''Blindspotting'' is an American

comedy-drama Comedy drama, also known by the portmanteau ''dramedy'', is a genre of dramatic works that combines elements of comedy and drama. The modern, scripted-television examples tend to have more humorous bits than simple comic relief seen in a typical ...

television series, and a spin-off

sequel A sequel is a work of literature, film, theatre, television, music or video game that continues the story of, or expands upon, some earlier work. In the common context of a narrative work of fiction, a sequel portrays events set in the same ...

of the 2018 film of the same name. Set six months after the events of the film, the series follows Ashley after Miles, her boyfriend and father of their son, is suddenly incarcerated, forcing her to move in with Miles' mother and half-sister. It co-stars

Jaylen Barron Jaylen Barron (born August 31, 1997) is an American actress, known for her roles as Dominique Winslow in the Showtime series '' Shameless'' and Zoe Phillips in the Netflix drama series ''Free Rein''. In 2021, she is starring in the Starz serie ...

, Candace Nicholas-Lippman, Benjamin Earl Turner, and Atticus Woodward. The series was created and executive produced by

Rafael Casal Rafael Santiago Casal (born August 8, 1985) is an American writer, rapper, actor, producer, director, and show runner originally from the San Francisco Bay Area. He is also an online creator of music, poetry, web shorts, and political commentary. ...

and

Daveed Diggs Daveed Daniele Diggs (born January 24, 1982) is an American actor, rapper, and singer-songwriter. He is the vocalist of the experimental hip hop group Clipping, and in 2015, he originated the dual roles of Marquis de Lafayette and Thomas Jeffer ...

, writers, producers and lead stars of the original film, with Casal also acting as

showrunner A showrunner (or colloquially a helmer) is the top-level executive producer of a television series production who has creative and management authority through combining the responsibilities of employer and, in comedy or dramas, typically also th ...

Keith Calder Keith G. Calder (born 14 December 1979) is a British-born independent film producer best known for his work on ''All the Boys Love Mandy Lane'' (2006) and ''The Wackness'' (2008) with Felipe Marino and Joe Neurauter. Career After graduating ...

, a producer on the original film, is also an executive producer, as well as actress

Jasmine Cephas Jones Jasmine Cephas Jones (born July 21, 1989) is an American-British actress, singer, and producer, who originated the dual roles of Peggy Schuyler and Maria Reynolds in the Broadway stage musical ''Hamilton''. In 2020, Cephas Jones won a Primetime ...

. It premiered on June 13, 2021 on

Starz Starz (stylized as STARZ since 2016; pronounced "stars") is an American premium cable and satellite television network owned by Lions Gate Entertainment, and is the flagship property of parent subsidiary Starz Inc. Programming on Starz consist ...

. In October 2021, the series was renewed for a second season which premiered on April 14, 2023.

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

as Ashley Rose *

as Trish * Candace Nicholas-Lippman as Janelle * Benjamin Earl Turner as Earl * Atticus Woodward as Sean *

as Miles (season 2; recurring season 1)

Recurring

Helen Hunt Helen Elizabeth Hunt (born June 15, 1963) is an American actress and director. She is the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, four Primetime Emmy Awards, and four Golden Globe Awards. Hunt rose to fame portraying Jam ...

as Rainey *

Justin Chu Cary Justin Chu Cary is an American actor who stars on Netflix's ''Black Summer''. The series is a prequel to ''Z Nation''. Early life and career Justin Chu Cary grew up in Oakland, California, the son of an African-American father and a Chinese-Ame ...

as Rob *April Absynth as Jacque Basco *Margo Hall as Nancy *Andrew Chapelle as Scotty *

Lil Buck Charles "Lil Buck" Riley (born May 25, 1988) is an American dancer, actor and model from Memphis, Tennessee who specializes in a style of street dance called jookin. He gained popularity after director Spike Jonze used his cell phone to record ...

