After announcing its feature lineup, the 2024 Tribeca Festival did not waste anytime to unveil its lineup of television and original indie episodic series. The fest, which takes place June 5-16, will include 11 series premieres.
Legend and music icon Melissa Etheridge will debut Melissa Etheridge: I’m Not Broken. The two-part special from Paramount+ follows Etheridge as she bonds with incarcerated women at the Topeka Correctional Facility and shows the power of music as a conduit of empathy and healing. As an added bonus, Etheridge will perform a short acoustic set at the Beacon Theatre following the world premiere.
Based on the novel by Bernardine Evaristo, Mr. Loverman stars Lennie James as a dapper 74-year-old man whose wife (Sharon D. Clarke) thinks he’s cheating with another man. The fest will also include Mawaan Rizwan’s BAFTA-nominated surreal comedy Juice which features Russell Tovey.
Read below for more LGTBQ-friendly episodic titles at Tribeca Festival 2024.
2024 TRIBECA FESTIVAL TV SELECTION
Hollywood Black (MGM+) – Limited Series World Premiere. Based on the book by historian Donald Bogle, this four-part docuseries—directed by Justin Simien, tells the epic story of the actors, writers, directors, and producers who fought for their place on the page, behind the camera, on the screen, and in the credits. It is a definitive chronicle of a century of the Black experience in Hollywood, and a powerful reexamination of a quintessentially American story—in brilliant color. Directed by Justin Simien. RadicalMedia’s Dave Sirulnick, Stacey Reiss, and Jon Kamen, Culture Machine’s Justin Simien and Kyle Laursen, Significant Productions’ Forest Whitaker and Nina Yang Bongiovi, Jeffrey Schwartz and Amy Goodman Kass all serve as executive producers. Shayla Harris is showrunner and executive producer. After the Screening: A conversation with director and executive producer Justin Simien and guests.
Melissa Etheridge: I’m Not Broken (Paramount+) – Limited Series World Premiere. An inspiring story of healing and transcendence through the power of music, when five female residents from the Topeka Correctional Facility write letters to Etheridge, she uses their letters as inspiration to create and perform an original song for them. Having recently lost her son to opioids, Etheridge works to understand and interrupt the cycle of addiction while connecting with these women who, so often, are forgotten by society. With female incarceration rates up 700 percent since 1980, Etheridge bonds with the women through the conduit of music as an act of empathy, understanding, and hope. Executive producers include Kathy Rivkin Daum and William Kennedy for BMG Films, Deb Klein for Primary Wave Music, Bruce Gillmer, Michael Maniaci for MTV Entertainment Studios, and Melissa Etheridge. Directed by Brian Morrow and Amy Scott, and produced by Jonathan Lynch for Shark Pig Studios. After the Screening: A short acoustic performance by Melissa Etheridge, presented by City National Bank, at the Beacon Theatre.
Mr. Loverman (BBC 1) – New Series World Premiere. Based on the novel by Booker winner Bernardine Evaristo, ‘Mr Loverman’ is the story of Barry (Lennie James); a 74-year-old, Antiguan-born, exuberant Hackney personality known for his dapper taste. His wife Carmel (Sharon D Clarke) suspects he’s been cheating. Little does she know what’s really going on: a secret, passionate affair with his best friend and soulmate, Morris (Ariyon Bakare). Now facing his final chapter, Barry has big choices to make that will force his family to question their futures. Executive produced by Faye Ward, Hannah Farrell, Hannah Price, Jo McClellan, Lennie James and Hong Khaou. Writer and Associate Producer Nathaniel Price. Directed by Hong Khaou. A Fable Pictures production for the BBC, distributed by Sony Pictures Television. After the Screening: A conversation with executive producer and cast member Lennie James and writer and associate producer Nathaniel Price.
2024 TRIBECA FESTIVAL NOW SELECTION
NOW SHOWCASE A
Juice, (United Kingdom) – A vibrant and surreal comedy series created by Mawaan Rizwan. Juice follows Jamma (Mawaan Rizwan), who desperately wants to be the center of attention but his family are constantly stealing his thunder. And when he finally does get the validation from boyfriend Guy (Russell Tovey), he can’t handle it. Jamma’s hyperactive imagination goes into overdrive and the world transforms around him. Created by Mawaan Rizwan.
NOW SHOWCASE B
Black Fruit, (United States) – When Lalo is thrown off course by the sudden death of his father, he suppresses his loss with impulsive actions that disrupt his life. While he and his best friend Karla, both in their mid-twenties, queer and Black in Germany, try to shape who they want to become, they are forced to grapple with the limits of their flexibility. Created by Lamin Leroy Gibba.
I Need Your Love, (United States) – I Need Your Love is a bittersweet comedy about pop singer Camille Trust’s struggle to make a name for herself in New York’s cutthroat music scene—from sleazy producers and vengeful Swifties to heartbreak and self-sabotage. It’s raw. It’s messy. And most of it actually happened. Created by Walker Kalan and Camile Trust.
This Really Happened, (United States) – Based on a true story, Kate and Zoe, two young creatives in the throes of new love, have discovered they’ve been dating the same person: “BOY.” Determined to create some kind of brilliant revenge project, they recount their experiences in filmed interviews and fantastical flashbacks full of (literal) red flags. But will this process turn out to be more cathartic or soul-crushing? Created by Olivia AbiAssi and Kallen Prosterman.