''Genius'' is an American

biographical A biography, or simply bio, is a detailed description of a person's life. It involves more than just basic facts like education, work, relationships, and death; it portrays a person's experience of these life events. Unlike a profile or curric ...

anthology In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs, or related fiction/non-fiction excerpts by different authors. There are also thematic and g ...

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 ...

series developed by Noah Pink and

Kenneth Biller Kenneth Todd Biller (born December 23, 1964) is a television producer, writer, director and editor. He has worked on a number of American television shows including ''Beverly Hills, 90210'', '' Star Trek: Voyager'', ''Legend of the Seeker'' and ...

which premiered on

National Geographic ''National Geographic'' (formerly ''The National Geographic Magazine'', sometimes branded as ''Nat Geo'') is an American monthly magazine published by National Geographic Partners. The magazine was founded in 1888 as a scholarly journal, nine ...

. The first season, which aired between April and June 2017, followed the life of

Albert Einstein Albert Einstein (14 March 187918 April 1955) was a German-born theoretical physicist who is best known for developing the theory of relativity. Einstein also made important contributions to quantum mechanics. His mass–energy equivalence f ...

, from his early years, through his time as a patent clerk, and into his later years as a

physicist A physicist is a scientist who specializes in the field of physics, which encompasses the interactions of matter and energy at all length and time scales in the physical universe. Physicists generally are interested in the root or ultimate cau ...

who developed the

theory of relativity The theory of relativity usually encompasses two interrelated physics theories by Albert Einstein: special relativity and general relativity, proposed and published in 1905 and 1915, respectively. Special relativity applies to all physical ph ...

; the season is based on the 2007 book '' Einstein: His Life and Universe'' by

Walter Isaacson Walter Seff Isaacson (born May 20, 1952) is an American journalist who has written biographies of Henry Kissinger, Benjamin Franklin, Leonardo da Vinci, Albert Einstein, Steve Jobs, Jennifer Doudna and Elon Musk. As of 2024, Isaacson is a profes ...

. The second season, which aired between April and June 2018, followed the life and artistry of

Pablo Picasso Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso (25 October 1881 – 8 April 1973) was a Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, Ceramic art, ceramicist, and Scenic ...

. In April 2018, National Geographic renewed the series for a third season. The season was originally supposed to focus on

Mary Shelley Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley ( , ; ; 30 August 1797 – 1 February 1851) was an English novelist who wrote the Gothic novel ''Frankenstein, Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus'' (1818), which is considered an History of science fiction# ...

, but this was changed during development to instead focus on

Aretha Franklin Aretha Louise Franklin ( ; March 25, 1942 – August 16, 2018) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Honored as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Soul", she was twice named by ''Rolling Stone'' magazine as the Roll ...

. It aired in March 2021. In December 2020, the series was renewed for a fourth season to be released on National Geographic and

Disney+ The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...

. The fourth season follows the lives of

Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King Jr. (born Michael King Jr.; January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American Baptist minister, civil and political rights, civil rights activist and political philosopher who was a leader of the civil rights move ...

and

Malcolm X Malcolm X (born Malcolm Little, later el-Hajj Malik el-Shabazz; May 19, 1925 – February 21, 1965) was an African American revolutionary, Islam in the United States, Muslim minister and human rights activist who was a prominent figur ...

and premiered on February 1, 2024. Throughout the years the series received several nominations and accolades, including two

Primetime Emmy Awards The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Owned and operated by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the P ...

and a

NAACP Image Awards The NAACP Image Awards is an annual awards ceremony presented by the U.S.-based National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) to honor outstanding performances in film, television, theatre, music, and literature. The over 40 ...

