by Thinus Ferreira
The next 8-episode season of the anthology series Genius on National Geographic (DStv 181 / StarSat 220) entitled Genius: Aretha and which will elucidate the life of the singer Aretha Franklin, will start on Wednesday 30 June at 21:00 in South Africa and across sub-Saharan Africa, with a special double-episode event, followed by a weekly single-episode broadcast thereafter.
Genius: Aretha as an authorised, scripted series, premiered and ended its run last week in the United States on National Geographic, meaning that South African viewers will see it three months later.
Cynthia Erivo portrays Aretha in the title role as the Queen of Soul, with Courtney B. Vance as CL Franklin.
Genius: Aretha explores Aretha Franklin’s life and career and the impact that the civil rights champion and singer has had on music
and culture around the world.
Genius: Aretha features many of Franklin’s biggest
recordings and hit songs from the comprehensive Warner Music catalogue.
The season also features a number of well-known personalities who
crossed paths with Aretha Franklin, including Dinah Washington, King Curtis, Clara
Ward, Art Tatum, Reverend James Cleveland, Sydney Pollack, Angela Davis, Martin
Luther King Jr, Curtis Mayfield and George Michael.
"Aretha
Franklin’s voice was just one part of the incredible legacy she left behind,
adding to her civil rights advocacy and her true musical genius, and so much
more," says Evert van der Veer, vice president, Media
Networks, The Walt Disney Company Africa, in a statement.
"National Geographic’s commitment to
going deeper, pushing boundaries and going further is embodied in this
definitive and awe-inspiring series, which we are thrilled to be bringing to
viewers and fans across the continent this June."
Genius: Aretha is produced by 20th Television and
Imagine Entertainment,with the season that is once again executive produced by Imagine’s Brian
Grazer and Ron Howard. Suzan-Lori Parks is the showrunner, executive producer and lead writer, while Anthony Hemingway is also executive producer and serves as
director.
Really fascinating long-read articles in the April issue of National Geographic range from "The Genius of Aretha" to "The Queen of Charts" and covers her entire biography, career and is filled with striking details like: "Aretha never had a music lesson", and even the making of the TV show.
"While everyone who listens to Western popular music knows the sound of her voice, very few people know her story - know the pain she suffered through, know the difficulties of her childhood, know that her mother died at a young age, know she didn't just burst onto the scene and find her sound," says Suzan-Lori Parks.
