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Season 1 – Equal

Play trailer Poster for Season 1 – Equal Oct 2020 Drama LGBTQ+ Play Trailer Watchlist
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86% Tomatometer 7 Reviews 100% Popcornmeter Fewer than 50 Ratings
Actor Billy Porter narrates this four-part documentary series that pays tribute to the founders of the modern LGBTQ+ movement. Before Stonewall there was Compton's Cafeteria, and before Harvey Milk there was José Sarria. Portrayed by Cheyenne Jackson, Shannon Purser, Jamie Clayton, Jai Rodriguez, Samira Wiley, and other actors, each episode captures the origin stories of trailblazers who changed the course of American history, giving a voice to millions of people yearning to be out, proud and equal.
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Equal — Season 1

Critics Reviews

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Inkoo Kang The Hollywood Reporter 10/28/2020
Equal is a valuable if glossy resource. But hopefully our embrace of marginal queer figures can expand and evolve so that they're appreciated less for their underground mystique than their full humanity. Go to Full Review Riese Bernard Autostraddle 10/28/2020
Ultimately, Equal is an addition to the important, if small, cannon of films - Before Stonewall, Last Call at Maud's - casting light on an area of history systematically obscured from education and the historical record. Go to Full Review Michael Cuby them. 09/28/2022
The four-part miniseries offers crucial history lessons and more than a few knockout performances by out queer actors. Go to Full Review Joel Keller Decider 10/29/2020
While the reenactments in Equal were distracting, we were enlightened by this examination of a piece of history we knew little about. Go to Full Review Sarah Boslaugh PopMatters 10/23/2020
7/10
...a lively, fun series built out of archival materials (love those pulp novel covers!) and re-enactments, with the first episode particularly reliant on the latter. Go to Full Review Matt Roush TV Insider 10/22/2020
These stories need to be told, but deserve to be told better. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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11/01/2020 Edgy, thought provoking, and often revelatory series on queer liberation that features some stories you might know, but a lot that I did not...which is to be truly commended. Everything from the gorgeous cast re-creations / monologues, stellar editing and archive, plus soundtrack choices from actual queer artists really made Equal, for me, truly special. See more Read all reviews
Equal — Season 1

My Rating

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Cast & Crew

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Billy Porter

Narrator

Alexandra Grey

Lucy Hicks Anderson

Anne Ramsay

FBI Agent

Anthony Rapp

Harry Hay

Cheyenne Jackson

Dale Jennings

Cole Doman

Mark Segal

Episodes

Episode 1 Aired Oct 22, 2020 The Birth of a Movement The Mattachine Society and Daughters of Bilitis emerge out of the repressive 1950s; Mattachine is galvanized by Harry Hay's gay rights manifesto, "The Call;" Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon create the Daughters of Bilitis as a support system. Details Episode 2 Aired Oct 22, 2020 Transgender Pioneers Trans trailblazers rise up against police harassment at Compton's Cafeteria; the stories of three pioneers help to shed light on this pre-Stonewall pioneer, including Lucy Hicks Anderson, Jack Starr and Christine Jorgensen. Details Episode 3 Aired Oct 22, 2020 Black Is Beautiful, Gay Is Good! At the height of the civil rights movement, three activists' lives epitomize the intersection of the personal and political: playwright Lorraine Hansberry ("A Raisin in the Sun"), organizer Bayard Rustin and drag queen José Sarria. Details Episode 4 Aired Oct 22, 2020 Stonewall: From Rebellion to Liberation Police brutality towards patrons of the Stonewall Inn sets off an uprising that rages for days and inspires the first-ever Pride marches; activists and icons share their stories, including Sylvia Rivera, Craig Rodwell, Stormé DeLarverie, and others. Details

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Equal — Season 1

Equal Equal Equal View more photos

Season Info

Director
Kimberly Reed
Executive Producer
Brooke Karzen, David Collins, Eric Norsoph, Greg Berlanti, Jim Parsons, Jon Jashni, Michael Williams, Mike Darnell, Rob Eric, Sarah Schechter, Todd Spiewak, Joel Chiodi
Network
HBO Max
Rating
TV-MA
Genre
Drama, LGBTQ+
Original Language
English
Release Date
Oct 22, 2020