''Pose'' (stylized as ''POSE'') is an American

drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has been ...

television series about New York City's

ballroom culture The Ballroom Scene (also known as the Ballroom community, Ballroom culture, or just Ballroom) is an African-American and Latino underground LGBTQ+ subculture that originated in New York City. Beginning in the late 20th century, Black and Latino ...

, an LGBTQ subculture in the

African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...

and Latino communities, throughout the 1980s and 1990s. Featured characters are dancers and models, who compete for trophies and recognition in this underground culture and who support one another in a network of chosen families known as

Houses A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condi ...

. Created by Ryan Murphy,

Brad Falchuk Bradley Douglas Falchuk (born March 1, 1971) is an American television writer, director, and producer, best known for co-creating with Ryan Murphy the comedy-drama television series ''Glee'', the drama series ''Pose'', the horror comedy '' Screa ...

, and Steven Canals, the series aired from June 3, 2018, to June 6, 2021, on FX. It stars an ensemble cast including

Evan Peters Evan Thomas Peters (born January 20, 1987) is an American actor. He is known for his multiple roles on the FX anthology series ''American Horror Story''; as Detective Colin Zabel in the HBO crime drama limited series ''Mare of Easttown'', whic ...

Kate Mara Kate Rooney Mara ( ; born February 27, 1983) is an American actress. She is known for work in television, playing reporter Zoe Barnes in the Netflix political drama ''House of Cards'' (2013–2014; 2016), computer analyst Shari Rothenberg in t ...

James Van Der Beek James William Van Der Beek (; born March 8, 1977) is an American actor best known for his portrayal of Dawson Leery in the WB series ''Dawson's Creek'' and Johnny "Mox" Moxon in '' Varsity Blues'' (1999). He played a fictionalized version of hi ...

Michaela Jaé Rodriguez Michaela Antonia Jaé Rodriguez (born January 7, 1991), formerly known as MJ Rodriguez, is an American actress and singer. Born in Newark, New Jersey, Rodriguez attended several Performing arts, performing arts schools in her youth before being c ...

, Dominique Jackson, Billy Porter,

Indya Moore Indya Adrianna Moore (born January 17, 1995) is an American actor and model. They are known for playing the role of Angel Evangelista in the FX television series '' Pose''. ''Time'' named them one of the 100 most influential people in the world ...

Ryan Jamaal Swain Ryan Jamaal Swain (born 13 March 1994) is an American actor and dancer. He is known for his role as Damon Richards-Evangelista, a homeless gay dancer, in the FX television series '' Pose''. Early life Ryan Swain was born to a single-mother ho ...

Charlayne Woodard Charlaine "Charlayne" Woodard (born December 29, 1953) is an American playwright and actress. She is a two-time Obie Award winner as well as a Tony Award and Drama Desk nominee. She was a series regular on the hit FX TV series Pose. She played ...

, Hailie Sahar,

Angelica Ross Angelica Ross (born November 28, 1980) is an American actress, businesswoman, and transgender rights advocate. A self-taught computer programmer, she went on to become founder and CEO of TransTech Social Enterprises, a firm that helps employ tra ...

Angel Bismark Curiel Angel Bismark Curiel (born October 16, 1995) is an American actor from Liberty City, Miami. He has appeared in ''America Adrift'' (2016), ''Louie's Brother Peter'' (2017), ''Night Comes On'' (2018), ''Monsters and Men'' (2018) and ''Ashes'' (201 ...

Dyllón Burnside Dyllón Burnside is an American actor and singer. He is known for his role as Ricky Evangelista, a dancer, in the FX television series ''Pose''. Career Burnside got his first start at age 12 when he performed as the lead singer of hip-hop/ ...

Sandra Bernhard Sandra Bernhard (born June 6, 1955) is an American actress, singer, comedian and author. She first gained attention in the late 1970s with her stand-up comedy, where she often critiqued celebrity culture and political figures. She is perhaps b ...

, and Jason A. Rodriguez. The first season was met with largely positive reception and subsequently received numerous award nominations including the

Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series – Drama The Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series – Drama is one of the annual Golden Globe Awards, given to the best drama television series. Documentary series and mini-series are also eligible for this award. From 1962 to 1968, the category wa ...

and the

Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Drama The Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Drama is an award presented annually by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA). This Golden Globe Award honors the best performance by an actor in a drama television series. It ...

for Billy Porter. In 2019, Porter was awarded the

Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series This is a list of winners and nominees of the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series. Beginning with the 18th Primetime Emmy Awards, leading actors in drama have competed alone. However, these dramatic performances inc ...