Synopsis

The first season chronicles two periods in the life of

: the first as a patent clerk struggling to gain a teaching position and doctorate, the second as a scientist respected for his development of the

. The second season chronicles two periods in the life of

: the first as a young man discovering his talent, the second as a celebrated artist struggling with the rise of fascism and the price of fame. The third season chronicles two periods in the life of

: the first as a young gospel singer impregnated at the age of twelve, the second as a rising star. The fourth season chronicles the lives of

and

Cast and characters

Season 1

Main

Recurring

Season 2

Main

Recurring

Season 3

Main

Recurring

Season 4

Main

Recurring

Episodes

Season 1: ''Einstein'' (2017)

Season 2: ''Picasso'' (2018)

Season 3: ''Aretha'' (2021)

Season 4: ''MLK/X'' (2024)

Production

Development

On April 28, 2016, it was announced that

had given the production a straight-to-series order, its first ever scripted series. The series was set to be based on the biography '' Einstein: His Life and Universe'' by Walter Isaacson and adapted by Noah Pink, who was also expected to co-executive produce. Executive producers were announced to include

Brian Grazer Brian Thomas Grazer (born July 12, 1951) is an American film and television producer. He founded Imagine Entertainment in 1986 with Ron Howard. The films they produced have grossed over $15 billion. Grazer was personally nominated for four Acad ...

Ron Howard Ronald William Howard (born March 1, 1954) is an American filmmaker and actor. Howard started his career as a child actor before transitioning to directing films. Over his six-decade career, Howard has received List of awards and nominations r ...

Francie Calfo Francine "Francie" Calfo is a fictional character on the television series '' Alias,'' portrayed by Merrin Dungey from 2001 to 2003 and again in 2006. Initially the best friend of lead character Sydney Bristow (Jennifer Garner), Francie is murder ...

Gigi Pritzker Gigi Pritzker (born 27 July 1962) is an American billionaire and film producer who is a member of the Pritzker family. Pritzker is co-founder of the film production and financing company Odd Lot Entertainment, producing several films including ' ...

, Rachel Shane, Sam Sokolow, and Jeffrey Cooney. Anna Culp was set to co-produce alongside Melissa Rucker. Ron Howard was expected to direct the first episode of the series. Production companies involved with the series were set to include Imagine TV, Fox 21 TV Studios, OddLot Entertainment and EUE/Sokolow. On April 19, 2017, National Geographic renewed the series for a second season. The subject of the second season was to have been announced during the finale of the first season, but was instead revealed to be

the day after the finale, when the network and producers did not want to divert attention away from the season finale. The second season premiered on April 24, 2018. On April 18, 2018, National Geographic renewed the series for a third season. The season was initially set to follow the life of writer

. Ken Biller is expected to return as showrunner, executive producer and writer. Also returning are executive producers Brian Grazer, Ron Howard, Francie Calfo, Jeff Cooney, Sam Sokolow, Gigi Pritzker, and Rachel Shane. Anna Culp will return as producer. Returning production companies include Imagine TV, MWM Studios, and EUE/Sokolow. On February 10, 2019, it was announced that the subject of the third season would instead be American singer

, known as "The Queen of Soul". The third season was slated to premiere on May 25, 2020, and air over four consecutive nights, but was delayed due to the

coronavirus pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

and began airing on March 21, 2021. On December 10, 2020, the series was renewed for a fourth season, which focused on the lives of

and

Casting

Season 1

In August 2016, it was announced that

Geoffrey Rush Geoffrey Roy Rush (born 6 July 1951) is an Australian actor. Known for often playing eccentric roles on both stage and screen, he has received List of awards and nominations received by Geoffrey Rush, numerous accolades, including an Academy Aw ...

and

Johnny Flynn Johnny Flynn (born 14 March 1983) is a British actor and musician. He starred as Dylan Witter in the Channel 4 and Netflix television sitcom '' Lovesick'' and is also known for his performances as David Bowie in the 2020 film '' Stardust''; M ...

would star in the series as

both as an old man and as a young adult, respectively. Additionally, it was reported that

Emily Watson Emily Margaret Watson (born 14 January 1967) is an English actress. She began her career on stage and joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1992. In 2002, she starred in productions of ''Twelfth Night'' and ''Uncle Vanya'' at the Donmar Ware ...

would also star in the series and that

Michael McElhatton Michael McElhatton (born 12 September 1963) is an Irish actor and writer. He is best known for playing the role of Roose Bolton in the HBO series ''Game of Thrones'' from the second to the sixth season (2012–2016). Other credits include '' I ...

