Washington Black Review 2025 Tv Show Series Cast Crew Online
Few stories are more tailor-made for summer than the adventure tale. As a lover of television who also grew up spending my breaks from school at the local library, I’ve always been on the lookout for shows that bring back that summer-reading feeling — tearing through a lovingly used paperback while following an intrepid young protagonist on a globe-trotting, sometimes universe-spanning journey, one that allows them to cross paths with all manner of people and cultures while inwardly growing into adults themselves.
While I wasn’t previously familiar with Esi Edugyan’s bestselling novel on which Hulu’s Washington Black, from showrunners Selwyn Seyfu Hinds and Kimberly Ann Harrison, is based, watching this miniseries instantly transported me back to a time when reading adventure stories introduced me to worlds from the comfort of my own couch. In many ways, Washington Black feels like the perfect show for this generation, with a plot that hearkens back to every definitive bildungsroman you’ve ever read while also putting a fresh spin on the coming-of-age odyssey. There’s drama, intrigue, and danger, especially surrounding the series’ titular character, but there’s also whimsy, wonder, a dash of possible magic, and, above all, hope.
Born and raised on a Barbados sugar plantation, slavery is all that George Washington Black (Eddie Karanja) — “Wash,” for short — has ever known. Yet while he’s always been advised not to draw any unwanted attention to himself, his keen interest in science and art first earns the ire of his owner, Erasmus Wilde (Julian Rhind-Tutt), and then the attention of Erasmus’ brother, Christopher “Titch” Wilde (Tom Ellis). Titch, himself an abolitionist who has no stomach for his brother’s abusive ways, immediately clocks Wash’s aptitude for the scientific field and brings the eleven-year-old boy on as his apprentice. When a tragic accident on the plantation results in Wash being positioned to take the fall, he and Titch are forced to flee using Titch’s newly invented “cloud cutter,” an experimental flying machine that carries them both away from Barbados but also ensures they’ll be on the run from those with more nefarious intentions — not to mention the threats they encounter on their journey to destinations unknown.
Several years later, Wash, all grown up (and played by Ernest Kingsley Jr.), has landed in Nova Scotia, where he’s currently living under the alias of “Jack Crawford” and making his way as best he can. Titch is, surprisingly, nowhere to be seen, but Wash has found a new ally in Medwin Harris (Sterling K. Brown), a refugee and de facto caretaker of those who have fled to Canada in search of new opportunities. Wash isn’t the only one looking for a fresh start — Tanna Goff (Iola Evans) and her father (Rupert Graves) have just come ashore. A biracial woman who can pass as white, Tanna struggles to maintain a secure foothold in two very different worlds, especially after her father promises her hand in marriage to local merchant Billy McGee (Edward Bluemel) to help her weather the recent scandal of her origins breaking in England. When Tanna and Wash unexpectedly meet, sparks fly, but with both of them bound by their own secrets — and those hunting Wash for murder hot on his trail — will they be able to pursue a romance, or are they ultimately destined for tragedy?
With only half of Washington Black’s episode count provided for review, it’s difficult to say whether this adventure drama will resolve satisfactorily, but one thing’s for sure: so far, the journey has been worth taking. Its success can largely be attributed to the impressive cast, with many familiar and several new faces fleshing out a story that has all the hallmarks of classic adventure tales.
Tasked with playing the titular character of George Washington “Wash” Black across two different timelines, Eddie Karanja and Ernest Kingsley Jr. make up the two halves of this miniseries’ heart. As a young man born into slavery, Wash is understandably wary and distrustful of anyone who initially presents a kind face, but his intuition and ambition enable him to see through to the truth behind any facade, whether the ugly heart of a plantation owner or the integrity of a pirate. Karanja’s terrific performance allows us to discern the exact moments when Wash’s understanding of the world and his place in it starts to expand, through some imperative life lessons and encounters with a diverse cast of characters. Similarly, as the older version of Wash, Kingsley Jr. balances boyish enthusiasm, particularly in the moments when Wash is thrilled about a new scientific breakthrough, with guarded vigilance, especially when his burgeoning romance with Tanna attracts the wrong attention.
Washington Black’s supporting cast is also made up of great actors who leave their own strong impressions. Iola Evans’ Tanna is a delightful heroine, an independently-minded woman who readily helps her researcher father with his own experiments but isn’t afraid to stand up to him when her future becomes a contentious topic of conversation between them. Her charming chemistry with Kingsley also grounds the series in a welcome helping of romance, even though the cards are hopelessly stacked against Tanna and Wash’s future. Sterling K. Brown has a smaller presence compared to what some viewers may be expecting, especially given the name recognition factor, but he consistently makes the scenes he’s in count in terms of both emphasizing Medwin as a guiding force and bringing the necessary emotion when called on.
Only four episodes in, it’s difficult to determine whether Edward Bluemel’s Billy McGee is more of an antagonist or someone who only presents a temporary hurdle to Tanna and Wash’s relationship, but one late-stage plot development affords him some more intriguing layers. As Titch, a fanciful scientist who whisks Wash away on the adventure that kicks off everything, Tom Ellis turns what could have felt like a one-dimensional white savior into an endearing character who, although occasionally blinded to the truth by his own privilege, really does want the best for Wash and his potential future. The question that the show has yet to answer, in what was provided to critics for review, is when these two split up, and why, but the strength of the writing, the intrigue of dual timelines, and the winsome characters are enough to keep you patient in the wait for answers.
While the show eventually finds its stride once Wash and Titch embark on their adventure, it does take the narrative a beat or two to get there, which may prove too slow for viewers eager for more swashbuckling, steampunk-esque inventions, and visually striking locales. Similarly, the dangers faced by our characters are laden with tension, some of which are undercut by the ease with which some threats are resolved — but in the same breath, it’s also refreshing to tune into a series that doesn’t mistake drama for unnecessary or gratuitous trauma. Overall, the pleasure of watching a show like Washington Black is the mere fact that it exists, rooted in joy, adventure, romance, and self-discovery. No matter how the story ends, it’ll be a journey worth taking.