– the first openly gay Black man to be nominated for and win in an Emmy lead acting category. The series was nominated for Outstanding Drama Series at the same ceremony. The second season premiered on June 11, 2019, to further acclaim. The third and final season premiered on May 2, 2021, and concluded on June 6, 2021, to further positive reviews. On July 13, 2021, Michaela Jaé Rodriguez became the first trans lead ever nominated for the

Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress In A Drama Series The Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series is an award presented annually by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS). It is given in honor of an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance in a leadi ...

Premise

''Pose'' is set in 1987–98 and looks at "the juxtaposition of several segments of life and society in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

": the African-American and Latino

ball culture The Ballroom Scene (also known as the Ballroom community, Ballroom culture, or just Ballroom) is an African-American and Latino underground LGBTQ+ subculture that originated in New York City. Beginning in the late 20th century, Black and Latino ...

world, the

downtown ''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in North America by English speakers to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business distric ...

social and literary scene, and the rise of the

yuppie Yuppie, short for "young urban professional" or "young upwardly-mobile professional", is a term coined in the early 1980s for a young professional person working in a city. The term is first attested in 1980, when it was used as a fairly neu ...

milieu, and

HIV The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of ''Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the immune ...

Cast and characters

Main

as Stan Bowes, Patty's

husband who works in

Trump Tower Trump Tower is a 58-story, mixed-use skyscraper at 721–725 Fifth Avenue in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City, between East 56th and 57th Streets. The building contains the headquarters for the Trump Organization, as well ...

and becomes Angel's lover (season 1) *

as Patty Bowes, Stan's wife and mother of their children (season 1) *

as Matt Bromley, Stan's kingpin boss (season 1) *

as Blanca Rodriguez-Evangelista, a

trans woman A trans woman or a transgender woman is a woman who was assigned male at birth. Trans women have a female gender identity, may experience gender dysphoria, and may transition; this process commonly includes hormone replacement therapy and so ...

with

HIV/AIDS Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual ...

and former member of the House of Abundance. She is the founder and

mother ] A mother is the female parent of a child. A woman may be considered a mother by virtue of having given childbirth, birth, by raising a child who may or may not be her biological offspring, or by supplying her ovum for fertilisation in the cas ...

of the House of Evangelista. * Dominique Jackson as Elektra Evangelista, mother of the former House of Abundance. After brief stints in the Houses of Evangelista and Ferocity, she forms the House of Wintour before rejoining the House of Evangelista in the final season. * Billy Porter as Prayerful "Pray" Tell, emcee of the balls in New York, fashion designer, and mentor to members of the community, especially the members of the House of Evangelista. He later enters a relationship with Ricky. *

as Angel Vasquez-Evangelista, a trans woman sex worker who joins the House of Evangelista after leaving the House of Abundance. She has an affair with Stan during the first season, before entering a relationship with Papi. *

as Damon Richards-Evangelista, a homeless, talented dancer who becomes the first member of the House of Evangelista. After the season 3 premiere, the character was written out of the show due to the murder of Swain's sister in their hometown of Birmingham, Alabama. Damon was said to have relapsed into alcoholism and moved to his cousin's home in South Carolina. In the series finale, he was revealed to be in Chicago, teaching dancing. *

as Helena St. Rogers, a modern dance teacher at the New School for Dance (season 1; guest, season 2) * Hailie Sahar as Lulu Evangelista, the founder of the House of Ferocity alongside Candy. She joins the House of Evangelista in the final season. *

as Candy Johnson-Ferocity, the founder of the House of Ferocity alongside Lulu (seasons 1–2; guest, season 3) *

as Esteban "Lil Papi" Martinez-Evangelista, a member of the House of Evangelista *

as Ricky Evangelista, Damon's ex-boyfriend and a former member of the House of Evangelista who joins the House of Wintour. In the final season he rejoins the House of Evangelista. *

as Judy Kubrak, a nurse who works with

people with AIDS People With AIDS (PWA) means " person with HIV/AIDS", also sometimes phrased as, Person Living with AIDS. It is a term of self-empowerment, adopted by those with the virus in the early years of the pandemic (the 1980s), as an alternative to the p ...

and member of

ACT UP AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power (ACT UP) is an international, grassroots political group working to end the AIDS pandemic. The group works to improve the lives of people with AIDS through direct action, medical research, treatment and advocacy, ...