Seth Gabel Seth Gabel (born October 3, 1981) is an American actor. He is known for his roles of agent Lincoln Lee on Fox's television series ''Fringe'', Cotton Mather on WGN America's series '' Salem'', and Adrian Moore on the FX series ''Nip/Tuck''. He ...

, Samantha Colley, Richard Topol, and

Vincent Kartheiser Vincent Paul Kartheiser (born May 5, 1979) is an American actor. He gained acclaim for his role as Pete Campbell on the AMC drama series ''Mad Men'' from 2007 to 2015. He had starring roles in films such as ''Alaska'' (1996), '' Masterminds'' ( ...

had joined the cast. In November 2016, it was announced that Shannon Tarbet,

Claire Rushbrook Claire Louise Rushbrook (born 25 August 1971) is an English actress. She is best known for her role as Roxanne in the film '' Secrets & Lies'' (1996), and for playing Linda Earl-Bouchtat (Rae's Mum) in ''My Mad Fat Diary'' (2013–2015). Other ...

, and Robert Lindsay had been cast in recurring roles. On February 2, 2017, it was reported that T. R. Knight had been cast in the recurring role of

J. Edgar Hoover John Edgar Hoover (January 1, 1895 – May 2, 1972) was an American attorney and law enforcement administrator who served as the fifth and final director of the Bureau of Investigation (BOI) and the first director of the Federal Bureau o ...

Season 2

On September 6, 2017, it was announced that

Antonio Banderas José Antonio Domínguez Bandera (born 10 August 1960), known professionally as Antonio Banderas, is a Spanish actor. Known for his work in films of several genres, he has received numerous accolades, including a Cannes Film Festival Award ...

would star in the second season as

. On November 2, 2017, it was reported that Alex Rich would co-star in the series sharing the lead role of Picasso. It was further reported that

Clémence Poésy Clémence Guichard (born 30 October 1982), known professionally as Clémence Poésy (), is a French actress and fashion model. After starting on the stage as a child, Poésy studied drama and has been active in both film and television since 19 ...

Robert Sheehan Robert Sheehan (born 7 January 1988) is an Irish actor. He is best known for television roles such as Nathan Young in ''Misfits (TV series), Misfits'', Darren Treacy in ''Love/Hate (TV series), Love/Hate'', and Number Four / The Séance (Klaus ...

Poppy Delevingne Poppy Angela Delevingne (born 3 May 1986)Burke's Peerage, Baronetage and Knightage, 107th edition, vol. 2, ed. Charles Mosley, Burke's Peerage Ltd, 2003, p. 3028 is an English socialite, actress and model. Family and personal life Delevingne w ...

Aisling Franciosi Aisling Franciosi ( , ; born 6 June 1993) is an Irish actress. She won an AACTA Award for her leading role in the film '' The Nightingale'' (2018). On television, she is known for her roles in the RTÉ-BBC Two crime drama '' The Fall'' (2013–2 ...

, and

Sebastian Roché Sebastian Roché (born 4 August 1964) is a French-American actor. He is known for his roles as Kurt Mendel in '' Odyssey 5'', Jerry Jacks in ''General Hospital'', Thomas Jerome Newton in '' Fringe'', Balthazar in ''Supernatural'', Mikael in bo ...

also joined the cast and that Samantha Colley, T. R. Knight, Seth Gabel, and Johnny Flynn were returning from season one in new roles.

