Lovecraft Country is one of the best shows on television right now, and yet no one seems to be talking about it. It’s engaging, deeply meaningful, and full of amazing drama. How Tiger King managed to grip the attention of a nation while this remarkable entertainment gem has flown so tragically far under the radar is utterly beyond me. Lovecraft Country cements HBO Max’s status as a necessary streaming platform and provides thought-provoking and riveting entertainment.
The Magic of Lovecraft Country
Lovecraft Country is a commentary on society wrapped in a riveting horror story. On top of that, it has amazing characters with magnetic chemistry. As the title suggests, the show takes the fantastical horror stories of H.P. Lovecraft and turns his white supremacist ideas entirely upside down. There is a horror element, certainly, but the show also takes a great deal of other supernatural elements from the world of Lovecraftian lore. There’s magic, time travel, shapeshifting, and all sorts of fantasy. It’s not all scary, although this is definitely not one to watch with the kids.
The supernatural horror combines well with the darker aspects of American history that the creators interweave throughout the series. Set in the 1950s, mostly in Chicago, the story takes place directly in the era of Jim Crow. Through travel, flashbacks, and time-travel the show also explores other areas in the 1950s United States, as well as the Korean War and the Tulsa Riots. Watching the show, it is sometimes shocking that these horrors are based on real history. The premise is remarkably unique, even though it builds upon Lovecraft’s existing work. There is truly nothing on TV right now that compares.
Jordan Peele produces the show, along with some others, and retains the creepy poignancy of many of his other projects. It stars Johnathan Majors, who also starred in Da 5 Bloods, as Atticus Freeman. Jurnee Smollett, who played a leading role in Birds of Prey, stars as Leticia Lewis. These two actors give incredible performances, which shouldn’t be a surprise if you’ve seen either of the films each of them acted in this year. The rest of the cast is similarly phenomenal in their acting. It gives the storyline an authentic feel that’s easy to connect with.
Spoilers for Lovecraft Country Season 1 Ahead
Part of what makes Lovecraft Country such an incredible watch is its celebration of literal Black magic. Magic in Western cultural lore is often the sole domain of white people. In this show, the characters slowly repossess the lore that the villains initially used against them. They take control of this magic in a way that is painful and beautiful and empowering.
While the show does celebrate actual Black magic, it’s also a celebration of Black artistry, metaphorical magic, through the ages. The creators intertwine several scenes with music from all different eras, often in the form of spoken word poetry, to highlight the social elements of the story. From “Whitey’s on The Moon” to Beyoncé, from “Catch Your Fire” to Rihanna, Black artists and their voices are heard loud and proud throughout the show. It often makes for an interesting juxtaposition in the mid-century backdrop, but it sends a powerful message.
In addition to redefining the role of magic and celebrating the power and artistry of Black folks, the show provides a sense of catharsis for a traumatized society. The police are unquestionably among the highest evil in this universe. They often meet gruesome ends through magical means that provides an intense satisfaction to the viewer as justice is, however fictionally, served. The story does not shy away from painful issues, but it does so in a way that, while at times uncomfortable as a privileged white viewer, is incredibly visceral and yet also cerebral.
Black Magic
The discomfort that Lovecraft Country unapologetically serves to its white viewers, like me, is an essential piece of what makes this show such a must-watch. It does not dance around or pander to our feelings, and it tells hard truths. The show explores real historical events like the Tulsa Riots and the killing of Emmett Till that were based entirely on racism and cruelty. It explores the pain, the trauma, and the lasting effects that these kinds of terrorizing events leave on an entire community. It’s distinctly possible that this factors into why this show isn’t receiving as much buzz as it should. It’s difficult for us to comfortably confront something as complex as this narrative, and the deeply awful reality it builds upon.
The cast of Lovecraft Country is unsurprisingly almost entirely Black. The only white actors who feature in the series are those who play the villains. All of the heroes and their supporting characters are Black or BIPOC. There are also LGBTQ+ characters, despite the time in which the show is set. The creator, writers, directors, and producers are also mostly BIPOC. This provides the viewers with some refreshing balance. This show has no interest in telling the stories of its white characters. It doesn’t need to, because the story simply isn’t about them.
Representation is not just important for BIPOC seeing themselves represented on screen. That is the most important factor in telling BIPOC stories, to create a more equal space in general. Entertainment should, in its entirety, appropriately reflect the demographics of the world as it exists. However, it is also endlessly beneficial for white viewers too. For a great many years, white viewers have gotten used to seeing our own stories spoon-fed back to us. Only relatively recently has the entertainment space started to expand to include BIPOC and LGBTQ+ narratives on a significant scale. We need to get used to learning stories that don’t belong to us and can’t belong to us.
In Comparison
Think about the most recent show, also from HBO Max, that exploded onto the pop-culture consciousness—The Undoing. There was an incredible hype surrounding this show when it presented nothing particularly different or fascinating. It was a retelling of a very familiar story, a rich white family, an affair, and a murder. It was entertaining, don’t get me wrong, but not in the same way that Lovecraft Country is entertaining. Seemingly everyone not only watched The Undoing but wrote about it, tweeted about it, and debated over it as though it was some grand work of art. All while Lovecraft Country, something that has something new and fascinating to watch, discuss, and ponder, toils away in relative anonymity.
HBO Max, tragically, hasn’t renewed Lovecraft Country for season 2, at least, not yet. It is possible that, in terms of narrative, the season could be considered a one-off. However, it seems a shame to conclude the story without giving it time to pick up a little more momentum. Even if the show doesn’t end up continuing on for another season, the first season alone is something truly special. Lovecraft Country is worth watching, and it’s one of the best HBO Max shows to date.
