P-Valley is an Americandrama television series created byKatori Hall. The series is an adaptation of Hall's playPussy Valley, and follows primarilyAfrican-American women working at The Pynk strip club in theMississippi Delta under the femmenon-binary proprietor Uncle Clifford Sayles.P-Valley starsBrandee Evans,Nicco Annan,J. Alphonse Nicholson, andElarica Johnson. It premiered onStarz on July 12, 2020, and was renewed for a second season two weeks after its premiere. The second season premiered on June 3, 2022. In October 2022, the series was renewed for a third season.[4]
Brandee Evans as Mercedes Woodbine, a tough veteran stripper planning to leave The Pynk to open a dance gym[7]
Nicco Annan as Uncle Clifford Sayles, the non-binary[8] owner and proprietor of The Pynk experiencing financial problems that threaten the club's survival[9]
Shannon Thornton as Keyshawn Harris / Miss Mississippi, a dancer and influencer experiencing abuse by her boyfriend and father of her children, Derrick[9]
Elarica Johnson as Hailey Colton / Autumn Night / Lakeisha Savage (seasons 1–2), a hurricane survivor who moves to Chucalissa from Texas after losing her daughter[10]
Skyler Joy as Gidget, a former dancer at the Pynk
J. Alphonse Nicholson as LaMarques / Lil Murda, an aspiring rapper and Uncle Clifford's love interest
Parker Sawyers as Andre Watkins, an associate at a commercial investment company trying to secure land for The Promised Land Casino and Resort
Harriett D. Foy as Patrice Woodbine, a devout Christian, Mercedes' mother, who is later appointed mayor of Chucalissa[10]
Tyler Lepley as Diamond (season 1; recurring season 2), The Pynk's bouncer and anIraq War veteran
Dan J. Johnson as Corbin Kyle, the co-owner of a valuable piece of land sought for purchase, and the biracial half-brother of Wayne and Wyatt
Isaiah Washington as Mayor Tydell Ruffin (season 1; guest season 2),[11] Chucalissa's mayor who is determined to bring economic development to the city
Loretta Devine as Ernestine Sayles (season 1; recurring season 2), Uncle Clifford's grandmother and former owner of Earnestine's Juke Joint, renamed the Pynk
Morocco Omari as Big L (season 2; recurring season 1),[12] an employee at The Pynk and Uncle Clifford's trusted advisor and righthand man
Dominic DeVore as Duffy (season 2; recurring season 1),[12] Gidget's ex-boyfriend and Roulette's love interest
Jordan M. Cox as Derrick Wright (season 2; recurring season 1),[12] Keyshawn's abusive boyfriend
Psalms Salazar as Whisper (season 2),[13] a new dancer at The Pynk
Gail Bean as Roulette, a new dancer at The Pynk (season 3; recurring season 2)[13][14]
Bertram Williams Jr. as Woddy, Lil Murda's manager (season 3; recurring seasons 1-2)[15][14]
Thomas Q. Jones as Mane, the leader of Chief-Fi-Chief gang (season 3; recurring seasons 1-2)[14]
Brandon Gilpin as DJ Neva Scared, the teenage DJ of The Pynk
Angela Davis as Eloise (season 1; guest season 2), Mayor Ruffin's assistant and former dancer at the Pynk
Steve Coulter as Tommy Bailey (season 1; guest season 2), police sheriff
Azaria Carter as Terricka, Mercedes’ daughter and Patrice's granddaughter
Helen Goldsby as Shelle, Terricka's adoptive mother. Shelle’s late husband Cortez, was Terricka’s biological father who had an affair with Mercedes despite not knowing she was 15.
Ashani Roberts as Dr. Britney Seagram-Watkins, Andre's wife
Josh Ventura as Wayne Kyle, the son of a prominent businessman and co-owner of a cotton plantation. He is the brother of Wyatt and half-brother of Corbin.
