Philly D.A.

Philly D.A.
GenreDocumentary
Directed by
  • Ted Passon
  • Yoni Brook
  • Nicola Salazar
Music byDan Deacon
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of episodes8
Production
Executive producers
  • Dawn Porter
  • Patty Quillin
  • Sally Jo Fifer
  • Lois Vossen
  • Ryan Chanatry
  • Gena Konstantinakos
  • Jeff Seelbach
Producers
  • Ted Passon
  • Yoni Brook
  • Nicole Salazar
  • Josh Penn
  • Michael Gottwald
CinematographyYoni Brook
Editors
  • Dita Gruze
  • Adriana Pacheco
  • Rubin Daniels Jr.
  • Hemal Trivedi
  • Jim Hession
Running time55-58 minutes
Production companies
Original release
NetworkPBS
ReleaseApril 20 (2021-04-20) –
June 1, 2021 (2021-06-01)

Philly D.A. is a 2021 American documentary series revolving around progressive Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, district attorney Larry Krasner.[1] It consists of 8-episodes and premiered on PBS through Independent Lens on April 20, 2021.[2]

Synopsis

The eight episode docuseries series follows Larry Krasner, a progressive district attorney in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, through his election and first term.

Episodes

No.Title [3]Directed byOriginal release date [3]U.S. viewers
(millions)
1"You're the Man Now"Ted Passon
Yoni Brook		April 20, 2021 (2021-04-20)N/A
2"Damaged Goods"Ted Passon
Yoni Brook		April 20, 2021 (2021-04-20)N/A
3"This is a Capital Case!"Ted Passon
Yoni Brook		April 27, 2021 (2021-04-27)N/A
4"Scarlet Letter F"Ted Passon
Yoni Brook
Nicole Salazar		May 4, 2021 (2021-05-04)N/A
5"Second Chances"Ted Passon
Yoni Brook		May 11, 2021 (2021-05-11)N/A
6"Enemies of Civilization"Ted Passon
Yoni Brook		May 18, 2021 (2021-05-18)N/A
7"You Prosecute Cops"Ted Passon
Yoni Brook
Nicole Salazar		May 25, 2021 (2021-05-25)N/A
8"Are We Winning?"Ted Passon
Yoni Brook		June 1, 2021 (2021-06-01)N/A

Release

The series had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on February 2, 2021, with the first two episodes of the series.[4][5][6][7] It also screened at the Berlin International Film Festival on March 2, 2021.[8] PBS began airing the series on April 20, 2021, on Independent Lens.[9][10] Topic released the series on July 1, 2021.[11]

Reception

Critical reception

On Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds an approval rating of 92% based on 21 reviews[12]

Kathryn VanArendok of Vulture said that "Philly D.A. is the second coming of The Wire, in docuseries form… It’s compelling… it’s gripping… engrossing, and heartbreaking… The show should be viewed as a model for an entire genre of documentary storytelling. I’m totally mesmerized by this series, I could not stop watching it."[13] Matt Brennan of the Los Angeles Times said Philly D.A. is "the best TV show I've seen all year" [14] while Ben Travers of Indiewire said "I’m relatively sure it’s the best documentary series of 2021. It’s certainly the most illuminating, enthralling, and impressive..."[15] Andy Dehnart of Reality Blurred called it "easily the best docuseries of 2021… cameras are present for some riveting moments, as if this were a masterfully scripted HBO drama… a rare and exceptional documentary reality series."[16] Fionnuala Halligan of Screen Daily wrote, "Riveting...a must see."[17]

Time magazine, Los Angeles Times, and Vulture included Philly D.A. on their lists of the "Best TV Shows of 2021".[18][19]