Season 3

On October 3, 2019,

Cynthia Erivo Cynthia Chinasaokwu Onyedinmanasu Amarachukwu Owezuke Echimino Erivo ( ; born 8 January 1987) is a British actress and singer. Known for her work on both stage and screen, she is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Cynt ...

was cast to play

Season 4

In September 2022, the cast was announced, with Kelvin Harrison Jr. and

Aaron Pierre Aaron Pierre may refer to: * Aaron Pierre (footballer) (born 1993), Grenadian footballer * Aaron Pierre (actor) (born 1994), English actor {{hndis, Pierre, Aaron ...

set to star as

and

respectively, while

Weruche Opia Reanne Weruche Opia () (born 11 April 1987) is a British-Nigerian actress and entrepreneur. She is the founding CEO of the clothing line Jesus Junkie Clothing. She was nominated for a British Academy Television Award for her performance in the BB ...

was cast as

Coretta Scott King Coretta Scott King ( Scott; April 27, 1927 – January 30, 2006) was an American author, activist, and civil rights leader who was the wife of Martin Luther King Jr. from 1953 until his assassination in 1968. As an advocate for African-Ameri ...

and Jayme Lawson as

Betty Shabazz Betty Shabazz (born Betty Dean Sanders; May 28, 1934/1936 – June 23, 1997), also known as Betty X, was an American educator and civil rights advocate. She was married to Malcolm X. Shabazz grew up in Detroit, Michigan, where her foster ...

. In November,

Ron Cephas Jones Ron Cephas Jones (; January 8, 1957 – August 19, 2023) was an American actor, best known for his role as William Hill in the drama series ''This Is Us'' (2016–2022), which earned him a Screen Actors Guild Award; along with four consecutive ...

, Gary Carr and Hubert Point-Du Jour were added to the main cast for the season, with

Lennie James Lennie Michael James is a British actor. He is best known for portraying Morgan Jones in the AMC series '' The Walking Dead'' and in its spin-off, ''Fear the Walking Dead'', and starring as DCI Tony Gates in ''Line of Duty'' series one. Among ...

LisaGay Hamilton LisaGay Hamilton (born 1964) is an American actress who has portrayed roles in films, television, and on stage. She is best known for her role as secretary/lawyer Rebecca Washington on the ABC legal drama ''The Practice'' (1997–2003). She als ...

, Ashley Romans,

Donal Logue Donal Francis Logue (born February 27, 1966) is a Canadian-American film and television actor. He played the starring role of Sean Finnerty on the sitcom '' Grounded for Life'' (2001–2005), and Detective Harvey Bullock on the DC Comics adapta ...

and

Griffin Matthews Griffin Matthews (born 1981/82) is an American actor, writer, and director. Early life and education Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, he graduated from Carnegie Mellon University with a B.F.A. in musical theater. Career With husband Matt Goul ...

joining in recurring roles. Jalyn Hall was cast as a younger Martin Luther King Jr. in December.

Filming

Principal photography for season one took place in mid-2016 in

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

. Filming for season two began in November 2017 in

Málaga Málaga (; ) is a Municipalities in Spain, municipality of Spain, capital of the Province of Málaga, in the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia. With a population of 591,637 in 2024, it is the second-most populo ...

and was expected to take place for over five months in various cities around the world, including

Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, and

Budapest Budapest is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns of Hungary, most populous city of Hungary. It is the List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, tenth-largest city in the European Union by popul ...

. Filming for the third season was set to commence in November 2019, for an early-2020 release. In March 2020, the production was shelved due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. The series resumed production on October 1, 2020.

Music

Most of Franklin's music in season three was recorded by Erivo. However, the producers were unable to obtain the rights to use Franklin's biggest songs, "

Respect Respect, also called esteem, is a positive feeling or deferential action shown towards someone or something considered important or held in high esteem or regard. It conveys a sense of admiration for good or valuable qualities. It is also th ...

" and "

(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" is a 1967 song by American soul singer Aretha Franklin released as a single by the Atlantic label from her album '' Lady Soul''. The lyrics were written by Gerry Goffin from an idea by Atlantic produce ...

Reception

Critical reception

Season 1

The first season received mostly positive reviews. On

review aggregator A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews and ratings of products and services, such as films, books, video games, music, software, hardware, or cars. This system then stores the reviews to be used for supporting a website where user ...

website

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...