as Buck *Jon Boogz as Boogz *

Anthony Ramos Anthony Paul Ramos Martinez (born November 1, 1991) is an American actor and singer. In 2015, he originated the dual roles of John Laurens and Philip Hamilton in the Broadway musical '' Hamilton''. Ramos also appeared in the 2021 film version o ...

as Yorkie * Lance Cameron Holloway as Cuddie *

Leland Orser Leland Jones Orser (born August 6, 1960) is an American actor. He has appeared in numerous film and television roles, notably as Lucien Dubenko in the television series '' ER'' (2004–2009) and Sam Gilroy in the '' Taken'' film series (2008–20 ...

as Carl *

as Collin * Katlynn Simone Smith as Teena (season 2) * Tamera Tomakili as June (season 2) *

Chase Williamson Chase Williamson (born July 7, 1988) is an American actor and film producer. He is best known for portraying David Wong in '' John Dies at the End'' (2012). Early life Williamson was born in Coral Springs, Florida, in 1988. When he was young, ...

as Mikey (season 2) *

Tim Chantarangsu Tim Chantarangsu (born March 6, 1986), formerly known as Timothy DeLaGhetto (and previously Traphik), is an American internet and television personality. He is best known from the improv comedy show ''Wild 'N Out'' where he was a cast member bet ...

as Freddy (season 2)

Guest stars

Utkarsh Ambudkar Utkarsh Ambudkar ( ; born December 8, 1983), also known by his stage name UTK the INC, is an American actor, rapper, and singer. He is known for his film roles including '' Pitch Perfect'' (2012), ''Game Over, Man!'' (2018), ''Blindspotting'' (20 ...

as Niles Turner *

Blake Anderson Blake Raymond Anderson (born March 2, 1984) is an American actor, comedian, producer, screenwriter, and fashion designer. Beginning in 2006, Anderson helped create and join the sketch-comedy troupe Mail Order Comedy, which produced online videos ...

as Date *

LeVar Burton Levar Burton Jr. (born February 16, 1957) is an American actor, director, and television host, best known for playing Geordi La Forge in '' Star Trek: The Next Generation'' (1987–1994). He also played Kunta Kinte in the ABC miniseries ''Root ...

as Earl's father (season 2) *

Susan Park Susan Park is an American actress. Early life Park was born in the United States, the daughter of Korean immigrants. Career Park began acting in 2009. In 2010 she performed in a one-woman show titled ''Diaries of a K-Town Diva'' directed by B ...

as Kim (season 1) *

Stephen Root Stephen Root (born November 17, 1951) is an American actor. He has starred as Jimmy James on the television sitcom ''NewsRadio'', as Milton Waddams in the film ''Office Space'' (1999), and provided the voices of Bill Dauterive and Buck Stricklan ...

as Rick (season 1) *

E-40 Earl Tywone Stevens Sr. (born November 15, 1967), better known by his stage name E-40, is an American rapper. He is a founding member of the rap group The Click, and the founder of Sick Wid It Records. He has released 26 studio albums to date, a ...

as himself (season 2) * P-Lo as himself (season 2) *

Too $hort Todd Anthony Shaw (born April 28, 1966), better known by the stage name Too Short (stylized as Too $hort), is an American rapper and record producer. He became famous in the West Coast hip hop scene in the late 1980s, with lyrics often based on ...

as himself (season 2) *

Dante Basco Dante R. Basco (born August 29, 1975) is an American film, television and voice actor. He is best known for his role as Rufio, the leader of the Lost Boys in Steven Spielberg's ''Hook'', and Julian Lee in '' Fakin' da Funk'', and for his many vo ...

as Dante Basco, Jacque's father and a version of himself *

Joe Taslim Johannes Taslim (born 23 June 1981) is an Indonesian actor and martial artist. He was a member of Indonesia's judo national team from 1997 to 2009. He is known for his roles as Sergeant Jaka in ''The Raid'' (2011), Jah in ''Fast & Furious 6'' ...

as Mustafa (season 2)

Episodes

Series overview

Season 1 (2021)

Season 2 (2023)

Production

Development

In September 2020, it was announced

had ordered a spin-off series based upon ''

Blindspotting ''Blindspotting'' is a 2018 American comedy-drama film written by, produced by and starring Daveed Diggs and Rafael Casal. Carlos López Estrada directs while Janina Gavankar, Jasmine Cephas Jones, Ethan Embry, Tisha Campbell-Martin, Utkarsh A ...

