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National Geographic has set a March 21 premiere date for Genius: Aretha, the third season of the critically-acclaimed limited series. Aretha stars Harriet alum Cynthia Erivo as the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin, and Courtney B. Vance as her father, C.L. Franklin.
Rather than roll out Genius: Aretha on a weekly basis, Nat Geo will air all eight episodes across four consecutive nights, with two episodes debuting each night and streaming next-day on Hulu. The premiere event will culminate in a celebration of Aretha Franklin’s birthday on Thursday, March 25, at which point all eight episodes will be available to stream online.
According to National Geographic, Genius: Aretha promises to be the “first-ever, definitive and only authorized scripted series on the life of the universally acclaimed Queen of Soul.” The anthology’s third season will “explore Aretha Franklin’s musical genius and incomparable career, as well as the immeasurable impact and lasting influence she has had on music and culture around the world.”
In addition to announcing the Aretha premiere date, the Disney-owned network has released a new trailer showcasing Erivo’s transformation and a new episode of behind-the-scenes podcast The Making Of. The Genius: Aretha trailer teases Franklin’s rapid rise in the industry, her work as an activist, and her fraught relationship with Ted White (played by Malcolm Barrett), her first husband and manager.
Genius: Aretha stars Cynthia Erivo as the legendary singer; Courtney B. Vance as Aretha Franklin’s father, C.L. Franklin; Malcolm Barrett as Ted White, Franklin’s first husband and business manager; David Cross as music producer Jerry Wexler; Patrice Covington and Rebecca Naomi Jones as Emma and Carolyn Franklin, respectively, Aretha’s sisters and background singers; Steven Norfleet as Aretha’s older brother Cecil Franklin; Pauletta Washington as Aretha’s maternal grandmother, Rachel; Omar J. Dorsey as James Cleveland; Marque Richardson as King Curtis; Kimberly Hébert Gregory as Ruth Bowen; and Shaian Jordan as young Aretha, known as “Little Re.”
Genius: Aretha premieres Sunday, March 21 at 9/8c on National Geographic and will be available to stream next-day on Hulu. Watch the official trailer above.
