Soul sensation

Cynthia Erivo plays Aretha Franklin in a drama charting her rise from gospel singer to global superstar

- JUDY EWENS, SEAN MARLAND, STEVEN PERKINS

After celebrating the scientific brilliance of Albert Einstein in its first season and the artistic achievements of Pablo Picasso in its second, drama anthology Genius turns to the music world for its third outing, exploring the life and career of the ‘Queen of Soul’, Aretha Franklin.

Each of the eight episodes spans multiple timelines – visiting Franklin as a young girl dazzling the congregation at the church of her preacher father (Courtney B Vance), as an artist trying to pin down her sound and as a celebrated soul singer in the 1960s.

Along the way, it explores how her unique talents and life experiences shaped her into the icon she became.

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