Miniseries · HBO
Angels in America
The messenger has arrived.
Who's in it
Cast
The principal ensemble across the run of the series.
Al Pacino
Roy Cohn
6 eps
Justin Kirk
Prior Walter / Leatherman in the Park
6 eps
Ben Shenkman
Louis Ironson / The Angel Oceania
6 eps
Mary-Louise Parker
Harper Pitt
6 eps
Meryl Streep
Hannah Pitt / Ethel Rosenberg / The Rabbi / The Angel Australia
6 eps
Jeffrey Wright
Norman 'Belize' Ariaga / Mr. Lies / Homeless man / The Angel Europa
6 eps
Patrick Wilson
Joe Pitt
6 eps
Emma Thompson
Nurse Emily / Homeless Woman / The Angel
5 eps
Brian Markinson
Martin Heller
5 eps
James Cromwell
Roy's Doctor
4 eps
Florence Kastriner
Mrs. Ironson
4 eps
Howard Pinhasik
Mr. Ironson
4 eps
Melissa Wilder
Louis' Sister
3 eps
Fatima Da Silva
Cousin Doris
4 eps
Robin Weigert
Mormon Mother
3 eps
David Zayas
Super
3 eps
Flotilla DeBarge
Singer in Church
3 eps
Lisa LeGuillou
Nurse
3 eps
Michael Gambon
Prior Walter Ancestor #1 (uncredited)
2 eps
Simon Callow
Prior Walter Ancestor #2 (uncredited)
2 eps
Tony Kushner
Rabbi on Bench #1 (uncredited)
1 eps
Maurice Sendak
Rabbi on Bench #2 (uncredited)
1 eps
Nehemiah Persoff
Rabbi (uncredited)
1 eps
Ty Copeman
Restaurant Patron (uncredited)
1 eps
Paul Wilson
Bar Patron (uncredited)
1 eps
John Epperson
Funeral Service Member (uncredited)
1 eps
Chris Chinn
Drag Queen (uncredited)
1 eps
The Nutevio profile
TV DNA
How Angels in America actually feels to watch, measured on the traits our editors track across every series.
Signature profile
Angels in America reads strongest on Character Depth, Bingeability and Serialized.
How fully written and psychologically layered the ensemble is.
How hard it is to stop after one episode.
How much each hour depends on the one before it.
The scale, internal logic and texture of the world.
How much the series is designed to affect you.
Visual ambition — scale, craft and set-piece filmmaking.
How often an episode ends on a hook you can't ignore.
The sustained pressure the series keeps you under.
How often the series is genuinely funny, by design.
The story
What it's about
God has abandoned Heaven. It's 1985: the Reagans are in the White House and Death swings the scythe of AIDS. In Manhattan, Prior Walter tells Louis, his lover of four years, he's ill; Louis leaves but as disease and loneliness ravage Prior, guilt invades Louis. Joe Pitt, a Mormon Republican attorney, is pushed by right-wing fixer Roy Cohn toward a job at the Justice Department. Pitt and Cohn are closeted: Pitt, out of shame and religious turmoil; Cohn, to preserve his power and access. Pitt's wife Harper is strung out on Valium, aching to escape a sexless marriage. An angel invites Prior to be a prophet in death.
The run
Seasons
1 season · 6 episodes.
Season 1 · Complete
Limited Series
20036 episodes
7.7IMDbGod has abandoned Heaven. It's 1985: the Reagans are in the White House and Death swings the scythe of AIDS. In Manhattan, Prior Walter tells Louis, his lover of four years, he's ill; Louis leaves but asvdisease and loneliness ravage Prior, guilt invades Louis. Joe Pitt, a Mormon Republican attorney, is pushed by right-wing fixer Roy Cohn toward a job at the Justice Department. Pitt and Cohn are closeted: Pitt, out of shame and religious turmoil; Cohn, to preserve his power and access. Pitt's wife Harper is strung out on Valium, aching to escape a sexless marriage. An angel invites Prior to be a prophet in death.
Best episode · S01E02 Millennium Approaches: In Vitro
Where the series peaks
Best Episodes
The hours that define the show, ranked by audience response and editorial signal.
S01E02
Millennium Approaches: In Vitro
Louis abandons a hospitalized Prior; Joe and Roy confide in each other over drinks. Later, Prior hears voices from his hospital bed while Louis solicits sex from strangers, and Joe makes a drunken confession to his mother.
- Directed by Mike Nichols
- Written by Tony Kushner
S01E04
Perestroika: Stop Moving!
The story continues with Prior finally confronting the visions, Cohn desperately trying to manipulate the system to his benefit - all the while haunted by one of his victims, and Harper attempting to regain control of her life.
- Directed by Mike Nichols
- Written by Tony Kushner
S01E01
Millennium Approaches: Bad News
Prior Walter is diagnosed with AIDS that changes his life and he must deal with such new obstacle. Moreover, his partner abandoned him. He has also increasing hallucinations and Mormon's mother comes to New York in order to save her son's marriage. Meanwhile, Roy Cohn checks into the hospital.
- Directed by Mike Nichols
- Written by Tony Kushner
S01E03
Millennium Approaches: The Messenger
Prior returns home and is visited by a pair of spectral namesake ancestors who herald the arrival of the messenger; a tussle with Joe leaves Roy with the ghost of Ethel Rosenberg. Later, Joe and Louis hook up in Central Park while Prior meets the angelic messenger.
- Directed by Mike Nichols
- Written by Tony Kushner
S01E05
Perestroika: Beyond Nelly
Louis arranges a meeting with Prior; Joe visits Roy in the hospital and gets an unwelcome father's blessing; Prior drags Belize to the courthouse for a surprise meeting with the clerk and later strikes up a friendship with Hannah. High on morphine, Roy paints a different picture of heaven.
- Directed by Mike Nichols
- Written by Tony Kushner
Recently aired
Latest Episodes
S01E04
Perestroika: Stop Moving!
- Directed by Mike Nichols
- Written by Tony Kushner
S01E05
Perestroika: Beyond Nelly
- Directed by Mike Nichols
- Written by Tony Kushner
S01E06
Perestroika: Heaven, I'm in Heaven
- Directed by Mike Nichols
- Written by Tony Kushner
S01E01
Millennium Approaches: Bad News
- Directed by Mike Nichols
- Written by Tony Kushner
S01E02
Millennium Approaches: In Vitro
- Directed by Mike Nichols
- Written by Tony Kushner
S01E03
Millennium Approaches: The Messenger
- Directed by Mike Nichols
- Written by Tony Kushner
Behind the series
Created by
Showrunners, creators, executive producers and the writers who set the voice of the series.
The craft
Key Crew
Directing, writing, production, camera, music and editing.
Executive production
- Mike NicholsExecutive Producer
- Celia D. CostasProducer
- Cary BrokawExecutive Producer
Writing
- Tony KushnerWriter
Direction
- Mike NicholsDirector
Cinematography
- Stephen GoldblattDirector of Photography
Music
- Thomas NewmanOriginal Music Composer
Where to watch
Streaming
Availability verified against regional listings.
- Amazon VideoBuy
- Apple TV StoreBuy
- HBO Max Amazon ChannelStreaming
- Fandango At HomeBuy
- YouTube TVStreaming
- HBO MaxStreaming
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