Apple TV+ unveiled today the trailer for Lincoln’s Dilemma, a four-part docuseries that is set to premiere in a couple of weeks. The series is a much needed look at Abraham Lincoln’s stance and policies towards race: while the former legendary President is famously regarded as an incredibly progressive leader, often dubbed "The Great Emancipator", Black historians are here to tell us that it wasn’t quite like that.
The series is narrated by Jeffrey Wright (The French Dispatch), while Bill Camp (The Queen's Gambit) and Leslie Odom Jr. (Hamilton) are also featured as Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass in recreations and reimaginations of dialogues that happened between the two historical individuals. Douglass was a Black slave abolitionist who fervently defended Black citizens’ rights in the mid-nineteenth century and dealt directly with the former President.
The trailer for Lincoln’s Dilemma reveals that the documentary series will not only provide an accurate account of how were Lincoln’s years in office but also paint a picture of how History can be negatively affected when it is not told properly – and, more important, honestly. The series is also set to showcase the power of Lincoln’s rhetoric, and how the politician was able to outwit historians and politicians of his time. The four episodes will also chronicle the motivation behind Lincoln’s support of Black folk, as never-before-heard stories reveal a side of the former President that is rarely mentioned.
Lincoln’s Dilemma is based on the best-selling and award-winning book Abe: Abraham Lincoln in His Times, by author and historian David S. Reynolds. Much like the book, the upcoming series will provide insights from a diverse range of journalists, educators, and Lincoln scholars – all based on archive documents that provide a complex look at that past century.
Lincoln’s Dilemma is directed by Jacqueline Olive and Barak Goodman, both of whom are no strangers to investigative journalism: Olive has directed an episode of Frontline about the impact of COVID-19 in the Black community, and Goodman was nominated for an Academy Award for Scottsboro: An American Tragedy, a documentary about Black men who were wrongfully convicted of rape by an all-white jury.
Apple TV+ debuts Lincoln’s Dilemma globally on February 18.
You can watch the trailer below:
Check out the official synopsis here:
Narrated by EMMY winner Jeffrey Wright (WESTWORLD, FRENCH DISPATCH) and featuring the voices of EMMY nominee Bill Camp (12 YEARS A SLAVE) as Abraham Lincoln and EMMY and Oscar nominee, Tony and Grammy winner Leslie Odom, Jr. (ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI, HAMILTON) as Frederick Douglass, the series is a 21st century examination of a complicated man and the people and events that shaped his evolving stance on slavery.
The series revisits the trajectory of Lincoln’s presidency, peeling back the curtain on the oversimplified historical narrative. Told through rare archival materials and insight from history experts, ‘Lincoln’s Dilemma’ provides a fresh examination of the forces surrounding his quest to save the Union and end slavery.