''Philly D.A.'' is a 2021 American documentary series revolving around progressive

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, Pennsylvania, district attorney

Larry Krasner Lawrence Samuel Krasner (born March 30, 1961) is an American lawyer who is the 26th District Attorney of Philadelphia. Elected to the position in 2017, Krasner was one of the first in the United States to run as a self-described "progressive pros ...

. It consists of 8-episodes and premiered on

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcasting, public broadcaster and Non-commercial activity, non-commercial, Terrestrial television, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly fu ...

through ''

Independent Lens ''Independent Lens'' is a weekly television series airing on PBS featuring documentary films made by independent filmmakers. Past seasons of ''Independent Lens'' were hosted by Angela Bassett, Don Cheadle, Susan Sarandon, Edie Falco, Terrence Ho ...

'' on April 20, 2021.

Synopsis

The eight episode docuseries series follows Larry Krasner, a progressive district attorney in

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, through his election and first term.

Episodes

Release

The series had its world premiere at the

Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival (formerly Utah/US Film Festival, then US Film and Video Festival) is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with more than 46,66 ...

on February 2, 2021, with the first two episodes of the series. It also screened at the

Berlin International Film Festival The Berlin International Film Festival (german: Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin), usually called the Berlinale (), is a major international film festival held annually in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the festi ...

on March 2, 2021.

began airing the series on April 20, 2021, on

Topic Topic, topics, TOPIC, topical, or topicality may refer to: Topic / Topics * Topić, a Slavic surname * ''Topics'' (Aristotle), a work by Aristotle * Topic (chocolate bar), a brand of confectionery bar * Topic (DJ), German musician * Topic (g ...

released the series on July 1, 2021.

Reception

Critical reception

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 series holds an approval rating of 92% based on 21 reviews Kathryn VanArendok of ''

Vulture A vulture is a bird of prey that scavenges on carrion. There are 23 extant species of vulture (including Condors). Old World vultures include 16 living species native to Europe, Africa, and Asia; New World vultures are restricted to North and ...

'' said that "Philly D.A. is the second coming of The Wire, in docuseries form… It’s compelling… it’s gripping… engrossing, and heartbreaking… The show should be viewed as a model for an entire genre of documentary storytelling. I’m totally mesmerized by this series, I could not stop watching it." Matt Brennan of the ''Los Angeles Times'' said ''Philly D.A.'' is "the best TV show I've seen all year" while Ben Travers of Indiewire said "I’m relatively sure it’s the best documentary series of 2021. It’s certainly the most illuminating, enthralling, and impressive..."

Andy Dehnart Andy Dehnart (born August 26, 1977) is an American journalist and television critic. He may be best known as reality television's "longest-standing critic" for his online journalism, as he is the creator of the genre's first tracking website, real ...

of ''Reality Blurred'' called it "easily the best docuseries of 2021… cameras are present for some riveting moments, as if this were a masterfully scripted HBO drama… a rare and exceptional documentary reality series." Fionnuala Halligan of ''

Screen Daily ''Screen International'' is a British film magazine covering the international film business. It is published by Media Business Insight, a British B2B media company. The magazine is primarily aimed at those involved in the global film business. ...

'' wrote, "Riveting...a must see." ''Time'' magazine, ''Los Angeles Times'', and ''Vulture'' included ''Philly D.A.'' on their lists of the "Best TV Shows of 2021".

Accolades

References

External links

* * * * {{Gotham Independent Film Award for Breakthrough Nonfiction Series 2021 American television series debuts 2021 American television series endings 2020s American documentary television series 2020s American television miniseries American English-language television shows Documentary television series about crime in the United States Documentary television series about policing Documentary television series about politics PBS original programming Television series about prosecutors