(seasons 2–3; guest, season 1) * Jason A. Rodriguez as Lemar Khan, a former member of the House of Abundance, Ferocity, Evangelista and Wintour, before becoming the father of the House of Khan (season 3; recurring, seasons 1–2)

Recurring

Introduced in season 1

* Jeremy McClain as Cubby Wintour, a young gay man and a former member of the House of Abundance, Ferocity, and Evangelista, who joins the House of Wintour and later dies in the first episode of season 3 * Alexia Garcia as Aphrodite Ferocity, a trans woman who defects from the House of Xtravaganza to the House of Ferocity * Bianca Castro as Veronica Ferocity, a thrift store cashier who joins the House of Ferocity * Samantha Grace Blumm as Amanda Bowes, Stan and Patty's daughter *

Jose Gutierez Xtravaganza Jose Gutierez Xtravaganza (né José Gutiérrez, sometimes called Jose Xtravaganza / Extravaganza) is a dancer, choreographer, recording artist, New York City nightlife personality and the current father of the House of Xtravaganza. He is one o ...

as himself, a Judge and member of the real-life

House of Xtravaganza Founded in 1982, the House of Xtravaganza is one of the most publicly recognized “houses” to emerge from the New York City underground ballroom scene and among the longest continuously active. House of Xtravaganza members and the collective gr ...

* Johnny Sibilly as Costas Perez, Pray Tell's boyfriend who dies of

AIDS Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual m ...

* Jack Mizrahi as himself, a ballroom emcee and member of the Masters of Ceremony Council *

Leiomy Maldonado Leiomy Maldonado (born April 28, 1987), known as the "Wonder Woman of Vogue", is a transgender Afro-Puerto Rican dancer, instructor, model, activist, and ballroom dancer. She is the founder of the House of Amazon and best known for her voguing. M ...

as Florida Ferocity, a member of the House of Ferocity *Sol Williams (a/k/a Grandfather Sol Pen'davis) as a member of the judges panel. Sol also was in the documentary movie '' Paris Is Burning'' (1990), upon which the series is largely based.

Introduced in season 2

Patti LuPone Patti Ann LuPone (born April 21, 1949) is an American actress and singer best known for her work in musical theater. She has won three Tony Awards, two Olivier Awards, two Grammy Awards, and was a 2006 inductee to the American Theater Hall of Fa ...

as Frederica Norman, a wealthy and shady real estate mogul *

Damaris Lewis Damaris Lewis (born October 10, 1990) is an American model and actress. During her modeling career, she appeared in the ''Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issues'' from 2009 to 2011. As an actress, she portrayed Blackfire on the DC Universe / HBO Max ...

as Jazmine Wintour, a member of the House of Wintour * Brielle Rheames as Silhouette Wintour, a member of the House of Wintour *

Dashaun Wesley Dashaun Wesley is an American dancer, actor, choreographer, and ballroom performer, MC, and commentator. He is known for hosting the voguing competition series ''Legendary'' and for his appearances on the television series '' America's Best Dance ...

as Shadow Wintour, a member of the House of Wintour * Danielle Cooper as Wanda, Judy's girlfriend and member of ACT UP *

Trudie Styler Trudie Styler (born 6 January 1954) is an English actress and film producer. Early life and family Styler was born in Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, the daughter of Pauline and Harry Styler, a farmer and factory worker. When Styler was two years ...

Eileen Ford Eileen ( or ) is an Irish feminine given name anglicised from Eibhlín and may refer to: People Artists *Eileen Agar (1899–1991), British Surrealist painter and photographer *Eileen Fisher (born 1950), clothing retailer and designer *Eileen ...

, a fashion

model agent A modeling agency is a company that represents fashion models, to work for the fashion industry. These agencies earn their income via commission, usually from the deal they make with the model and/or the head agency. The top agencies work with bi ...

