The 'Washington Black' Trailer Reveals New Undertold History
Sharon Duncan-Brewster and Sterling K Brown in 'Washington Black'
Hulu
Next time you hear someone complaining that period piece "force" diversity on their fans by "adding non-white characters to history," please remind them of the biggest historical truth there is: History is written by the winners, and up until recently, white European men were very used to winning by any means necessary. But when only the winners write, and therefore define, history, stories — both real and historically fictional — get lost. Such is the case with Washington Black, based on the novel of the same name by Canadian author Esi Edugyan, whose fictionalized story of the titular character was inspired by the real history of the Tichborne case.
The Tichborne case was one where the only son of a Baroness, Tichborne, was lost at sea, only for someone claiming to be him to step forward in Australia years later, after seeing a poster seeking the heir's whereabouts. The claimant was, of course, a fraud, but as part of the identification process, a former slave from Jamaica with a brilliant mathematical mind, who had worked closely with the real heir, was sent down under to identify the gentleman.
That formerly enslaved person was the inspiration for the character of George Washington Black, a scientifically gifted child whose intelligence captures the attention of the adults around him. He is sent first to England to study and then across the oceans to Australia, where he discovers a world where chattel slavery doesn't exist and opening his mind to the possibilities of a life where everyone is equal.
Here's the series synopsis:
Based on the bestselling novel of the same name, Washington Black follows the 19th-century odyssey of George Washington “Wash” Black, an eleven-year-old boy born on a Barbados sugar plantation, whose prodigious scientific mind sets him on a path of unexpected destiny. When a harrowing incident forces Wash to flee, he is thrust into a globe-spanning adventure that challenges and reshapes his understanding of family, freedom and love. As he navigates uncharted lands and impossible odds, Wash finds the courage to imagine a future beyond the confines of the society he was born into.
Sterling K. Brown is the cast's only American actor; all of his co-stars hail from the U.K. They include Sharon Duncan Brewster (Sex Education), Rupert Graves (Sherlock), Iola Evans (Vera), Edward Bluemel (My Lady Jane), Tom Ellis (Slow Horses), Ernest Kingsley Jr. (The Sandman), and Eddie Karanja (Halo).
Selwyn Hinds and Kim Harrison are co-showrunners on the series, with a writers' room led by Hinds that includes Blaize Ali-Watkins, Ann Cherkis, Michael Cobian, Shernold Edwards, Jennifer Johnson, and Marco Ramirez. Maurice Marable is the lead director for the eight-episode series, splitting helming duties with Wanuri Kahiu and Rob Seidenglanz. All three directors, plus Brown, Hinds, and Harrison, are executive producers on the project, alongside Ellen Goldsmith-Vein, Jeremy Bell, Lindsay Williams, D.J. Goldberg, Jennifer Johnson, and Anthony Hemingway.
All episodes of Washington Black arrive on Hulu (and under the Hulu tile on Disney+) on Wednesday, July 23, 2025.
