# Blindspotting (TV series)

Blindspotting is an American comedy-drama television series and a spin-off sequel of the 2018 film of the same name. Set six months after the events of the film, the series follows Ashley, who is forced to move in with the mother of Miles, her boyfriend and father of her son, after he is suddenly incarcerated. The series co-stars Jaylen Barron, Candace Nicholas-Lippman, Benjamin Earl Turner, and Atticus Woodward.
The series was created and executive produced by Rafael Casal and Daveed Diggs, writers, producers and lead stars of the original film, with Casal also acting as showrunner. Keith Calder, a producer on the original film, is also an executive producer, as well as actress Jasmine Cephas Jones. It premiered on June 13, 2021 on Starz. In October 2021, the series was renewed for a second season which premiered on April 14, 2023. In September 2023, the series was canceled after two seasons.

## Plot

Six months after the events in the film of the same name, Miles, Ashley's partner of 12 years and father of their son, is suddenly incarcerated, and the situation leaves her to navigate a chaotic and humorous existential crisis when she and her son Sean are forced to move in with Miles' mother and half-sister.

## Cast
### Main

* Jasmine Cephas Jones as Ashley Rose
* Jaylen Barron as Trish
* Candace Nicholas-Lippman as Janelle
* Benjamin Earl Turner as Earl
* Atticus Woodward as Sean
* Rafael Casal as Miles (season 2; recurring season 1)

### Recurring

* Helen Hunt as Rainey
* Justin Chu Cary as Rob
* April Absynth as Jacque Basco
* Margo Hall as Nancy
* Andrew Chapelle as Scotty
* Lil Buck as Buck
* Jon Boogz as Boogz
* Anthony Ramos as Yorkie
* Lance Cameron Holloway as Cuddie
* Leland Orser as Carl
* Daveed Diggs as Collin
* Katlynn Simone Smith as Teena (season 2)
* Tamera Tomakili as June (season 2)
* Chase Williamson as Mikey (season 2)
* Tim Chantarangsu as Freddy (season 2)

### Guest stars

* Utkarsh Ambudkar as Niles Turner
* Blake Anderson as Date
* LeVar Burton as Earl's father (season 2)
* Susan Park as Kim (season 1)
* Stephen Root as Rick (season 1)
* E-40 as himself (season 2)
* P-Lo as himself (season 2)
* Too $hort as himself (season 2)
* Dante Basco as Dante Basco, Jacque's father and a version of himself
* Joe Taslim as Mustafa (season 2)

## Episodes
### Series overview

| Season | Episodes | Episodes | Originally released | Originally released |
| Season | Episodes | Episodes | First released | Last released |
| 1 | 8 | 8 | June 13, 2021 (2021-06-13) | August 8, 2021 (2021-08-08) |
| 2 | 8 | 8 | April 14, 2023 (2023-04-14) | May 26, 2023 (2023-05-26) |

### Season 1 (2021)

| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | U.S. viewers (millions) |
| 1 | 1 | "The Ordeal" | Seith Mann | Rafael Casal & Daveed Diggs | June 13, 2021 (2021-06-13) | N/A |
| 2 | 2 | "Smashley Rose" | Seith Mann | Rafael Casal & Daveed Diggs | June 20, 2021 (2021-06-20) | N/A |
| 3 | 3 | "The Rule of Three" | Aurora Guerrero | Priscila Garcia-Jacquier | June 27, 2021 (2021-06-27) | N/A |
| 4 | 4 | "The Four Hustlateers" | Aurora Guerrero | Rafael Casal & Daveed Diggs | July 4, 2021 (2021-07-04) | N/A |
| 5 | 5 | "Beaches Be Trippin" | Erin Feeley | Alanna Brown | July 18, 2021 (2021-07-18) | N/A |
| 6 | 6 | "Ghost Dad" | Pete Chatmon | Nijla Mu'min | July 25, 2021 (2021-07-25) | 0.088 |
| 7 | 7 | "Seannie Darko" | Angela Barnes | Benjamin Earl Turner | August 1, 2021 (2021-08-01) | N/A |
| 8 | 8 | "Bride or Die" | Rafael Casal | Rafael Casal & Daveed Diggs | August 8, 2021 (2021-08-08) | 0.066 |

### Season 2 (2023)

| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | U.S. viewers (millions) |
| 9 | 1 | "Planes, Trains, and Automobiles" | Rafael Casal | Brittany Miller | April 14, 2023 (2023-04-14) | N/A |
| 10 | 2 | "Life Is Too Short" | Rafael Casal | Benjamin Earl Turner | April 14, 2023 (2023-04-14) | N/A |
| 11 | 3 | "N*ggaz and Jesus" | Jess Wu Calder | Rafael Casal & Daveed Diggs | April 21, 2023 (2023-04-21) | N/A |
| 12 | 4 | "By Hook or by Crook" | Jess Wu Calder | Sarah LaBrie | April 28, 2023 (2023-04-28) | N/A |
| 13 | 5 | "Karate Kiss" | Blackhorse Lowe | Obehi Janice | May 5, 2023 (2023-05-05) | 0.064 |
| 14 | 6 | "The Good, the Bad, and the Thizzly" | Rafael Casal | Sanjay Shah | May 12, 2023 (2023-05-12) | N/A |
| 15 | 7 | "Meatfest" | Darrell Woodard | Nyesha Littlejohn & Susan Park | May 19, 2023 (2023-05-19) | N/A |
| 16 | 8 | "Return to Ithaca" | Rafael Casal | Rafael Casal & Daveed Diggs | May 26, 2023 (2023-05-26) | 0.093 |

