Miniseries – The Good Lord Bird

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Oct 2020

Drama

History

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98%

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52 Reviews

74%

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250+ Ratings

Based on the award-winning novel by author James McBride, "The Good Lord Bird" is told from the perspective of Henry "Little Onion" Shackleford, a newly freed teenager who joins abolitionist John Brown on a holy crusade to end slavery. Onion encounters Frederick Douglass and Harriet Tubman, and he finds himself as a part of the famous 1859 raid at Harpers Ferry. "The Good Lord Bird" is equal parts absurd and tragic as it spotlights the ever-changing racial, religious and gender roles that make up the American identity.

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Critics Consensus

Ethan Hawke dazzles in The Good Lord Bird, an epically irreverent adaptation that does right by its source material's good word.

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Neal Justin

Minneapolis Star Tribune

Dec 30, 2020

Despite four Oscar nominations, Ethan Hawke has always floated just below the A-list. "The Good Lord Bird" should lift him to the top.

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Ian Freer

Empire Magazine

Dec 30, 2020

4/5

Onion becomes the eyes we see this world through and, even if too much heavy lifting is done by voiceover, Johnson makes him an engaging, likeable presence.

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James Jackson

The Times (UK)

Dec 30, 2020

4/5

OK, so we have the most knowingly OTT performance of the year established, but The Good Lord Bird has more going for it than Hawke's quiet-loud showboating.

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Carmen Paddock

Movies We Texted About

Apr 23, 2026

Brown’s story is already one for the ages; it feels right that this raucous seven-episode true fiction gives him a new life in the 21st century.

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Kshitij Rawat

The Indian Express

Jan 28, 2021

5/5

One expects this sort of miniseries to be solemn and violent, and it often is, but The Good Lord Bird is also a delightfully funny piece of entertainment with a crooked sense of humour.

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James Croot

The Post NZ

Jan 19, 2021

Irreverent, yet engrossing... Like last year's riotous 18th century Russian romp The Great, this is history with a raucous, rambunctious streak.

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Ellis D T

@RT46914952 Jun 1, 2025

Very underrated series! I loved the way it drew so many parallels to modern day civil rights movements, and really shined a light on how people living today would have been drawn to or repelled by either side of the fight.

Randall J

@Focus Oct 11, 2024

Tough to watch horrible times but excellent!!! Well worth the time

Gareth v

@geewah Jun 17, 2023

Ethan Hawke is brilliant as the crazy, yet dedicated John Brown in the unique telling of a brutal period of American history. While most shows about slavery are told in an unsparing manner, this shows manages to do so with some levity and refrains from painting Brown as some perfect white saviour.

May 9, 2022

If you consider history boring, this proves you wrong.

Apr 18, 2022

Ethan Hawke does a great job. Slow at times, but the investment is worth it - providing you appreciate the narrative. Quirky, poignant and well produced. Think of it as the spawn of O Brother, Where Art Thou? and The Watchmen series.

Caz M

@CazMartino Oct 1, 2021

Fantastic show with fantastical performances. All the bad reviews cherry pick one thing to hate on like John Browns taste for religion and then give the entire show one star. It's just a part of the character... why take it so personal.

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Ethan Hawke

John Brown

Joshua Caleb Johnson

Onion

Beau Knapp

Owen Brown

Mo Brings Plenty

Ottawa Jones

Nick Eversman

John Brown Jr.

Jack Alcott

Jason Brown

Episode 1

Aired Oct 4, 2020

Meet the Lord

A young slave living in the Kansas territory in 1856 has a fateful run-in with abolitionist John Brown, who frees him and nicknames him Onion.

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Episode 2

Aired Oct 11, 2020

A Wicked Plot

Onion and fellow slave Bob run into pro-slavery red shirts who take them to the slave-trading town of Pikesville, Mo.

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Episode 3

Aired Oct 18, 2020

Mister Fred

John Brown and Onion travel north, taking refuge at the home of Frederick Douglass and his two wives; Brown and Douglass clash over methodology.

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Episode 4

Aired Oct 25, 2020

Smells Like Bear

John and Onion continue their fundraising mission, heading to Canada on foot; the legendary Harriet Tubman endorses Brown in a room full of new recruits.

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Episode 5

Aired Nov 1, 2020

Hiving the Bees

Onion and new recruit John Cook head to Harper's Ferry to prepare for the arrival of John Brown and his army; Onion struggles to recruit more African-American soldiers and Brown's arrival with daughter Annie creates a new distraction.

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Episode 6

Aired Nov 8, 2020

Jesus Is Walkin'

The plan to take control of Harper's Ferry is finally put into action; however, a crucial mistake threatens the success of the entire operation. With shots firing, Onion is sent out to get reinforcements.

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Episode 7

Aired Nov 15, 2020

Last Words

John Brown and his remaining army take a last stand as more federal troops descend upon Harper's Ferry; with John Brown captured, Onion, truly on his own, risks his life to say his goodbyes to Brown.

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Episode 8

Airs undefined

In the 1850s, abolitionist John Brown and a young slave lead a group of freedom fighters in an effort to end slavery.

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The Good Lord Bird: Limited Series Featurette - Rediscovering John Brown with Ethan Hawk and James McBride