Taylor Selé (season 1) and Sherman Augustus (season 2) as Cedric "Coach" Haynes, Mercedes' frequent client
Cranston Johnson as Montavius (season 1), Hailey's abusive ex-boyfriend[11]
Cherokee M. Hall as Extra Extra, a dancer at the Pynk
Cmayla Neal as Jupiter, a dancer at the Pynk
Chinet Scott as Brazil, a dancer at the Pynk
Sharae Monique Williams as Peanut Butter, a dancer at the Pynk
Melo J as Toy, a dancer at the Pynk
Joselin Reyes as Maite (season 1), a seamstress for the Pynk dancers
Blue Kimble as Rome (season 2; guest season 1), a music executive who works with Keyshawn and Lil’ Murda[16]
John Clarence Stewart as Thaddeus Wilks / Big Teak (season 2), a member of Lil Murda's gang the Hurt Village Hustlas, recently released from prison on parole[17]
Shamika Cotton as Farrah Haynes (season 2), the wife of Mercedes' frequent client, Coach[17]
Miracle Watts as Big Bone (season 2), The Pynk's new bartender[17]
Toni Bryce as Nineveh (season 2; guest season 1), the seamstress for the Pynk dancers
Nicholas G. Sims as Calvin (season 3), a Chief-fi-Chief gang member[18]
De’Adre Aziza as Red (season 3), first lady of the Hurt Village Hustlas[18]
Brandon J. Dirden as Detective Sykes (season 3)[18]
P-Valley, a television adaptation ofKatori Hall's playPussy Valley, first went into development atStarz in August 2016 after being shopped around to several networks.[40] On November 26, 2018, it was announced that the network had given a series order to the adaptation withChernin Entertainment producing the series andKarena Evans set to direct the first episode.[41][42] The eight-episode first season was made using all women directors.[43][44]
The series premiered on July 12, 2020, and was renewed for a second season on July 27, 2020.[45] Season two had ten episodes with production starting in June 2021.[46] On February 2, 2022, Hall announced that season two would take place a few months after the season one finale and would include theCOVID-19 pandemic.[13][46] The second season premiered on June 3, 2022.[11] On October 20, 2022, Starz renewed the series for a third season.[4]
On May 11, 2023, it was announced that the filming of season three had halted in solidarity with the2023 WGA strike. Showrunner Katori Hall stated, "Like many of my fellow showrunners, I feel as though my writing & producing duties are inextricably linked. We will not be filming until a fair deal is reached. #WGAStrong."[47] Production of season three resumed a year later, as shared in an announcement on May 8, 2024.[48]
On May 8, 2024, it was announced that production had resumed for season 3[49] and wrapped in mid-November 2024.[50]
Official season two promotional poster. From top to bottom are actors Nico Annan, Elarica Johnson, Brandee Evans, and Shannon Thornton
On November 26, 2018,Brandee Evans,Nicco Annan,Shannon Thornton, andJ. Alphonse Nicholson were cast, with Evans as Mercedes and Annan as Uncle Clifford, and Thornton and Nicholson as series regulars.[41] On February 20, 2019,Parker Sawyers was cast as Andre Watkins,Elarica Johnson was cast as Autumn Night, and Harriett D. Foy was cast as Patrice Woodbine.[51] On March 19, 2019,Tyler Lepley was cast as Diamond and Dan J. Johnson was cast as Corbin Kyle.[52] On April 24, 2019,Isaiah Washington was cast in a recurring role.[53] On June 24, 2019,Loretta Devine was cast in a recurring role and Skyler Joy was cast as Gidget.[54] On June 25, 2019, Thomas Q. Jones was cast in a recurring role.[55] On July 29, 2019, Josh Ventura was cast in a recurring role.[56]
Psalms Salazar andGail Bean were announced as new cast members for season 2 on February 2, 2022.[13]Morocco Omari, Jordan M. Cox, and Dominic DeVore were promoted to series regulars.[12]John Clarence Stewart,Shamika Cotton, and Miracle Watts were announced as recurring cast members on March 15, 2022.[17] In 2021, Washington announced he would not return for the second season, stating that he had been fired byLionsgate.[11] ShowrunnerKatori Hall disputed that Washington was fired in an April 2022 interview withEW.[11] After the season 2 finale it was announced that Elarica Johnson, whose character Autumn Night moved away from Chucalissa, would not return to the series.[57]
Gail Bean, Bertram Williams Jr, and Thomas Q. Jones were promoted to series regulars for season 3.[48] Mea Wilkerson was introduced as a new cast member, playing Haiku, a new dancer at the Pynk."[19] Additional new recurring cast members announced on May 20, 2024 are Nicholas G. Sims,De’Adre Aziza,Brandon J. Dirden, Moritz J. Williams, Chaz Hodges, Bella Blaq and Jay Jones.[18]
Jamaica Craft serves as the show's choreographer. Before becoming a professional choreographer, she started her career dancing for TLC in Atlanta. The show has several body doubles and background dancers including Tess Artiste, Ashley Fox and Judy Gray. Professional exotic dancer Spyda is the stunt double for Brandee Evans.[58]
