The sixth installment of the second season of Underground will be a solo performance by actress Aisha Hinds, focused on her portrayal of Harriet Tubman, the most famous conductor of the Underground Railroad, who led many enslaved black people to freedom.
WGN America announced Friday that the April 12 episode will air at a special time, 8 p.m. ET, Yahoo! Finance reports.
Underground creators, writers and Executive Producers Misha Green and Joe Pokaski said: “When introducing someone as iconic as Harriet Tubman, we felt compelled to attempt an episode as revolutionary as her spirit. When we learned through research in 1858 she began to give talks about her life to like-minded abolitionists to raise money for the cause, we knew we had our in: A ‘TED Talk’ with Harriet Tubman.”
“This episode is truly one of a kind. It alone, masterfully revolutionizes TV storytelling,” Anthony Hemingway, Underground director and executive producer, said. “Aisha surrenders herself to the spirit of Harriet Tubman and gracefully reintroduces us to Harriet’s humanity by sharing her story, in a chillingly exceptional performance. I am extremely proud of the amazing artistry that every cast and crew member poured into making Underground. It’s the most exhilarating experience I’ve had as a filmmaker.”
“Playing Harriet Tubman is both a great honor and also a tremendous call to duty as we examine how familiar the pain of our past can be felt in the present,” Hinds said. “In sight of and in spite of the overwhelming obstacles stacked against her, Harriet transcended bondage and inspired generations in the pursuit of liberty.”
The all-new extended episode, called “Minty,” will feature Hinds as Tubman delivering a monumental and definitive speech about Tubman’s life, her divine purpose, and the perilous but necessary fight for freedom, Yahoo! reports. Tubman will plead with fellow abolitionists to shift their thinking and take action against those who are determined to oppress others.
The episode will air on WGN America, and back-to-back encore presentations will air throughout the night.
Read more at Yahoo! Finance.