* André Ward as Manhattan, a member of the Masters of Ceremony Council * J. Cameron Barnet as Castle, a member of the Masters of Ceremony Council * Patricia Black as Chi Chi, Elektra's co-worker at the Hellfire Club

Introduced in season 3

Jeremy Pope Jeremy Pope (born July 9, 1992) is an American actor and singer. Pope is the sixth person in Tony Award history to be nominated in two categories for separate performances during the same year, when he received nominations for Best Actor in a ...

as Christopher, Blanca's caring boyfriend

Notable guest stars

Introduced in season 1

* Clark Jackson as Lawrence Richards ("Pilot"), Damon's father * Roslyn Ruff as Mrs. Richards ("Pilot"), Damon's mother *

Deidre Goodwin Deidre Goodwin (born September 15, 1969, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma) is an American actress known for such films and television series as ''Chicago'', '' Half Nelson'', ''Life on Mars'', '' The Bourne Legacy'' and '' Across the Universe''. Career ...

as Wanda Green ("Pilot"), employee at the New School for Dance *

Matt McGrath Matthew John "Matt" McGrath (December 28, 1875 – January 29, 1941) was a member of the Irish American Athletic Club, the New York Athletic Club, and the New York City Police Department. At the time of his death at age 64, he attained the ran ...

as Mitchell ("Access"), the manager of Boy Lounge * Tamara M. Williams as Summer, a trans woman who attempts to seduce Stan ("Access", "The Fever") *

Sol Pendavis Williams The Ballroom Scene (also known as the Ballroom community, Ballroom culture, or just Ballroom) is an African-American and Latino underground LGBTQ+ subculture that originated in New York City. Beginning in the late 20th century, Black and Latino ...

as himself ("Access", "Mother of the Year"), a Judge and member of the real-life House of Pendavis * Kathryn Erbe as Dr. Gottfried ("Giving and Receiving", "The Fever"), Elektra's physician *

Christine Ebersole Christine Ebersole (born February 21, 1953) is an American actress and singer. She has appeared in film, television, and on stage. She starred in the Broadway musicals '' 42nd Street'' and ''Grey Gardens'', winning two Tony Awards. She has co-s ...

as Bobbi ("Giving and Receiving"), Patty's mother *

Christopher Meloni Christopher Peter Meloni (; born April 2, 1961) is an American actor. He is known for his television roles as NYPD Detective Elliot Stabler on the NBC legal drama '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' for its first 12 seasons and its spin-off ' ...

as Dick Ford ("The Fever", "Pink Slip"), Elektra's wealthy lover and financier * Cecilia Gentili as Miss Orlando ("The Fever", "Butterfly/Cocoon"), a shady woman that offers discounted plastic surgery * Flor de Liz Perez as Carmen Rodriguez ("Mother's Day"), Blanca's sister * Charles Brice as Darius ("Love Is the Message"), Blanca's love interest *

Our Lady J Our Lady J is an Emmy-nominated screenwriter, producer and director, best-known for her work on ''Pose'', ''Transparent'', and ''American Horror Story''.She holds the honor of being the first out trans woman to perform at Carnegie Hall, as well a ...

as Sherilyn ("Love Is the Message", "Love's in Need of Love Today"), a local pianist *

Trace Lysette Trace Lysette is an American actress whose most notable roles include Shea in the television series ''Transparent'' (2014–2019) and Tracey in the feature film '' Hustlers'' (2019). She also featured in the Netflix documentary ''Disclosure'' as ...

as Tess Wintour ("Love is the Message", "Worth It"), a clothing store saleswoman who later joins House of Wintour *

Laith Ashley Laith Ashley De La Cruz (born July 6, 1989) is an American model, actor, activist, singer-songwriter and entertainer of Dominican descent. Early life Laith grew up in a Dominican American household in Harlem, New York. He practiced individual an ...

as "Sebastian" ("Love Is the Message"), a sexy participant in one of the ballroom-scenes

Introduced in season 2

Alexander DiPersia Alexander John DiPersia (born March 6, 1982) is an American actor known for his role in the 2016 horror film '' Lights Out''. DiPersia's first role was a minor cameo in the 2007 survival horror film '' I Am Legend''. Life and career DiPersia was ...