, the series has an approval rating of 84%, based on 31 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, "Buoyed by a superb performance from Geoffrey Rush, ''Genius'' is a compelling origin story of one of history's most renowned scientists." On

Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...

, the season had a score of 65 out of 100, based on 20 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Science columnist

Dennis Overbye Dennis Overbye (born June 2, 1944, in Seattle, Washington) is a science writer specializing in physics and cosmology and was the cosmic affairs correspondent for ''The New York Times''. Biography He has written two books: ''Lonely Hearts of ...

of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' described the series as a "tense binge-worthy psychological thriller full of political and romantic melodrama." Overbye further noted that Einstein himself, writing to his sister, wrote, "If everybody lived a life like mine, there would be no need for novels." According to Hillary Busis of ''Vanity Fair'', the film shows, "... Einstein at work ... peers into the über-genius's tumultuous love life (monogamy, he believes, is "not natural") ... his fraught emigration to the United States ...". Busis quotes producer

: "When you move past his scientific contributions, Albert's life story—what his youth was like, who his friends were, who his enemies were, his tumultuous love life—is a story people don't know ... I think audiences are going to be riveted as we tell this ambitious and revealing human story behind Einstein's scientific brilliance."

Season 2

The second season received mixed reviews, but garnered praise for its star,

. Rotten Tomatoes gave an approval rating of 57%, based on 23 reviews. Its critical consensus reads: "An impressive performance from Antonio Banderas rescues ''Genius: Picasso'' from condensed melodrama." On Metacritic, the season had a score of 52 out of 100, based on 10 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews".

Season 3

The third season received mainly positive reviews. Rotten Tomatoes gave an approval rating of 71% based on 34 reviews. The critical consensus reads: "Cynthia Erivo captures the spirit of the singular singer with poise and passion - if only ''Aretha''s writing were as strong as her performance." On Metacritic, the season had a score of 67 out of 100, based on 10 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

=Reaction from Franklin's family

= Despite positive reception of season 3, Aretha Franklin's family never reacted kindly to the season, claiming they "weren't consulted in any part of the production, despite the crew's insistence that they worked with Franklin's estate".

Season 4

The fourth season received mainly positive reviews. Rotten Tomatoes gave an approval rating of 75% based on 12 reviews. The critical consensus reads: "Sporting a good pair of starring performances, ''Genius fourth season can't quite capture the legacies of its two civil rights icons but delivers a sturdy recreation of their personal lives."

Accolades

References

External links

*
''Genius'' – official website
* *
Works by Pablo Picasso at Google Images
* {{National Geographic TV 2010s American anthology television series 2010s American documentary television series 2010s American drama television series 2017 American television series debuts 2024 American television series endings American biographical series Aretha Franklin Cultural depictions of Albert Einstein Cultural depictions of Gertrude Stein Cultural depictions of J. Edgar Hoover Cultural depictions of Martin Luther King Jr. Cultural depictions of Mileva Marić Cultural depictions of Pablo Picasso American English-language television shows National Geographic (American TV channel) original programming Science education television series Television productions suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic Television series about geniuses Television series by 20th Century Fox Television Television series by Imagine Entertainment Television shows filmed in France Television shows filmed in Hungary Television shows filmed in Spain Television shows filmed in the Czech Republic Television shows scored by Hans Zimmer Television shows set in Berlin Television shows set in Italy Television shows set in Switzerland Works about Martin Luther King Jr. Works about Malcolm X Works about Albert Einstein

Synopsis

Cast and characters

Season 1

Main

Recurring

Season 2

Main

Recurring

Season 3

Main

Recurring

Season 4

Main

Recurring

Episodes

Season 1: ''Einstein'' (2017)

Season 2: ''Picasso'' (2018)

Season 3: ''Aretha'' (2021)

Season 4: ''MLK/X'' (2024)

Production

Development

Casting

Season 1

Season 2

Season 3

Season 4

Filming

Music

Reception

Critical reception

Season 1

Season 2

Season 3

=Reaction from Franklin's family

Season 4

Accolades

See also

References

External links