P-Valley Information

P-Valley is an American drama television series created by Katori Hall. The series is an adaptation of Hall's play, Pussy Valley, and follows several people who work at a strip club in the Mississippi Delta. It stars Brandee Evans, Nicco Annan, and Elarica Johnson. It premiered on Starz on July 12, 2020, and was renewed for a second season two weeks after its premiere. P-Valley has received very positive reviews from critics.

Premise

The series follows the lives of employees working at a strip club called The Pynk in the fictional city of Chucalissa, Mississippi.

Cast

Main

• Brandee Evans as Mercedes Woodbine, a tough veteran stripper planning to leave The Pynk, and Patrice's daughter
• Nicco Annan as Uncle Clifford, the non-binary owner and proprietor of The Pynk experiencing financial issues that threaten the club's survival
• Shannon Thornton as Keyshawn / Miss Mississippi, a dancer experiencing abuse by her boyfriend, Derrick
• Elarica Johnson as Hailey Colton / Autumn Night, a new dancer who moves to Chucalissa after surviving a hurricane
• Skyler Joy as Gidget
• J. Alphonse Nicholson as Lil Murda, an aspiring rapper and Uncle Clifford's love interest
• Parker Sawyers as Andre Watkins
• Harriett D. Foy as Patrice Woodbine, a devout Christian and Mercedes' mother
• Dan J. Johnson as Corbin Kyle
• Tyler Lepley as Diamond
• Isaiah Washington as Mayor Tydell Ruffin

Recurring

• Morocco Omari as Big L
• Brandon Gilpin as DJ Neva Scared
• Ricco Ross as Pastor R. J. Gilfield
• Loretta Devine as Earnestine, Uncle Clifford's grandmother
• Thomas Q. Jones as Mane
• Josh Ventura as Wayne Kyle
• Donny Boaz as Wyatt Kyle
• Jordan Cox as Derrick, Keyshawn's abusive boyfriend

Episodes

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Production

Development

On November 26, 2018, it was announced that Starz had given series order to Katori Hall's play Pussy Valley with Chernin Entertainment producing the series and Karena Evans set to direct the first episode. The eight-episode first season was made using all female directors.

The series premiered on July 12, 2020, and was renewed for a second season on July 27, 2020.

Casting

On November 26, 2018, Brandee Evans, Nicco Annan, Shannon Thornton, J. Alphonse Nicholson were cast, with Evans as Mercedes and Annan as Uncle Clifford, and Thornton and Nicholson as series regulars. 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. On March 19, 2019, Tyler Lepley was cast as Diamond and Dan J. Johnson was cast as Corbin Kyle. On April 24, 2019, Isaiah Washington was cast in a recurring role. On June 24, 2019, Loretta Devine was cast in a recurring role and Skyler Joy was cast as Gidget. On June 25, 2019, Thomas Q. Jones was cast in a recurring role. On July 29, 2019, Josh Ventura was cast in a recurring role.

Choreography

Jamaica Craft serves as the show's choreographer. Before becoming a professional choreographer, she started her career dancing at 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.

Reception

Critical response

Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported an approval rating of 100% for season 1 based on 27 reviews, with an average rating of 8.72/10. 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." On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 85 out of 100 based on 16 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".

Referred to as a Southern Gothic by critics, season one was praised for its portrayal of the Black women strippers' lives. Hannah Giorgis of The 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." Similarly, Tambay Obenson reviewed the show for IndieWire, "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."

Critics also noted the portrayal of social issues. Eric Deggans stated in a review for NPR, "...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."

Brandee Evans' acting received positive reception. Writing for The 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." Nicco Annan's portrayal of Uncle Clifford was named to THR's list of Best TV Performances of 2020.

Ratings

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| title5 = Belly | date5 = August 9, 2020 | rs5 = 0.15 | viewers5 = 0.447 | dvr5 = 0.05 | dvrv5 = 0.125 | total5 = 0.20 | totalv5 = 0.572

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| title7 = Last Call for Alcohol | date7 = August 30, 2020 | rs7 = 0.16 | viewers7 = 0.384 | dvr7 = | dvrv7 = | total7 = | totalv7 =

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Awards and nominations

Award	Year	Category	Nominee(s)	Result	Ref.
Gotham Independent Film Awards	2020	Breakthrough Series - Long Form	Katori Hall, Dante Di Loreto, Peter Chernin, Jenno Topping and Liz W. Garcia
Independent Spirit Awards	2021	Best Male Performance in a New Scripted Series	Nicco Annan
GLAAD Media Awards	2021	Outstanding Drama Series	P-Valley
NAACP Image Awards	2021	Outstanding Breakthrough Creative (Television)	Katori Hall
NAACP Image Awards	2021	Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series	Nicco Annan
NAACP Image Awards	2021	Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series	Brandee Evans
NAACP Image Awards	2021	Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series	J. Alphonse Nicholson
NAACP Image Awards	2021	Outstanding Guest Actor or Actress in a Television Series	Loretta Devine
Satellite Awards	2021	Best Television Series - Drama	P-Valley