## Production
### Development

In September 2020, it was announced that Starz had ordered a spin-off series of Blindspotting by Carlos López Estrada, with Jasmine Cephas Jones set to star and produce, with Daveed Diggs and Rafael Casal serving as executive producers and writers on the series. Production companies involved with the series were slated to consist of Lionsgate Television, Snoot Entertainment, and Barnyard Projects. In December 2020, Benjamin Earl Turner, Atticus Woodward, Jaylen Barron, Candace Nicholas-Lippman and Helen Hunt joined the cast in starring roles, with Rafael Casal and Justin Chu Cary set to appear in recurring capacity.
Principal photography for the series began in December 2020. Production for the first season took place in March 2021 in West Oakland, Oakland, California.
Diggs does not reprise his film role as Collin in the first season beyond a voice cameo in the finale, despite co-creating the show. Casal hoped to include Collin during the planning stages, but Diggs wished for the season to focus on Ashley. He ultimately came to regret not making an appearance. Diggs and Casal both expressed interest in bringing back Collin for a potential second season.
On October 14, 2021, Starz renewed the series for a second season. On April 14, 2022, LeVar Burton, Katlynn Simone Smith, Tamera Tomakili, and Tim Chantarangsu were cast in recurring roles, while E-40, P-Lo and Too $hort were set to guest star for the second season. Production for the series' sophomore season wrapped on April 28, 2022.
It was announced on January 11, 2023 that Starz would premiere a number of episodes of their sophomore season at the 2023 SXSW Festival held in Austin, Texas in March under the TV Spotlight category.
On September 25, 2023, Starz canceled the series after two seasons.

### Music

Show creators Rafael Casal and Daveed Diggs recruited fellow schoolmate Ambrose Akinmusire and Blindspotting film composer Michael Yezerski to compose the score for the series. Akinmusire and Yezerski have created score to accompany spoken word, verse, dance, and various other types of scenes demonstrated throughout the series. In a Variety article, Akinmusire and Yezerski describe the experience as "a very rare opportunity for the score to just become the driving language of a piece of dramatic television content."

#### Soundtrack

| Album | Year | Composed by | Featured Artists | Details |
| Blindspotting (Music from the STARZ Original Series, Season 1) | 2021 | Ambrose Akinmusire Michael Yezerski | Jasmine Cephas Jones Rafael Casal Benjamin Earl Turner | Release date: September 17, 2021 Label: Lions Gate Entertainment Inc Formats: Streaming |
| Blindspotting (Music from the STARZ Original Series, Season 2) | 2023 | Ambrose Akinmusire Michael Yezerski | Jasmine Cephas Jones Rafael Casal Benjamin Earl Turner Helen Hunt | Release date: May 26, 2023 Label: Lions Gate Entertainment Inc Formats: Streaming |

## Release

The series had its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on June 11, 2021. It premiered on Starz on June 13, 2021. The second season premiered on April 14, 2023.

## Reception
### Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes, the first season holds an approval rating of 100% based on 25 critic reviews, with an average rating of 7.5/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "The rare adaptation that exceeds its source material, Blindspotting deftly takes on complicated social constructs with comedic flair, crafting a show that's as funny as it is poignant while giving its incredible ensemble—led by the captivating Jasmine Cephas Jones—plenty of room to shine." On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 76 out of 100, based on 15 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".
The second season has a 100% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 5 critic reviews, with an average rating of 8.7/10.

### Awards and nominations

| Year | Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result |
| 2021 | Women's Image Awards | Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series | Jasmine Cephas Jones | Nominated |
| 2021 | Women's Image Awards | Outstanding Comedy Series | Blindspotting | Nominated |
| 2021 | Geneva International Film Festival | Best International TV Series | Blindspotting | Nominated |
| 2021 | Hollywood Music in Media Awards | Best Music Supervision - TV Show/Limited Series | Blindspotting (supervision by Jonathan McHugh) | Nominated |
| 2021 | Gotham Awards | Breakthrough Series – Short Format | Blindspotting | Nominated |
| 2021 | Clio Awards | Press/Influencer Kits & Collateral | Blindspotting (created by A Very Good Job) | Won |
| 2021 | Film Independent Spirit Awards | Best Female Performance in a Scripted Series | Jasmine Cephas Jones | Nominated |
| 2021 | Film Independent Spirit Awards | Best New Scripted Series | Blindspotting | Nominated |
| 2022 | Guild of Music Supervisors Awards | Best Music Supervision - Television Comedy or Musical | Blindspotting, Season 1 (supervision by Jonathan McHugh) | Nominated |
| 2022 | NAMIC Vision Awards | Best Performance – Comedy | Jasmine Cephas Jones | Nominated |
| 2022 | Hollywood Critics Association TV Awards | Best Actress in a Broadcast Network or Cable Series, Comedy | Jasmine Cephas Jones | Nominated |
| 2023 | SXSW Audience Awards | TV Spotlight Audience Award | Blindspotting - Season 2 | Won |
| 2023 | Primetime Emmy Award | Outstanding Choreography For Scripted Programming | The History / San Quentin Blues (Choreography by Jon Boogz) | Won |