as Andre Taglioni ("Acting Up", "Revelations"), a famed photographer and fetishistic predator * Edward Carnevale as Jonas Norman ("Worth It", "Love's in Need of Love Today"), Frederica Norman's son * Blaine Alden Krauss as Chris ("Worth it", "What Would Candy Do?"), dancer and Ricky's former lover *

Peppermint Peppermint (''Mentha'' × ''piperita'') is a hybrid species of mint, a cross between watermint and spearmint. Indigenous to Europe and the Middle East, the plant is now widely spread and cultivated in many regions of the world.Euro+Med Plantbas ...

as Euphoria ("Butterfly/Cocoon"), a trans sex worker * Danny Johnson as Darnell Johnson ("Never Knew Love Like This Before"), Candy's father * Patrice Johnson Chevannes as Vivica Johnson ("Never Knew Love Like This Before"), Candy's mother * Austin Scott as Adrian ("Life's a Beach"), a lifeguard and Blanca's love interest * KJ Aikens as Quincy and Gia Parr as Chilly ("In My Heels"), street kids who Blanca takes under her wing

Introduced in season 3

Eisa Davis Eisa Davis (born May 5, 1971) is an American playwright, actress and singer-songwriter. She is most commonly known for her work as a playwright, writing shows such as ''Bulrusher'' and ''Angela's Mixtape'' as well as through her acting work, where ...

as Angie, Christopher's mother, who has a judgmental behavior towards Blanca *

Curtiss Cook Curtiss Cook is an American character actor from Dayton, Ohio. He studied at the Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts in London.Sandoval, Lapacazo"Curtiss Cook – Reprising His Role in Season Three of Showtime’s ''The Chi''" ''Los Angeles Sentinel ...

as Thomas, Christopher' father *

Rahne Jones Rahne Jones is an American television actress. She made her television debut as Skye on Netflix's ''The Politician'' in 2019. She is currently a co-host on the new MTV reality show, "Help! I'm in a Secret Relationship!". Life and career Jone ...

as Leisa, an alcoholism counselor advising Pray Tell *

Noma Dumezweni Noma Dumezweni (born 28 July 1969) is a British actress. In 2006, she won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Performance in a Supporting Role for her performance as Ruth Younger in ''A Raisin in the Sun'' at the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre. In 2 ...

as Tasha Jackson, Elektra's mother *

Norm Lewis Norm Lewis (born June 2, 1963) is an American actor and singer. He has appeared in Europe, on Broadway, in film, television, recordings and regional theatre. Productions that he has been involved in include '' Dessa Rose'', ''Miss Saigon'', '' T ...

as Vernon Jackson, Pray Tell's former lover, who is a now a pastor *

Anna Maria Horsford Anna Maria Horsford is an American actress, known for her performances in television comedies. Horsford is best known for her roles as Thelma Frye on the NBC sitcom ''Amen'' (1986–91), and as Dee Baxter on the WB sitcom ''The Wayans Bros.'' (1 ...

as Charlene, Pray Tell's mother *

Janet Hubert Janet Louise Hubert (born January 13, 1956) is an Americans, American film and television actress. She is best known for playing the role of the original Vivian Banks on the sitcom ''The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air'' from its first season in 1990 u ...

as Latrice, Pray Tell's aunt *

Jackée Harry Jacqueline Yvonne Harry (born August 14, 1956) is an American actress, comedian, and television personality. She is known for her starring roles as Sandra Clark, the nemesis of Mary Jenkins (played by Marla Gibbs), on the NBC TV series '' 227'' ...

as Jada, Pray Tell's aunt *

Michelle Hurd Michelle Hurd (born December 21, 1966) is an American actress best known for her work in television. She first received recognition for portraying Monique Jeffries in the police procedural series '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' (1999–20 ...

as Ebony Jackson, Vernon's wife and Pray Tell's childhood best friend * Jordan Aaron Hall as a young Pray Tell * Annelise Cepero as Jimena, sister of Lil Papi's ex-girlfriend * Mark Lotito as Marco Ciccone, a mobster with whom Elektra makes business *

Chris Tardio Chris Tardio is an American actor known for his roles in ''The Sopranos ''The Sopranos'' is an American crime drama television series created by David Chase. The story revolves around Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini), a New Jersey-based Ita ...

as Vicent Massino, a mobster with whom Elektra makes business

Episodes

Season 1 (2018)

Season 2 (2019)

Season 3 (2021)

Production

Development

On March 16, 2017, it was announced that FX had given the production a pilot order. The pilot was written by Ryan Murphy,

, and Steven Canals all of whom were also set to executive produce alongside

Nina Jacobson Nina Jacobson (born September 15, 1965) is an American film executive who, until July 2006, was president of the Buena Vista Motion Pictures Group, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company. With Dawn Steel, Gail Berman and Sherry Lansing, she was ...

