FX’s newest series, Dear Mama, just hit a major milestone.
The docuseries, which explores the lives and legacies of mother and son, Afeni and Tupac Shakur, has debuted as the most-watched unscripted series premiere in FX history. The series received a 100 percent “Fresh” score on Rotten Tomatoes.
The five-part series tells the compelling story of Afeni and Tupac Shakur.
FX’s Dear Mama is both an audio and visual experience. Tupac’s timeless message is undeniable as beats evaporate into soundscapes and his lyrics revealed to be mantras of passion and politics. It eschews strict chronology for a style that slides back and forth in time, finding linkages between mother and son, 1970s and 1990s, Black activism and Hip Hop, that highlight how much has and has not changed in the struggle for human rights. Through this technique, the eras speak to each other and melt time away, shifting the dual narratives into one definitive portrait of a global superstar and the woman who shaped him, forever linked by love and fate.
Billboard calls the series “the best Tupac doc yet.”
“It’s only fitting that Allen Hughes’ definitive piece on Tupac and Afeni Shakur delivered a record performance for us and it speaks to Tupac’s enduring legacy,” said Nick Grad, President, FX Entertainment. “Allen’s examination of Tupac viewed through the prism of his mother Afeni is a fascinating take that really gets beneath the education and experience that shaped his life and inspired him to become one of the greatest artists ever.”
'Dear Mama' is directed by Allen Hughes who also serves as executive producer alongside writer Lasse Järvi, Quincy Delight Jones III (QD3), Staci Robinson, Nelson George, Charles King, Peter Nelson, Adel “Future” Nur, Jamal Joseph and Ted Skillman.
Dear Mama returned Friday on FX with the premiere of episode 3: “So Many Tears.”
Tupac’s legal troubles escalate, with multiple different arrests in different states, culminating in his being charged with sexual assault in New York. Afeni is the voice of the New York Panther 21, defending herself at trial and shocking the world when the verdict comes down. Tupac’s criminal trial comes to a different end. Directed by Allen Hughes.
Episode 4 “Ambitionz Az A Ridah” will premiere Friday, May 5 on FX and will be available to stream next day on Hulu.