Review aggregatorRotten Tomatoes reported an approval rating of 100% for the first season based on 32 reviews, with an average rating of 8.7/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "A stunning, lyrical piece of neon noir,P-Valley explores the unseen lives of strippers in Mississippi through Katori Hall's singular gaze, celebrating the beauty of the craft without sugarcoating the challenges."[59] OnMetacritic, it has a weighted average score of 85 out of 100 based on 16 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[60]
Referred to as aSouthern Gothic by critics,[7][61] season one was praised for its portrayal of the Black women strippers' lives.[9] Hannah Giorgis ofThe Atlantic wrote, "P-Valley is lush, resplendent, and sometimes haunting. All of the women's strife occurs against the backdrop of sweeping southern vistas or kaleidoscopic lighting, often with eerily bouncing beats soundtracking their dances."[10] Similarly, Tambay Obenson reviewed the show forIndieWire, "These are richly crafted characters in what is essentially a quasi-family. It's obvious Hall did her homework, talking to dozens of strippers over six years, to make the production as authentic as possible."[62]
Critics also noted the portrayal of social issues. Eric Deggans stated in a review forNPR, "...between the storylines about domestic abuse and a secret casino project, we see takes on colorism, closeted gay men and the struggle to survive when you're poor, Black and outside polite society in the South."[63]
Brandee Evans' acting received positive reception. Writing forThe Ringer, Allison Herman stated, "Evans is more than capable of carrying the show herself, and discovery of a freshly minted actress adds to the thrill."[64]Nicco Annan's portrayal of Uncle Clifford was named toTHR's list of Best TV Performances of 2020.[65]
The second season received mainly positive critical reception. It holds an 90% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on ten critic ratings with an average rating of 8.0/10.[66]
In January 2022, American singer and producerNicci Gilbert filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against Lionsgate Entertainment, Starz, Legendary Television, Chernin Entertainment, P-Valley executive producer Liz Garcia, and co-executive producer Patrik-Ian-Polk over the show P-Valley.[67] Gilbert alleged the show stole elements from her musical stage play,Soul Kittens Cabaret, which was released on DVD in 2011.[67] The lawsuit alleged that entertainment attorney Leroy Bobbit and Gilbert pitchedSoul Kittens Cabaret as a musical TV drama to Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer at his Los Angeles office in 2014.[67] The lawsuit alleged Feltheimer was given two copies of the plaintiff's script and theSoul Kittens Cabaret DVD.[67] Gilbert-Daniels' proffered copyright expert Robert H. Aft opined that P-Valley used an "overwhelming number of elements" fromSoul Kittens Cabaret,[68]however, his expert report was struck. On December 7, 2023, the judge ultimately granted summary judgment to the defendants, dismissing the claim.[69][70] Although both works focused on female dancers working in adult entertainment with significant similarities, their expression of this idea "takes on very different forms".[71] Moreover, the court observed Gilbert’s descriptions of both works were “plagued with mischaracterizations” that were sometimes “blatant.”[72] Gilbert-Daniels appealed the decision, however, the Ninth Circuit also rejected the opinions of Gilbert-Daniels' expert, Mr. Aft, finding that he was not qualified to offer an opinion on substantial similarities between the works and that large portions of his supposed opinions were "irrelevant and unhelpful". In addition, regarding Gilbert-Daniels' comparisons the court stated, "Caution is especially warranted here, as several of Gilbert-Daniels’ proffered comparisons reference materials that are not copyrighted, mischaracterize the works, or fail to cite directly to the materials at issue." The Ninth Circuit affirmed the court’s rulings.[73] The district court also awarded the defendants their fees and costs.[74][75][76] In December 2024, Gilbert filed an appeal with the U.S. Supreme Court,[70] who ultimately denied Gilbert-Daniels' appeal on October 6, 2025, and the right to go trial.[77]
In March 2024, it was announced thatStarz greenlitDown in the Valley, a documentary series about Black American culture in theDeep South inspired byP-Valley.[99] It was described byDigital Spy as a "companion piece" toP-Valley[100] and would be hosted byNicco Annan, the actor for Uncle Clifford, who is also an executive producer. The series premiered on July 5, 2024.[101]