'' by

Carlos López Estrada Carlos López Estrada (born September 12, 1988) is a Mexican-American Academy Award-nominated filmmaker, music video director, commercial director, theatre director, and actor. Born in Mexico, he moved to the United States when he was 12 and lat ...

, with

set to star and produce, with

and

serving as executive producers and writers on the series. Production companies involved with the series were slated to consist of

Lionsgate Television Lionsgate Television is the television division of Lionsgate, which is a Canadian–American entertainment company. History The company was established in July 1997 as Lions Gate Television, Inc. with the establishment of Lionsgate Films. It acq ...

, Snoot Entertainment, and Barnyard Projects. In December 2020, Benjamin Earl Turner, Atticus Woodward, Jaylen Barron, Candace Nicholas-Lippman and

joined the cast in starring roles, with Rafael Casal and

set to appear in recurring capacity.

Principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as actor ...

for the series began in December 2020. Production for the first season took place in March 2021 in

West Oakland, Oakland, California West Oakland is a neighborhood situated in the northwestern corner of Oakland, California, United States, situated west of Downtown Oakland, south of Emeryville, and north of Alameda. The neighborhood is located along the waterfront at the Po ...

. 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, though he ultimately came to regret not making an appearance. Diggs and Casal have 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,

, Katlynn Simone Smith, Tamera Tomakili, and

were cast in recurring roles while

, P-Lo and

are 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 Starz (stylized as STARZ since 2016; pronounced "stars") is an American premium cable and satellite television network owned by Lions Gate Entertainment, and is the flagship property of parent subsidiary Starz Inc. Programming on Starz consist ...

is set to premiere a number of episodes of their sophomore season at the 2023

SXSW South by Southwest, abbreviated as SXSW and colloquially referred to as South By, is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, Te ...

Festival held in Austin, Texas in March under the TV Spotlight category.

Music

Blindspotting creators Rafael Casal and Daveed Diggs had recruited fellow schoolmate

Ambrose Akinmusire Ambrose Akinmusire ( born May 1, 1982) is an American avant-garde jazz composer and trumpeter. Biography Born and raised in Oakland, California, Akinmusire was a member of the Berkeley High School Jazz Ensemble, where he caught the attention of ...

and Blindspotting (film) composer

Michael Yezerski Michael Yezerski is an Australian composer known for his scores for feature films such as ''The Waiting City'', '' The Black Balloon'' (for which he won an APRA Award and a Screen Music Award), ''Newcastle'', and ''Thursday's Fictions'', as well ...

to compose the score for the television series. Akinmusire and Yezerski have created score to accompany Spoken Word, Verse, Dance, and various other types of scenes demonstrated throughout the series. In
Variety article
between the two musicians, they 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

Release

The series had its world premiere at the

Tribeca Film Festival The Tribeca Festival is an annual film festival organized by TriBeCa Productions, Tribeca Productions. It takes place each spring in New York City, showcasing a diverse selection of film, episodic, talks, music, games, art, and immersive progra ...

on June 11, 2021. It premiered on

on June 13, 2021. The second season premiered on April 14, 2023.

Reception

Critical response

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

, 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 Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...

, 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

Notes

References

External links

*
''Blindspotting''
at

{{Starz Shows 2020s American comedy-drama television series 2021 American television series debuts American sequel television series English-language television shows Live action television shows based on films Starz original programming Television series by Lionsgate Television Television shows set in Oakland, California Works about police brutality