The 1619 Project is an American streaming documentary television series created for Hulu. It is adapted from "The 1619 Project" anthology published by The New York Times Magazine, which was turned into The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story, a bestselling book. Hosted by project creator Nikole Hannah-Jones, the executive producer of the docuseries is Oprah Winfrey, who worked with documentary filmmaker Roger Ross Williams, and many other producers and writers. It is a six-episode program produced by Lionsgate Television, which first aired on Hulu on January 26, 2023. Background The premise of The 1619 Project is that the arrival of the first slave ship in the early American colonies is the "true" national origin story of the United States. In exploring this thesis, the project aims to demonstrate that slavery has shaped every aspect of American life since then, from policing to justice to capitalism, and that recognition of this fact is essential for social progress. Format In the docuseries, Hannah-Jones appears both on-camera and in voice-over. The episodes shift between interviews, analyses of American history and culture, and Hannah-Jones' own personal story as a biracial woman growing up in the United States. Each of the six episodes focuses on a different facet of Black life in America, such as "Democracy", "Race", "Fear", "Justice", "Music", and "Capitalism". Critical reception The television series received mixed reviews. Calling The 1619 Project "a victim of its own success", Judy Berman wrote in Time magazine that "it's fair to ask whether the TV series is overkill" following the publication of the book, the curriculum, and the podcast since the project first launched in 2019. Acknowledging the right-wing backlash against The 1619 Project, Berman argued that the TV series is "posed to spark fresh controversy" though many of the issues are covered so frequently in the news, "some episodes feel a bit remedial". Praising Nikole Hannah-Jones as an "ideal host" with "an appetite for making bold arguments", Berman wrote, "at its best, The 1619 Project makes astute – and highly personal – connections between the antebellum and pre-civil-rights past, and a present in which Black Americans still disproportionately face police violence, workplace exploitation, and other forms of inequality." Critic Daniel Fienberg wrote in The Hollywood Reporter that "Hulu's adaptation remains cogent and persuasive, but in failing to sufficiently adapt its storytelling to the visual demands and possibilities of TV, it fails to make itself