, Brad Simpson, and Sherry Marsh. Production companies involved with the pilot were slated to consist of include FX Productions and Fox21 Television Studios. In October 2018, it was reported that

and

Danielle Polanco Danielle Polanco is an American dancer and choreographer and actress. She is best known for being the leading lady in Omarion's music video Touch and for starring in the 2008 movie '' Step Up 2: The Streets'', in which she portrayed Missy Serrano ...

would be choreographing the series' ball scenes and that

Janet Mock Janet Mock (born March 10, 1983) is an American writer, television host, director, producer and transgender rights activist. Her debut book, the memoir '' Redefining Realness'', became a ''New York Times'' bestseller. She is a contributing edit ...

and

had joined the show's writing and producing staff. On December 27, 2017, it was announced that FX had given the production a series for a first season consisting of eight episodes. On May 9, 2018, ahead of the series premiere, Murphy announced that he would be donating all of his profits from ''Pose'' to non-profit charitable organizations that work with LGBTQ+ people, including the

Sylvia Rivera Law Project The Sylvia Rivera Law Project (SRLP) is a legal aid organization based in New York City at the Miss Major-Jay Toole Building for Social Justice that serves low-income or people of color who are transgender, intersex and/or gender non-conforming. ...

, the Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund, and the

Callen-Lorde Community Health Center Callen-Lorde Community Health Center is a primary care center located at 356 West 18th Street in New York City, New York. Callen-Lorde also provides comprehensive mental health services at The Thea Spyer Center, located at 230 West 17th Street. Ca ...

. Murphy explained this decision saying, "The thing that struck me in talking to so many of them, was how much they've struggled, how under attack they feel, how many of them find it difficult getting

healthcare Health care or healthcare is the improvement of health via the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, amelioration or cure of disease, illness, injury, and other physical and mental impairments in people. Health care is delivered by health profe ...

, and finding jobs. I just decided I need to do more than just making a show for this community. I want to reach out and help this community." On July 12, 2018, it was announced that the series had been renewed for a second season which premiered on June 11, 2019. On June 17, 2019, FX renewed the series for a third season. In March 2021, FX confirmed the third season would be its last. The final season premiered on May 2, 2021.

Casting

Cast Pose at Los Angeles Pride Parade by dvsross 2

In March 2017, Ryan Murphy and his team began casting for the series. On October 25, 2017, it was announced that

transgender A transgender (often abbreviated as trans) person is someone whose gender identity or gender expression does not correspond with their sex assigned at birth. Many transgender people experience dysphoria, which they seek to alleviate through tr ...

actors

, Dominique Jackson, Hailie Sahar, and

and

cisgender Cisgender (often shortened to cis; sometimes cissexual) is a term used to describe a person whose gender identity corresponds to their sex assigned at birth. The word ''cisgender'' is the antonym of ''transgender''. The prefix ''wiktionary:cis ...

actors

, Billy Porter and

had been cast in main roles. The series' production team claimed that they had assembled the largest transgender cast ever for a scripted series. The series was expected to include over 50 transgender characters total. On October 26, 2017, it was announced that

, and

Tatiana Maslany Tatiana Gabriele Maslany ( ; born September 22, 1985) is a Canadian actress. She rose to prominence for playing multiple characters in the science fiction thriller television series ''Orphan Black'' (2013–2017), which won her a Primetime Emmy ...

had also joined the main cast. On December 27, 2017, it was reported that Maslany had exited the series following the redevelopment of her part into that of a 50-year-old African-American woman. The character was then recast with

assuming the role. On September 19, 2018, it was announced that

would reprise her role of Nurse Judy in season two as a series regular. On March 23, 2019, at

PaleyFest The Paley Center for Media, formerly the Museum of Television & Radio (MT&R) and the Museum of Broadcasting, founded in 1975 by William S. Paley, is an American cultural institution in New York City, New York with a branch office in Los Angeles, ...

