P-Valley
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 primarily African-American women working at The Pynk strip club in the Mississippi Delta under the femme non-binary proprietor Uncle Clifford Sayles. P-Valley stars Brandee Evans, Nicco Annan, J. Alphonse Nicholson, and Elarica Johnson. It premiered on Starz on July 12, 2020, and was renewed for a second season two weeks after its premiere. The second season premiered on June 3, 2022. In October 2022, the series was renewed for a third season.[2]
P-Valley
Pussy Valley
by Katori Hall
- Brandee Evans
- Nicco Annan
- Shannon Thornton
- Elarica Johnson
- Skyler Joy
- J. Alphonse Nicholson
- Parker Sawyers
- Harriett D. Foy
- Dan J. Johnson
- Tyler Lepley
- Isaiah Washington
- Morocco Omari
- Jordan M. Cox
- Psalms Salazar
- Dominic DeVore
Jucee Froot
"Down in the Valley"
Matthew Head[1]
United States
English
2
18
- Katori Hall
- Dante Di Loreto
Debbie Hayn-Cass
- Nancy Schreiber
- Richard Vialet
Sky Gewant
51–60 minutes
- Chernin Entertainment (season 1)
- Lionsgate Television (season 2)
- Kat Buggy Productions
July 12, 2020 –
present
P-Valley has received critical acclaim and garnered nominations from the GLAAD Media Awards, Independent Spirit Awards, TCA Awards, and the NAACP Image Awards.[3]
Premise[edit]
The series follows the lives of employees working at a strip club called The Pynk in the fictional city of Chucalissa, Mississippi.[4]
Production[edit]
Development[edit]
P-Valley, a television adaptation of Katori Hall's play Pussy Valley, first went into development at Starz in August 2016 after being shopped around to several networks.[38] On November 26, 2018, it was announced that the network had given a series order to the adaptation with Chernin Entertainment producing the series and Karena Evans set to direct the first episode.[39][40] The eight-episode first season was made using all women directors.[41][42]
The series premiered on July 12, 2020, and was renewed for a second season on July 27, 2020.[43] Season two had ten episodes with production starting in June 2021.[44] On February 2, 2022, Hall announced that season two would take place a few months after the season one finale and would include the COVID-19 pandemic.[11][44] The second season premiered on June 3, 2022.[9] On October 20, 2022, Starz renewed the series for a third season.[2]
On May 11, 2023, it was announced that the filming of season three had halted in solidarity with the 2023 WGA strike. Showrunner Katori Hall stated, "Like many of my fellow showrunners, I feel as though my writing & producing duties are inextricably linked. We will not be filming until a fair deal is reached. #WGAStrong."[45] Production of season three resumed a year later, as shared in an announcement on May 8, 2024.[46]
Reception[edit]
Critical response[edit]
Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported an approval rating of 100% for the first season based on 32 reviews, with an average rating of 8.7/10. 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."[55] On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 85 out of 100 based on 16 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[56]
Referred to as a Southern Gothic by critics,[5][57] season one was praised for its portrayal of the Black women strippers' lives.[7] 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."[8] 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."[58]
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."[59]
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."[60] Nicco Annan's portrayal of Uncle Clifford was named to THR's list of Best TV Performances of 2020.[61]
The second season received mainly positive critical reception. It holds an 90% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on ten critic ratings with an average rating of 8.0/10.[62]
Spin-offs[edit]
In March 2024, it was announced that Starz had greenlit Down in the Valley, a documentary series about Black American culture in the Deep South inspired by P-Valley.[84] It was described by Digital Spy as a "companion piece" to P-Valley[85] and would be hosted by Nicco Annan, the actor for Uncle Clifford, who is also an executive producer. The series will premiere July 5, 2024.[86]