Here is the trailer for the National Geographic mini series “Genius: Aretha Franklin.” What used to be an 8 part series is now a four night showing beginning on Sunday, March 21st. Cynthia Erivo stars as Aretha, and Courtney B. Vance plays her father, Reverend C.L. Franklin. Clive Davis and Atlantic Records’ Craig Kallman are Executive Producers. Brian Graer and Ron Howard of Imagine Entertainment produce the series.
I think we’re going to see a lot from Aretha’s Atlantic years on the first two nights, and more from her Arista years in the second two nights. “Genius” should be a forerunner in the Emmys race in this summer. Erivo is amazing, you can see it from the trailer. All of this precedes “Respect,” the Jennifer Hudson – Aretha bio due in August on the big screen. It’s an Aretha year! PS Aretha and Mary Wilson knew each other very well, they were almost the same age and from the same neighborhood in Detroit. I hope they are having a reunion today in heaven.
Here’s a breakdown of episodes:
RESPECT
Sunday, March 21, at 9/8c
Desperate for a hit, Aretha travels to Muscle Shoals in 1967 to record her first album with Atlantic Records. After suffering the loss of her surrogate mother, Little Re braves her first solo in 1953, in her father’s, C.L. Franklin, church.
UNTIL THE REAL THING COMES ALONG
Sunday, March 21, at 10/9c
Struggling to find her sound, Aretha catches the attention of Jerry Wexler at Atlantic Records in 1966. Meanwhile, Little Re has her first touring experience on the Gospel Circuit in 1954 with C.L. Franklin and meets her idol, Clara Ward.
DO-RIGHT WOMAN
Monday, March 22, at 9/8c
Aretha juggles her music career and her commitment to the civil rights movement, led by Martin Luther King Jr., in 1967 and 1968. Meanwhile, Little Re leaves behind her newborn child to return to the Gospel Circuit in 1955, meeting with music legends James Cleveland and Little Sammie Bryant.
UNFORGETTABLE
Monday, March 22, at 10/9c
Aretha is featured on the cover of Time Magazine in 1968, but she’s devastated when the article focuses on the scandalous details of her personal life. Barbara Franklin and Young C.L. Franklin struggle to establish themselves in Memphis in 1941, before Little Re is born.
YOUNG, GIFTED, AND BLACK
Tuesday, March 23, at 9/8c
Aretha, inspired by Angela Davis and the Soledad Brothers, records her protest album “Young, Gifted and Black” in 1970. Despite Jerry Wexler’s uncertainty, the album is a success. Barbara Franklin makes a decision that has a devastating effect on Little Re in 1951.
AMAZING GRACE
Tuesday, March 23, at 10/9c
Aretha records her best-selling live Gospel album “Amazing Grace” in 1972 at New Temple Missionary Baptist Church, ignoring her sibling’s pleas to record instead at New Bethel with their father, C.L. Franklin. Little Re discovers that she’s pregnant with her second child, forcing her to leave school. While pregnant, she records her first album at New Bethel in 1956.
CHAIN OF FOOLS
Wednesday, March 24, at 9/8c
As the Queen of Soul enters the age of disco, Aretha will do anything to remain relevant—including stealing an opportunity from her sister Carolyn. She receives a GRAMMY nomination but is ultimately snubbed from winning the award. While at the ceremony, she meets with Arista founder Clive Davis. Meanwhile, Jerry Wexler leaves Atlantic Records, and he and Aretha part ways.
NO ONE SLEEPS
Wednesday, March 24, at 10/9c
Despite significant emotional losses, including a second divorce and the death of her father in 1984, Aretha pushes herself artistically and triumphs. She begins a successful career at Arista, with the help of Clive Davis, and in an unforgettable GRAMMY performance in 1998, she solidifies her eternal reign as the Queen of Soul.
