''David Makes Man'' is an American

coming-of-age Coming of age is a young person's transition from being a child to being an adult. The specific age at which this transition takes place varies between societies, as does the nature of the change. It can be a simple legal convention or can b ...

drama Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...

television series that premiered on August 14, 2019, on OWN. In December 2019, OWN renewed the series for a second season which premiered on June 22, 2021.

Premise

''David Makes Man'' follows a 14-year-old named David "from the projects who is haunted by the death of his friend and relied on by his hardworking mother to find a way out of poverty."

Cast and characters

Main

* Akili McDowell as David **Kwame Patterson as Adult David (season 2) * Alana Arenas as Gloria, David's and JG's mother * Phylicia Rashad as Dr. Woods-Trap * Nathaniel Logan McIntyre as Seren ** Kyle Beltran as Adult Seren (recurring season 2) * Isaiah Johnson as Sky * Ade Chike Torbert as Raynan * Jordan Bolger as Shinobi * Cayden K. Williams as JG (Jonathan Greg), David's younger brother and Gloria's younger son ** Arlen Escarpeta as Adult JG (season 2) * Travis Coles as Mx. Elijah * Daniel Augustin as Eman * Gillian Williams as Jessica Kelly * Ruben Santiago-Hudson as Dr. Bree * Elvis Nolasco as Tio-Teo * Randy Gonzalez as Mr. Lopez *

Lela Rochon Lela Rochon Fuqua (born Lela Rochon Staples; April 17, 1964) is an American actress. She is best known for her starring role as Robin Stokes in the 1995 romantic drama film ''Waiting to Exhale''. Rochon also had roles in the films ''Harlem Nights' ...

as Alma * Trace Lysette as Femi * Liza Colón-Zayas as Principal Fallow * Juanita Jennings as Mrs. Hertrude * Lindsey Blackwell as Marissa ** Erica Luttrell as Adult Marissa (season 2) * Solomon Valdez as Willie Derrick * Teshi Thomas as Tare ** Aba Arthur as Adult Tare (season 2) * Nick Creegan as Desmond * Kimaya Naomi as Shella ** Zsané Jhé as Adult Shella (season 2) * Logan Rozos as Star Child * Tony Plana as Joe Padilla (season 2) * Brittany S. Hall as Nicole (season 2) * Bobbi Baker as Robin (season 2) * Patrice Arenas as Denise (season 2) * Trinity Cidel as Trenise (season 2) * Brandi Huzzie as Trisha (season 2) * Rodney Gardiner as Corey Roberts (season 2) * Janmarco Santiago as Elan (season 2)

Episodes

Series overview

Season 1 (2019)

Season 2 (2021)

Production

Development

On August 16, 2017, it was reported that

Oprah Winfrey Network The Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN, also known as the OWN Network) is an American multinational basic cable television network which launched on January 1, 2011, effectively replacing the Discovery Health Channel, which one month later merged with ...

had given the production a straight-to-series order created by Tarell Alvin McCraney. On June 26, 2018, it was announced that Dee Harris-Lawrence will be the showrunner and set to serve as an executive producer along with Tarell Alvin McCraney, Mike Kelley, Melissa Loy, Michael B. Jordan, and

Oprah Winfrey Oprah Gail Winfrey (; born Orpah Gail Winfrey; January 29, 1954) is an American television presenter, talk show host, television producer, actress, author, and media proprietor. She is best known for her talk show, ''The Oprah Winfrey Show' ...

. Production companies involved with the series were slated to include Warner Horizon Scripted Television, Page Fright, and Outlier Productions. The series was set to premiere on August 14, 2019. The pilot episode was premiered at

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on March 10, 2019. On December 19, 2019, OWN renewed the series for a second season. On June 29, 2020,

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acquired the streaming rights for the series which was debuted on July 16, 2020. The series' producer Dee Harris-Lawrence most recently signed an overall deal with Warner Bros. Television Studios. The second season premiered on June 22, 2021.

Casting

In June 2018, it was announced that Akili McDowell, Phylicia Rashad, Nathaniel Logan McIntyre, Isaiah Johnson, Ade Chike Torbert, Jordan Bolger, Cayden K. Williams, and Travis Coles are cast as series regulars. In August 2018, Alana Arenas has been cast as a series regular while Gillian Williams, Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Elvis Nolasco, and Randy Gonzalez are cast in recurring roles. On October 25, 2018, Lela Rochon, Trace Lysette, Liza Colón-Zayas, Juanita Jennings, Lindsey Blackwell, Solomon Valdez, Teshi Thomas, and newcomers Nick Creegan, Kimaya Naomi and Logan Rozos have joined the series in recurring roles. On August 6, 2020, Kwame Patterson and Arlen Escarpeta were cast in starring roles for the second season. On December 8, 2020, Tony Plana, Brittany S. Hall, Erica Luttrell, Zsané Jhé, Bobbi Baker, Patrice Arenas, Trinity Cidel, Brandi Huzzie, Rodney Gardiner, and Janmarco Santiago joined the cast in recurring roles for the second season.

Filming

Production began in the summer of 2018 in

Orlando, Florida Orlando ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Orange County, Florida, United States. The city proper had a population of 307,573 at the 2020 census, making it the fourth-most populous city in Florida behind Jacksonville, Florida, Jacksonville ...

Reception

Critical response

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, the series holds an approval rating of 100% based on 23 reviews, with an average rating of 8.98/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Powerful, beautiful, and like nothing else on TV, ''David Makes Man'' blends dreamy aesthetics with an empathetically crafted story to create a truly unique viewing experience." On

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, it has a weighted average score of 81 out of 100, based on 11 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".

Accolades

References

External links

* {{Oprah Winfrey Network 2010s American drama television series 2020s American drama television series 2019 American television series debuts 2021 American television series endings American English-language television shows Oprah Winfrey Network original programming Poverty in television Serial drama television series American television series about teenagers Television series by Warner Bros. Television Studios Television series by Warner Horizon Television Television shows set in Florida