Washington Black Review – An Uneven Adaptation But Kingsley Jr. Makes It Work

When the first trailer for Washington Black dropped, most of the comments I saw were some version of “I’ll watch anything with Sterling K. Brown.” Fair. Brown is one of the best actors working today, and anything with his name instantly grabs attention. But if you’re showing up just for him, brace yourself for disappointment. He pops in and out of the story, leaving most of the heavy lifting to Ernest Kingsley Jr., who plays George Washington “Wash” Black. Luckily, Kingsley Jr. is good enough to carry it.

Set in the early 1800s, the series, adapted from Esi Edugyan’s award-winning novel, follows Wash, a boy born into slavery on a Barbados sugar plantation. Life takes a sharp turn when Christopher “Titch” Wilde, played by Tom Ellis, recognizes the young boy’s curiosity and scientific talent. After the death of his owner, Titch helps Wash escape, kicking off an adventure that eventually lands the boy on a pirate ship and in Nova Scotia, where he is constantly dodging bounty hunters and wrestling with who he really is and what he can achieve in the world.

The series, developed by Twilight Zone alum Selwyn Seyfu Hinds, had all the ingredients for something spectacular: 400-page source material and an ensemble cast that could sell just about anything. So why does it feel so… average and underwhelming?

Maybe it has something to do with the show’s structure. With Washington Black, Hinds opts for a non-chronological timeline, jumping between Wash’s childhood, his adventures with Titch, and his present life as a young man keeping his identity secret. It sounds clever on paper, and occasionally it works when past and present connect thematically. But most of the time, just when you’re invested in one thread, the story yanks you away to something else. It’s incredibly jarring. And the pacing doesn’t help either. The first two episodes of Washington Black crawl at nearly an hour each, then later episodes cut that time in half without fixing much of the choppiness.

Still, when the show works, it really works well. The strongest elements are how Washington Black handles cultural identity and the Romeo and Juliet-like romance between Tanna and Washington Black. Tanna, played by Iola Evans, is a lighter-skinned mixed-race woman raised by her white father, Rupert Graves’ Mr. Goff, after her mother’s death. Her struggle is one of the most compelling arcs, especially when she pushes back against her father’s insistence that she marry and blend in with her white upbringing because their livelihood is in trouble. In fact, I’d go as far as to say that the show only really comes alive during Tanna’s arc and every time she and Washington Black meet, which unfortunately only happens once or twice in each episode.

The cast keeps the show afloat, even when the writing, editing and pacing stumbles. Kingsley Jr. brings warmth and intelligence to the older Wash, making him someone you genuinely want to succeed. Eddie Karanja’s younger Wash also sets that foundation early on with a perfect mix of innocence and determination. Ellis sheds his Lucifer charm to play an idealistic Titch, and Brown is magnetic as Medwin Harris, even if he’s underused.

So, should you watch Washington Black? If you loved Edugyan’s book, expect a watered-down version of the story. But if you’re here for strong performances and moments that explore identity and freedom in a meaningful way without getting too heavy, it’s worth your time. It’s just not the best series about slavery or racism on TV right now. It’s just okay.

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