| The Big Cigar | |
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| Based on | "The Big Cigar" byJoshuah Bearman |
| Developed by | Jim Hecht |
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| Starring | |
| Composer | Robert Glasper[2] |
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| Original language | English |
| No. of episodes | 6 |
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| Running time | 37-41 minutes[6] |
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| Original release | |
| Network | Apple TV+ |
| Release | May 17 (2024-05-17) – June 14, 2024 (2024-06-14) |
The Big Cigar is a 2024biographical drama televisionminiseries developed by Jim Hecht, based on the 2012Playboy article of the same name byJoshuah Bearman.[7][8] Following the events of theBlack Panther Party in 1970s, the series is about party founderHuey P. Newton escaping from theFederal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to Cuba with the help ofBert Schneider for an elaborate plan.
The miniseries starsAndré Holland,Alessandro Nivola,Tiffany Boone,P. J. Byrne, andMarc Menchaca.The Big Cigar premiered its first two episodes onApple TV+ on May 17, 2024,[9] and received generally positive reviews from critics. The series concluded on June 14, 2024.
Set in 1974,[10] the series chronicles the manhunt forHuey P. Newton, the founder of theBlack Panther Party, who seeks the help of film producerBert Schneider as he tries to escape toCuba.
| No. | Title [7] | Directed by | Teleplay by [7] | Original release date [11] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Panther/Producer" | Don Cheadle[12] | Jim Hecht | May 17, 2024 (2024-05-17) | |
Huey P. Newton, who co-founded theBlack Panther Party in 1966, was convicted of allegedly murdering a police officer in 1968, but was released around two years later, was again targeted by the FBI in 1974 for a deadly violent crime. On his escape from the investigators, the African-American activist turns to Hollywood producer Bert Schneider, who has supported him and his movement for some time. Huey and his partner Gwen Fontaine find shelter with Schneider's business partner Steve Blauner for the time being. Since the search pressure is constantly increasing, Huey decides to flee to Cuba. | |||||
| 2 | "The Cuban" | Don Cheadle[12] | Janine Sherman Barrois & Jim Hecht | May 17, 2024 (2024-05-17) | |
Preparations for a crazy escape plan begin. Under the pretense of making a film called "The Big Cigar", Bert wants to smuggle his friend Huey toCuba. Steve is skeptical about the risky venture. Not least because he fears for his existence. It soon becomes apparent that not all of the people involved are reliable. Flashbacks illuminate the disputes within the Black Panther Party, which primarily revolve around the question of the use of weapons. | |||||
| 3 | "Guns & Matzah" | Damon Thomas | Laurence Andries & Gwendolyn M. Parker | May 24, 2024 (2024-05-24) | |
After the pilot they bought fails, Bert and Huey come up with a new plan. The FBI is closing in on the Black Panther Party co-founder. Schneider approaches his brother Stanley, who runsColumbia Pictures, with a request. There's a fight between Bert and Steve. In a diner, the complications take a bloody course. Flashbacks reveal Huey's growing paranoia. | |||||
| 4 | "What Are Friends For?" | Damon Thomas | Janine Sherman Barrois & Jim Hecht | May 31, 2024 (2024-05-31) | |
After the diner shooting, Bert fears the worst, but is relieved when things turn out a little differently. The excitement does not bode well for the plan to take Huey to Cuba from Los Angeles on a private plane. Because the FBI in the form of Agent Sydney Clark comes to the correct conclusions he is now more vigilant than ever. When Schneider loses focus while searching for a getaway car, Steve makes an unexpected decision. A year earlier, Huey let his friend and party co-founder Bobby Seale know what he thought of his political ambitions. | |||||
| 5 | "Lost Paradise" | Tiffany Johnson | Laurence Andries & Valerie C. Woods & Ameer Hasan | June 7, 2024 (2024-06-07) | |
After he and Steve escape toMexico, Huey is supposed to hide in a port city for some time. Huey doesn't like this idea at all. The fear of being caught is omnipresent and devastating news doesn't take long to arrive. Bert struggles with feelings of guilt and is also visited by fate. Agent Clark goes his own way. Flashbacks reveal the background to Huey's escape fromOakland. | |||||
| 6 | "The Pirate" | Tiffany Johnson | Jim Hecht &Joshuah Bearman | June 14, 2024 (2024-06-14) | |
Huey, his partner Gwen Fontaine and Steve appear to be trapped, then the tide turns. Once again a plan has to be thrown overboard. Bert becomes more involved in the Black Panther Party co-founder's escape but is met with suspicion. With support, Agent Clark comes closer to his big goal. Will Huey still make it safely to the coast of Cuba?Series Finale. | |||||
It was announced in December 2012 thatJonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris were set to direct the project forSony Pictures, at the time developed as a film, withJoshuah Bearman, author of the source article, and Jim Hecht set to write the screenplay.[13]
The project, now a miniseries, was given a greenlight fromApple TV+ in April 2022, withAndré Holland cast to star.Don Cheadle was announced to be directing the first two episodes in addition to executive producing.[12] In June,Tiffany Boone andAlessandro Nivola joined the cast,[14][15] withMarc Menchaca andP. J. Byrne joining the next month.[16][17] In August, Jordane Christie,Moses Ingram,Olli Haaskivi andGlynn Turman were cast to recur in the series.[18][19][20][21] Additional recurring cast includingJaime Ray Newman andNoah Emmerich was announced in September.[22]
Filming for the series began inToronto in June 2022, as revealed by showrunnerJanine Sherman Barrois.[23] By August, production was occurring throughoutHamilton, Ontario, whereHamilton City Hall was being used as a double forSan Francisco International Airport.[24]
Onreview aggregatorRotten Tomatoes, the series holds an approval rating of 72% with an average rating of 6.5/10, based on 29 reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "A magnetic performance fromAndré Holland getsThe Big Cigar close to lighting up, but a lack of narrative focus slightly dampens the spark."[25] OnMetacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 61 out of 100, based on 18 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[26]
Judy Berman ofTime Magazine gave a favorable review and wrote, "That Newton's wariness of mass culture frames the story from the very beginning is a sign that viewers are in for something much smarter, bolder, and more challenging than the entertainment industry's typical, sanitized take on radical politics".[27] OnVariety, author Aramide Tinubu wrote that, "André Holland is stellar as Huey P. Newton, but 'The Big Cigar' never ignites".[28] Elisa Guimaraes ofCollider gave the series 3 out of 4 stars. She praised Holland for his depiction of Huey P. Newton.[29]The Guardian writer Ellen E. Jones also gave the show a 3 out of 5 star rating. She criticized "that Hollywood can't be trusted to tell the stories of Black radicals."[30]Richard Roeper from theChicago Sun-Times wrote a favorable review about the actor André Holland stating that he "does a brilliant job of capturing the complicated and charismatic Black Panthers co-founder".[31] Nadir Samara fromScreen Rant gave the series an average review of a 3 out of 5 stars, stating that the series is decent but criticized the script due to it being "all over the place, neither the story nor the performance hit their peaks".[32] Rory Doherty fromPaste Magazine wrote that the series "is a slick caper that only superficially grasps its history lesson".[33]
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