Critic Reviews

The show draws you close physically and emotionally, letting you witness its characters’ most vulnerable moments--the better to help you understand exactly what’s going on in their heads even when they try desperately to keep their thoughts to themselves.

The unflustered audacity of the plot is just one of the elements that makes Queen Sugar a rare act of beauty and bravery on television. While it caters to the tropes and archetypes that television viewers want in addictive storylines, each episode is unquestionably cinematic in scope and execution as it weaves an enticing and unapologetically political narrative.

There are moments where Sugar's twists are too easily spotted, but there are far more times when the show, and the spirit, soar.

Queen Sugar feels like a show built to last--albeit the sort that will frequently inspire its viewers to get choked up, shake their fists at the sky, and wonder why they keep letting Ava DuVernay and friends so expertly control their emotions like this.

[Ava DuVerna has] figured out how to turn a quiet, emotional story about a black family in flux into one of the year’s most beautiful and challenging series, one that suggests black America’s best days may still be ahead of it.

With DuVernay leading the charge, Queen Sugar boasts a promising cast, heavily populated by black actors in their first series-regular roles, and an all-female directing team, some established but many still launching their careers--meaningful footnotes to the quality of the show, which is high.

There’s a potent anger within the luminous world that DuVernay has created here, and yet the series moves with a grace that is unique to its creators’ empathy, curiosity, and devastating intellect.

A languidly-paced hour that ultimately comes together in a satisfying manner. But have patience because it takes a while to get there.

From the opening scene on, the “Selma” director lends her creative strengths to the story, saturating every scene with the sumptuous visuals afforded by the story’s Louisiana setting.

Created by Ava DuVernay, Queen Sugar is an intelligent and atmospheric family drama about the Louisiana Bordelon family.