphonse Nicholson | Pending |
| Black Reel Awards for Television | 2023 | Outstanding Guest Performance, Drama Series | Loretta Devine | Pending |
| Black Reel Awards for Television | 2023 | Outstanding Directing, Drama Series | Katori Hall (for "Mississippi Rule") | Pending |
| Black Reel Awards for Television | 2023 | Outstanding Music Supervision | Stephanie Diaz-Matos, Sarah Bromberg & Katori Hall | Pending |
| Black Reel Awards for Television | 2023 | Outstanding Original Song | Megan Thee Stallion & J. Alphonse Nicholson (for "Get It on the Floor") | Pending |
| Black Reel Awards for Television | 2023 | Outstanding Costume Design | Tiffany Hasbourne | Pending |
| Black Reel Awards for Television | 2023 | Outstanding Make Up and Hairstyling | J. Denelle, Arlene Martin | Pending |
| BMI Film & TV Awards | 2021 | Top Television Series Underscore | Matthew Head | Won |
| Dorian Awards | 2021 | Best TV Drama | P-Valley | Nominated |
| GLAAD Media Awards | 2021 | Outstanding Drama Series | P-Valley | Nominated |
| GLAAD Media Awards | 2023 | Outstanding Drama Series | P-Valley | Nominated |
| Gotham Independent Film Awards | 2020 | Breakthrough Series – Long Form | Katori Hall, Dante Di Loreto, Peter Chernin, Jenno Topping and Liz W. Garcia | Nominated |
| Gracie Allen Awards | 2021 | Actress in a Supporting Role - Drama | Shannon Thornton | Won |
| Hollywood Critics Association Creative Arts TV Awards | 2023 | Best Main Title Design | P-Valley | Pending |
| Hollywood Critics Association Creative Arts TV Awards | 2023 | Best Original Song | "Get It On the Floor" | Pending |
| Hollywood Critics Association TV Awards | 2023 | Best Cable Series, Drama | P-Valley | Pending |
| Hollywood Music in Media Awards | 2021 | Best Main Title Theme – TV Show/Limited Series | Jucee Froot and Katori Hall | Nominated |
| Hollywood Music in Media Awards | 2021 | Best Music Supervision – Television | Stephanie Diaz-Matos and Sarah Bromberg | Nominated |
| Independent Spirit Awards | 2021 | Best Male Performance in a New Scripted Series | Nicco Annan | Nominated |
| NAACP Image Awards | 2021 | Outstanding Breakthrough Creative (Television) | Katori Hall | Nominated |
| NAACP Image Awards | 2021 | Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series | Nicco Annan | Nominated |
| NAACP Image Awards | 2021 | Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series | Brandee Evans | Nominated |
| NAACP Image Awards | 2021 | Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series | J. Alphonse Nicholson | Nominated |
| NAACP Image Awards | 2021 | Outstanding Guest Actor or Actress in a Television Series | Loretta Devine | Won |
| NAACP Image Awards | 2021 | Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series | Katori Hall (for "Perpetratin") | Nominated |
| NAACP Image Awards | 2023 | Outstanding Drama Series | P-Valley | Won |
| NAACP Image Awards | 2023 | Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series | Nicco Annan | Won |
| NAACP Image Awards | 2023 | Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series | J. Alphonse Nicholson | Nominated |
| NAACP Image Awards | 2023 | Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series | Brandee Evans | Nominated |
| NAACP Image Awards | 2023 | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series | Loretta Devine | Won |
| NAACP Image Awards | 2023 | Outstanding Soundtrack/Compilation Album | P-Valley: Season 2 (Music from the Original TV Series) – Various Artists (Lions Gate Records) | Nominated |
| Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards | 2023 | Outstanding Contemporary Hairstyling | Arlene Martin, Latoya Kelley Howard, Kasi York, LeVura Geuka, Jason Yancey (for "Snow") | Pending |
| Satellite Awards | 2021 | Best Television Series – Drama | P-Valley | Nominated |
| TCA Awards | 2021 | Outstanding Achievement in Drama | P-Valley | Nominated |
| TCA Awards | 2021 | Outstanding New Program | P-Valley | Nominated |
| Women's Image Network Awards | 2022 | Actress Drama Series | Shannon Thornton (for "White Knight") | Won |
| Women's Image Network Awards | 2022 | Drama Series | P-Valley | Nominated |

## Spin-offs

In March 2024, it was announced that Starz greenlit Down in the Valley, a documentary series about Black American culture in the Deep South inspired by P-Valley. It was described by Digital Spy as a "companion piece" to P-Valley and would be hosted by Nicco Annan, the actor for Uncle Clifford, who is also an executive producer. The series premiered on July 5, 2024.