Synopsis: FX’s Dear Mama, the docuseries exploring the lives and legacies of mother and son, Afeni and Tupac Shakur, debuted as the most-watched unscripted series premiere in FX history. The premiere episode debuted on FX and became available to stream the next day on Hulu, which combined for the record performance.
The critically acclaimed doc posted a score of 100% on Rotten Tomatoes and Billboard said, “director Allen Hughes paints a rich portrait of the singular, complex Shakur” and called it “the best Tupac doc yet.”
“It’s only fitting that Allen Hughes’ definitive piece on Tupac and Afeni Shakur delivered a record performance for us and it speaks to Tupac’s enduring legacy,” said Nick Grad, President, FX Entertainment. “Allen’s examination of Tupac viewed through the prism of his mother Afeni is a fascinating take that really gets beneath the education and experience that shaped his life and inspired him to become one of the greatest artists ever.”
Dear Mama returns tonight at 10 p.m. ET/PT on FX with the premiere of episode 3: “So Many Tears.” Tupac's legal troubles escalate, with multiple different arrests in different states, culminating in his being charged with sexual assault in New York. Afeni is the voice of the New York Panther 21, defending herself at trial and shocking the world when the verdict comes down. Tupac's criminal trial comes to a different end. Directed by Allen Hughes.
Episode 4 “Ambitionz Az A Ridah” will premiere Friday, May 5 on FX, followed by the final episode “Until the End of Time” on May 12. All episodes will stream next day on Hulu. Dear Mama will be available on Star+ in Latin America and Disney+ under the Star banner in all other territories internationally.From Allen Hughes, the award-winning director of critically acclaimed The Defiant Ones, comes FX’s Dear Mama, a deeply personal five-part series that defies the conventions of traditional documentary storytelling to share an illuminating saga of mother and son, Afeni and Tupac Shakur.
Afeni Shakur was a revolutionary, an intellect and a voice for the people. She became a feminist darling of the '70s, a female leader in the movement amidst the macho milieu of the Black Panther Party. Tupac was a rapper and poet, a political visionary and philosopher who became known as one of the greatest rap artists of all time. In addition to becoming a global sex symbol and media favorite for his outspoken and sometimes outrageous antics, he would eventually become the poster child for modern Black activism. Their story chronicles the possibilities and contradictions of the United States from a time of revolutionary fervor to Hip Hop culture’s most ostentatious decade.FX’s Dear Mama is both an audio and visual experience.
Tupac's timeless message is undeniable as beats evaporate into soundscapes and his lyrics revealed to be mantras of passion and politics. It eschews strict chronology for a style that slides back and forth in time, finding linkages between mother and son, 1970s and 1990s, Black activism and Hip Hop, that highlight how much has and has not changed in the struggle forhuman rights. Through this technique, the eras speak to each other and melt time away, shifting the dual narratives into one definitive portrait of a global superstar and the woman who shaped him, forever linked by love and fate.Allen Hughes serves as executive producer, writer and director along with executive producer and writer Lasse Järvi and executive producers Quincy Delight Jones III (QD3), Staci Robinson, Nelson George, Charles King, Peter Nelson, Adel “Future” Nur, Jamal Joseph and Ted Skillman. The five-part docuseries is produced by A Defiant Ones Media Group Production and An Amaru Entertainment Production in association with MACRO and DreamCrew Entertainment.
Have feedback or more information about this page? Email me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Also, subscribe to my free, daily Too Much TV newsletter at toomuchtv.substack.com
