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]
The series follows the lives of employees working at a strip club called The Pynk in the fictional city of Chucalissa, Mississippi.[4]
Cast
Main
Brandee Evans as Mercedes Woodbine, a tough veteran stripper planning to leave The Pynk to open a dance gym[5]
Nicco Annan as Uncle Clifford Sayles, the non-binary[6] owner and proprietor of The Pynk experiencing financial problems that threaten the club's survival[7]
Shannon Thornton as Keyshawn Harris / Miss Mississippi, a dancer and influencer experiencing abuse by her boyfriend and father of her children, Derrick[7]
Elarica Johnson as Hailey Colton / Autumn Night / Lakeisha Savage (seasons 1–2), a hurricane survivor who moves to Chucalissa from Texas after losing her daughter[8]
Skyler Joy as Gidget, a former dancer at the Pynk
J. Alphonse Nicholson as LaMarques / Lil Murda, an aspiring rapper and Uncle Clifford's love interest
Parker Sawyers as Andre Watkins, an associate at a commercial investment company trying to secure land for The Promised Land Casino and Resort
Harriett D. Foy as Patrice Woodbine, a devout Christian, Mercedes' mother, who is later appointed mayor of Chucalissa[8]
Tyler Lepley as Diamond (season 1; recurring season 2), The Pynk's bouncer and an Iraq War veteran
Dan J. Johnson as Corbin Kyle, the co-owner of a valuable piece of land sought for purchase, and the biracial half-brother of Wayne and Wyatt
Isaiah Washington as Mayor Tydell Ruffin (season 1; guest season 2),[9] Chucalissa's mayor who is determined to bring economic development to the city
Loretta Devine as Ernestine Sayles (season 1; recurring season 2), Uncle Clifford's grandmother and former owner of Earnestine's Juke Joint, renamed the Pynk
Morocco Omari as Big L (season 2; recurring season 1),[10] an employee at The Pynk and Uncle Clifford's trusted advisor and righthand man
Dominic DeVore as Duffy (season 2; recurring season 1),[10] Gidget's ex-boyfriend and Roulette's love interest
Jordan M. Cox as Derrick Wright (season 2; recurring season 1),[10] Keyshawn's abusive boyfriend
Psalms Salazar as Whisper (season 2),[11] a new dancer at The Pynk
Gail Bean as Roulette, a new dancer at The Pynk (season 3; recurring season 2)[11][12]
Bertram Williams Jr. as Woddy, Lil Murda's manager (season 3; recurring seasons 1-2)[13][12]
Thomas Q. Jones as Mane, the leader of Chief-Fi-Chief gang (season 3; recurring seasons 1-2)[12]
Recurring
Brandon Gilpin as DJ Neva Scared, the teenage DJ of The Pynk
Angela Davis as Eloise (season 1; guest season 2), Mayor Ruffin's assistant and former dancer at the Pynk
Steve Coulter as Tommy Bailey (season 1; guest season 2), police sheriff
Azaria Carter as Terricka, Mercedes’ daughter and Patrice's granddaughter
Helen Goldsby as Shelle, Terricka's adoptive mother. Shelle’s late husband Cortez, was Terricka’s biological father who had an affair with Mercedes despite not knowing she was 15.
Ashani Roberts as Dr. Britney Seagram-Watkins, Andre's wife
Josh Ventura as Wayne Kyle, the son of a prominent businessman and co-owner of a cotton plantation. He is the brother of Wyatt and half-brother of Corbin.
Taylor Selé (season 1) and Sherman Augustus (season 2) as Cedric "Coach" Haynes, Mercedes' frequent client
Cranston Johnson as Montavius (season 1), Hailey's abusive ex-boyfriend[9]
Cherokee M. Hall as Extra Extra, a dancer at the Pynk
Cmayla Neal as Jupiter, a dancer at the Pynk
Chinet Scott as Brazil, a dancer at the Pynk
Sharae Monique Williams as Peanut Butter, a dancer at the Pynk
Melo J as Toy, a dancer at the Pynk
Joselin Reyes as Maite (season 1), a seamstress for the Pynk dancers
Blue Kimble as Rome (season 2; guest season 1), a music executive who works with Keyshawn and Lil’ Murda[14]
John Clarence Stewart as Thaddeus Wilks / Big Teak (season 2), a member of Lil Murda's gang the Hurt Village Hustlas, recently released from prison on parole[15]
Shamika Cotton as Farrah Haynes (season 2), the wife of Mercedes' frequent client, Coach[15]
Miracle Watts as Big Bone (season 2), The Pynk's new bartender[15]
Toni Bryce as Nineveh (season 2; guest season 1), the seamstress for the Pynk dancers
Nicholas G. Sims as Calvin (season 3), a Chief-fi-Chief gang member[16]
De’Adre Aziza as Red (season 3), first lady of the Hurt Village Hustlas[16]
Brandon J. Dirden as Detective Sykes (season 3)[16]
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]
On May 8, 2024, it was announced that production had resumed for season 3[47] and wrapped in mid-November 2024.[48]
Casting
Official season two promotional poster. From top to bottom are actors Nico Annan, Elarica Johnson, Brandee Evans, and Shannon Thornton
On November 26, 2018, Brandee Evans, Nicco Annan, Shannon Thornton, and J. Alphonse Nicholson were cast, with Evans as Mercedes and Annan as Uncle Clifford, and Thornton and Nicholson as series regulars.[39] 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.[49] On March 19, 2019, Tyler Lepley was cast as Diamond and Dan J. Johnson was cast as Corbin Kyle.[50] On April 24, 2019, Isaiah Washington was cast in a recurring role.[51] On June 24, 2019, Loretta Devine was cast in a recurring role and Skyler Joy was cast as Gidget.[52] On June 25, 2019, Thomas Q. Jones was cast in a recurring role.[53] On July 29, 2019, Josh Ventura was cast in a recurring role.[54]
Psalms Salazar and Gail Bean were announced as new cast members for season 2 on February 2, 2022.[11]Morocco Omari, Jordan M. Cox, and Dominic DeVore were promoted to series regulars.[10]John Clarence Stewart, Shamika Cotton, and Miracle Watts were announced as recurring cast members on March 15, 2022.[15] In 2021, Washington announced he would not return for the second season, stating that he had been fired by Lionsgate.[9] Showrunner Katori Hall disputed that Washington was fired in an April 2022 interview with EW.[9] After the season 2 finale it was announced that Elarica Johnson, whose character Autumn Night moved away from Chucalissa, would not return to the series.[55]
Gail Bean, Bertram Williams Jr, and Thomas Q. Jones were promoted to series regulars for season 3.[46] Mea Wilkerson was introduced as a new cast member, playing Haiku, a new dancer at the Pynk."[17] Additional new recurring cast members announced on May 20, 2024 are Nicholas G. Sims, De’Adre Aziza, Brandon J. Dirden, Moritz J. Williams, Chaz Hodges, Bella Blaq and Jay Jones.[16]
Choreography
Jamaica Craft serves as the show's choreographer. Before becoming a professional choreographer, she started her career dancing for 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.[56]
Reception
Critical response
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."[57] On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 85 out of 100 based on 16 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[58]
Referred to as a Southern Gothic by critics,[5][59] 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."[60]
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."[61]
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."[62]Nicco Annan's portrayal of Uncle Clifford was named to THR's list of Best TV Performances of 2020.[63]
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.[64]
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.[86] It was described by Digital Spy as a "companion piece" to P-Valley[87] and would be hosted by Nicco Annan, the actor for Uncle Clifford, who is also an executive producer. The series premiered on July 5, 2024.[88]