Accolades

Award Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
Cinema Eye Honors March 1, 2022 Outstanding Nonfiction Series Philly D.A. Nominated [20]
Gotham Awards November 29, 2021 Breakthrough Nonfiction Series Philly D.A. Won [21]
IDA Documentary Awards March 4, 2022 Best Multi-Part Documentary Ted Passon, Yoni Brook, Nicole Salazar, Josh Penn, Michael Gottwald, Dawn Porter, Sally Jo Fifer, Lois Vossen, Nion McEvoy, Patty Quillin, Jeff Seelbach, Ryan Chanatry, and Gena Konstantinakos Nominated [22][23]
Independent Spirit Awards March 6, 2022 Best New Non-Scripted or Documentary Series Philly D.A. Nominated [24]
Peabody Awards June 6–9, 2022 Documentary Philly D.A. Won [25]

References

  1. ^ "Philly D.A." International Documentary Association. September 4, 2018.
  2. ^ "Independent Lens: Philly D.A. Begins April 20". PBS. April 7, 2021. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  3. ^ a b "The Vow – Listings". The Futon Critic. Retrieved October 11, 2020.
  4. ^ Debruge, Peter (December 15, 2020). "Sundance Film Festival Lineup Features 38 First-Time Directors, Including Rebecca Hall and Robin Wright". Variety. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  5. ^ Blauvelt, Christian (February 3, 2021). "'Philly D.A.': PBS Documentary Series on Civil Rights Activist Probably Should Have Been a Feature". IndieWire. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
  6. ^ Martinez, Kiko (February 3, 2021). "'Philly D.A.' Gives Fascinating Look at How Progressivism Can Redefine Justice: TV Review". Variety. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
  7. ^ "'Philly D.A.': TV Review | Sundance 2021". The Hollywood Reporter. February 3, 2021. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
  8. ^ "Philly D.A". Berlin International Film Festival. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  9. ^ Brennan, Chris (March 11, 2021). "Philly DA Larry Krasner's rival tries to pick off a big group behind his win". www.inquirer.com.
  10. ^ Blauvelt, Christian (February 3, 2021). "'Philly D.A.': PBS Documentary Series on Civil Rights Activist Probably Should Have Been a Feature".
  11. ^ Adams, Sam (July 12, 2021). "How a Story About Philadelphia Became One About All of America". Slate Magazine. Retrieved July 12, 2021.
  12. ^ "Philly D.A. (2021)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved May 9, 2021.
  13. ^ VanArendok, Kathryn (April 19, 2021). "'Philly D.A. is the Second Coming of The Wire in Docuseries Form" TV Review". Vulture. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
  14. ^ "Philly D.A. (2021)". Twitter. Retrieved April 30, 2021.
  15. ^ "Philly D.A. (2021)". Indiewire. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  16. ^ "Philly D.A. (2021)". Reality Blurred. April 20, 2021. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  17. ^ Halligan, Fionnuala (March 2, 2021). "'Philly D.A.': Berlin Review (TV)". Screen. Retrieved May 25, 2022.
  18. ^ "Philly D.A. (2021)". Time. Retrieved May 21, 2021.
  19. ^ "Philly D.A. (2021)". The LA Times. May 26, 2021. Retrieved May 26, 2021.
  20. ^ Thompson, Anne (October 20, 2021). "Cinema Eye Honors Nominees: American Utopia and City So Real Top Broadcast Categories". IndieWire. Retrieved March 2, 2022.
  21. ^ Lattanzio, Ryan (November 30, 2021). "Gotham Awards: The Lost Daughter Wins Top Prize — See the Full List of Winners". IndieWire. Retrieved March 2, 2022.
  22. ^ "Nominees Revealed for the 37th Annual IDA Documentary Awards". International Documentary Association. November 15, 2021. Retrieved March 2, 2022.
  23. ^ Hipes, Patrick (January 6, 2022). "IDA Awards Shifts 2022 Ceremony To March As Virtual-Only Event". Deadline. Retrieved March 2, 2022.
  24. ^ Long, Brent; Tangcay, Jazz (December 14, 2021). "Indie Spirit Awards 2022: Full List of Nominations". Variety. Retrieved March 2, 2022.
  25. ^ Hipes, Patrick (June 7, 2022). "Peabody Awards: Hacks, Sort Of, My Name Is Pauli Murray, Philly D.A., January 6 Coverage Among Latest Winners". Deadline. Retrieved June 7, 2022.