The book tells the story of Shackleford, a fictional young African American slave in Kansas during the then-territory's Bleeding Kansas era. The series is based on the 2013 novel of the same name by author James McBride. But the series' main protagonist, Henry Shackleford AKA Onion (Joshua Caleb Johnson), is entirely fictional, with no basis in reality. The Good Lord Bird is not based on a true story in the traditional sense, but it does feature actual historical events and real-life figures like John Brown, Frederick Douglass, and Harriet Tubman.
Take the new Showtime miniseries The Good Lord Bird, for example. One of the standout performances of 2020 in any medium.Historical fiction can get confusing, given that the genre routinely blurs the lines between what's real and what isn't. In this regard, it takes its cue from Hawke’s Brown, delivering fiery, flamboyant recitations from the Bible (making it a companion piece to First Reformed), but with a charm and twinkle that reveal the goodness inside. Iconic figures from Black history like Frederick Douglass (a vibrant Daveed Diggs) and Harriet Tubman (Zainab Jah) make cameos, but this so much more freewheeling than an Antebellum South Wikipedia entry. Sensitive to Black perspectives, the show has a keen eye for both the broad overview of 19th-century race relations - time after time, white characters overlook Black characters in their keenness to speak for them - and the detail - the importance of Black people being photographed, then a new medium, as a way of staving off stereotypes. The pilot is playfully but vigorously directed by Albert Hughes ( Menace II Society, From Hell) and the pace and power are kept up by a clutch of mostly Black filmmakers, including Kevin Hooks ( Passenger 57, Prison Break) and Darnell Martin ( Grey’s Anatomy, The Walking Dead).
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