, Ryan Murphy revealed that

would guest star in the second season.

Filming

Production for the pilot began in New York City in October 2017. The following episodes of the first season were expected to begin production in February 2018. Murphy directed the series' first two episodes and Mock directed the sixth, thus making her the first transgender woman of color to write and direct any episode of television. On March 14, 2020, production on the third season was suspended due to the COVID-19 health crisis. The third and final season's filming wrapped on March 20, 2021.

Release

Marketing

On April 12, 2018, FX released the first teaser trailer for the series. It was also announced that the series was set to premiere on June 3, 2018. On May 3, 2018, the first official trailer was released.

Premiere

On May 17, 2018, the series held its world premiere at the

Hammerstein Ballroom The Hammerstein Ballroom is a ballroom located within the Manhattan Center at 311 West 34th Street in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. The capacity of the ballroom is dependent on the configuration of the room; it seats 2,500 people for theat ...

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

. On July 23, 2018,

emceed a benefit concert, duetting with co-stars Billy Porter and

to celebrate the season one finale, and raise money for

GLSEN GLSEN (pronounced ''glisten''; formerly the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network) is an American education organization working to end discrimination, harassment, and bullying based on sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expres ...

. During the event, a conversation was held between Burnside and former ''

Vibe ''Vibe'' is an American music and entertainment magazine founded by producers David Salzman and Quincy Jones. The publication predominantly features R&B and hip hop music artists, actors and other entertainers. After shutting down productio ...

editor-in-chief An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies. The highest-ranking editor of a publication may also be titled editor, managing ...

Emil Wilbekin Emil Wilbekin (born September 16, 1967, in Cincinnati, Ohio) is an American journalist, media executive, stylist, content creator, culture critic, and human rights activist. He is the former editor-in-chief of ''Vibe'' and ''Giant'', editor-at-lar ...

, where Burnside discussed his

coming out Coming out of the closet, often shortened to coming out, is a metaphor used to describe LGBT people's self-disclosure of their sexual orientation, romantic orientation, or gender identity. Framed and debated as a privacy issue, coming out of ...

story and spoke about the importance of

safe space The term safe space refers to places "intended to be free of bias, conflict, criticism, or potentially threatening actions, ideas, or conversations". The term originated in LGBT culture, but has since expanded to include any place where a margi ...

s for LGBTQ people. Later on in the evening, Porter sang from his latest album and

sang "Waving Through a Window" from ''

Dear Evan Hansen ''Dear Evan Hansen'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, and a book by Steven Levenson. The musical follows Evan Hansen, a high school senior with social anxiety, "who invents an important role for himself in a t ...

''. In March 2019, the series was part of the

Paley Center for Media The Paley Center for Media, formerly the Museum of Television & Radio (MT&R) and the Museum of Broadcasting, founded in 1975 by William S. Paley, is an American cultural institution in New York City, New York with a branch office in Los Angeles, ...

's annual Paleyfest LA at the

Dolby Theatre The Dolby Theatre (formerly known as the Kodak Theatre) is a live-performance auditorium in the Ovation Hollywood shopping mall and entertainment complex, on Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue, in the Hollywood district of Los Angeles. Si ...

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

. ''Pose'' premiered in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

on March 21, 2019, on

BBC Two BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream an ...

. Season 2 premiered on October 26, 2019, and Season 3 on August 8, 2021. All full series made available on

BBC iPlayer BBC iPlayer (stylised as iPLAYER or BBC iPLAYER) is a video on demand service from the BBC. The service is available on a wide range of devices, including mobile phones and tablets, personal computers and smart televisions. iPlayer services del ...

straight after each series' premiere.

Influences

While a work of creative fiction, the series is "heavily inspired by"

Jennie Livingston Jennie may refer to: * Jennie (singer), South Korean singer of girl group Blackpink * Jennie, a female given name, variant spelling of Jenny * ''Jennie'' (musical), 1963 Broadway production * ''Jennie'' (novel), 1994 science fiction thriller by ...

's 1990 documentary, '' Paris Is Burning''. Livingston also served as a consulting producer on the show. Several of the houses and characters were based on, or named after, real people, and several people featured in the documentary also made cameos in the series, such as

, an icon of the

voguing Vogue, or voguing, is a highly stylized, modern house dance originating in the late 1980s that evolved out of the Harlem ballroom scene of the 1960s. It gained mainstream exposure when it was featured in Madonna's song and video "Vogue" (1990), ...

scene, who plays a judge throughout the first series, and

, of the House of Pendavis. Creators and producers of the series, Murphy, Canals, and writer/producer Janet Mock all considered ''Paris Is Burning'' "a text that helped inform not only the show, but also their identities when they first saw it."

Reception

Critical response

Season 1

On the review aggregation website

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 a 96% approval rating with an average rating of 8.3/10 based on 84 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, "Charged with energy, poise, and confidence, ''Pose'' pirouettes between artistic opulence and deliciously soapy drama to create a fresh new addition to Ryan Murphy's lexicon."

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 ...

, which uses a weighted average, assigned the first season a score of 75 out of 100 based on 27 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". In a positive review, '' Vanity Fair''s Richard Lawson was effusive, describing the series as "an engaging portrait of dark days met with merriment. Pain and perseverance are sewn together to create something humble yet fabulous—and, it should be shouted over all the show's loud and glorious clamor, very much long overdue." In a similarly favorable critique, ''Vulture''s Matt Zoller Seitz praised the series' ambition, aesthetic, and spotlight on minorities saying, "it shows American audiences a world that has never been visualized on television at this length and at such an obviously grand budget level. The camera swings and swoops, glides and tumbles as in a Scorsese epic like ''

Gangs of New York ''Gangs of New York'' is a 2002 American epic historical drama film directed by Martin Scorsese and written by Jay Cocks, Steven Zaillian and Kenneth Lonergan, based on Herbert Asbury's 1927 book ''The Gangs of New York''. The film stars Le ...

''; in both the outdoor street scenes and indoor crowd scenes, it's obvious that FX has spared no expense to get the clothes, the cars, the streets, the business signs, and even the distinctive yellow-brown glow of streetlights correct." In a more mixed assessment, ''

Newsday ''Newsday'' is an American daily newspaper that primarily serves Nassau and Suffolk counties on Long Island, although it is also sold throughout the New York metropolitan area. The slogan of the newspaper is "Newsday, Your Eye on LI", and f ...

''s gave the series two-and-a-half stars out of four and described it far less approvingly saying, "good intentions don't always lead to good TV, and a couple episodes in, that appears to be the case with ''Pose''. This certainly isn't bad TV—Murphy isn't about to leave his longtime home with a turkey—but it's often bland TV, and oddly enough, stock TV." In a negative evaluation, ''

Slate Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. It is the finest grained foliated metamorphic rock. ...

''s Willa Paskin was outright dismissive saying, "It's a TV show from one of the most canny creators working today, yet as a viewing experience it can feel like an object lesson." She continued on specifically criticizing the show's character development saying, "So many of the people on ''Pose'' are strong women, trans paragons, and this comes at the expense of them being recognizably flawed human beings."

Season 2

On Rotten Tomatoes, the second season holds a 98% approval rating with an average rating of 8.40/10 based on 41 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, "A delightful, delicate dance of light and dark, ''Pose''s second season achieves a striking balance between the grittiness of reality and the glamour of the runway and shines even brighter." On Metacritic, season 2 holds a score of 79 out of 100 based on 14 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews."

Season 3

On Rotten Tomatoes, the third season holds a 100% approval rating with an average rating of 7.70/10 based on 29 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, "Though it's entirely too short, ''Pose''s final season is a joyously entertaining celebration of life that is not to be missed." On Metacritic, season 3 holds a score of 76 out of 100 based on 11 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews."

Ratings

Season 1

Season 2

Season 3

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Accolades

References

External links

* * * *

Premise

Cast and characters

Main

Recurring

Introduced in season 1

Introduced in season 2

Introduced in season 3

Notable guest stars

Introduced in season 1

Introduced in season 2

Introduced in season 3

Episodes

Season 1 (2018)

Season 2 (2019)

Season 3 (2021)

Production

Development

Casting

Filming

Release

Marketing

Premiere

Influences

Reception

Critical response

Season 1

Season 2

Season 3

Ratings

Season 1

Season 2

Season 3

Accolades

See also

References

External links