Scripted series · Netflix
Dear White People
The only way forward is to throw it back.
Who's in it
Cast
The principal ensemble across the run of the series.
Logan Browning
Samantha White
40 eps
Brandon P Bell
Troy Fairbanks
40 eps
DeRon Horton
Lionel Higgins
40 eps
Antoinette Robertson
Coco Conners
40 eps
John Patrick Amedori
Gabe Mitchell
40 eps
Ashley Blaine Featherson-Jenkins
Joelle Brooks
40 eps
Marque Richardson
Reggie Green
40 eps
Giancarlo Esposito
Narrator
40 eps
Crystal-Lee Naomi
Karen
1 eps
Ty Trumbo
Pegasus Guy
1 eps
Sheridan Pierce
Abigail
2 eps
Scott Michael Morgan
Officer Ames
4 eps
Diamond White
Penelope Conners-Faibanks
1 eps
Alex Alcheh
Milo
1 eps
Nolan Gerard Funk
Addison
1 eps
Ally Maki
Ikumi
2 eps
Johanna Middleton
Charise
1 eps
Kirsten Zien
Emily
1 eps
Christina Cooper
Miko
1 eps
Nia Long
Neika Hobbs
1 eps
Brant Daugherty
Thane Lockwood
2 eps
Zee James
Monique
1 eps
Anne Cooper
Edna
1 eps
Conrad Bachmann
Marty
1 eps
Taylor Foster
Becca
1 eps
John Rubinstein
President Fletcher
2 eps
Marvin Lemus
Marvin Rojas
1 eps
Brandon Black
Kordell
4 eps
Presilah Nunez
Olive Bishop
1 eps
Daheli Hall
Dereca
2 eps
Jeremy Tardy
Rashid Bakr
9 eps
Nia Jervier
Kelsey Phillips
12 eps
Jemar Michael
Al
11 eps
Wyatt Nash
Kurt Fletcher
10 eps
Caitlin Carver
Muffy Tuttle
3 eps
Darrion Scoggins
BSU Student
4 eps
Wren T. Brown
Congressman
1 eps
David Garelik
Jeffrey
1 eps
Mason Trueblood
Colin
1 eps
D.J. Blickenstaff
Silvio
4 eps
The Nutevio profile
TV DNA
How Dear White People actually feels to watch, measured on the traits our editors track across every series.
Signature profile
Dear White People reads strongest on Character Depth, Humour and Serialized.
How fully written and psychologically layered the ensemble is.
How often the series is genuinely funny, by design.
How much each hour depends on the one before it.
How much the series is designed to affect you.
How hard it is to stop after one episode.
How often an episode ends on a hook you can't ignore.
The sustained pressure the series keeps you under.
Visual ambition — scale, craft and set-piece filmmaking.
The scale, internal logic and texture of the world.
The story
What it's about
Students of color navigate the daily slights and slippery politics of life at an Ivy League college that's not nearly as "post-racial" as it thinks.
The run
Seasons
4 seasons · 40 episodes.
Season 1 · Complete
Volume 1
201710 episodes
5.8IMDbStudents of color navigate the daily slights and slippery politics of life at an Ivy League college that's not nearly as "post-racial" as it thinks.
Best episode · S01E05 Chapter V
Season 2 · Complete
Volume 2
201810 episodes
5.4IMDbRomantic dilemmas, a social media troll and big changes at Armstrong-Parker House push Sam, Lionel and friends to the breaking point.
Best episode · S02E01 Chapter I
Season 3 · Complete
Volume 3
201910 episodes
4.0IMDbAs the students of Winchester embrace new creative challenges and romantic possibilities, a charismatic professor shakes up life on campus.
Best episode · S03E10 Chapter X
Season 4 · Complete
Volume 4
202110 episodes
3.7IMDbReunited amid a pandemic, future Sam and Lionel look back on their epic final year together at Winchester — which plays out as a '90s musical.
Where the series peaks
Best Episodes
The hours that define the show, ranked by audience response and editorial signal.
S01E05
Chapter V
Friends drag Reggie out on the town to stop him from brooding over the revolution and Sam's new beau. But the night takes a harrowing turn.
- Directed by Barry Jenkins, Chuck Hayward
- Written by Jaclyn Moore
S01E01
Chapter I
As college radio host Samantha White leads the outcry over a blackface party on campus, a revelation about her love life puts her in an awkward spot.
- Directed by Justin Simien
- Written by Justin Simien
S01E03
Chapter III
Golden boy Troy schmoozes his way around campus at his dad's behest, campaigning for student body president. But his smile hides nagging doubts.
- Directed by Tina Mabry
- Written by Chuck Hayward
S01E04
Chapter IV
As Coco gears up for an exclusive soiree, a fight with Sam stirs up memories of their friendship -- and the differences that drove them apart.
- Directed by Tina Mabry
- Written by Njeri Brown
S01E07
Chapter VII
Picking up on the chemistry between Sam and Reggie, Gabe obsesses over the state of his relationship -- and makes a startling confession to Joelle.
- Directed by Nisha Ganatra
- Written by Jaclyn Moore
S01E02
Chapter II
Buoyed by his front-page story on the party, shy reporter Lionel begins to come out of his shell and embrace his true identity.
- Directed by Justin Simien
- Written by Justin Simien
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
- Jaclyn MooreProducer
- Sam BaileyProducer
Writing
- Leann BowenWriter
- Jaclyn MooreWriter
- Sam BaileyWriter
- Yvette Lee BowserWriter
- Chuck HaywardWriter
- Nastaran DibaiWriter
Direction
- Barry JenkinsDirector
- Nisha GanatraDirector
- Sam BaileyDirector
- Salli Richardson-WhitfieldDirector
- Janicza BravoDirector
- Steven K. TsuchidaDirector
Cinematography
- Jeffrey WaldronDirector of Photography
Music
- Kris BowersOriginal Music Composer
Where to watch
Streaming
Availability verified against regional listings.
- NetflixStreaming
- Amazon VideoBuy
- Apple TV StoreBuy
- Google Play MoviesBuy
- Fandango At HomeBuy
- Netflix Standard with AdsStreaming
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Where to go from here
Watch Next
Our editors' suggestion for the show you should start tonight — and why.
The Rookie
2018
Another morally complex epic for anyone who wanted more grey.
Criminal Minds
2005
Watch this next if you like protagonists you can't quite defend.
Flinderella
2004
Need something lighter afterwards? Start here.
The Good Doctor
2017
Another masterpiece of long-form storytelling, chosen to follow this one.
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Another invented world built with the same seriousness — start at episode one.
Yellowstone
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Where our editors would send you after the credits roll.
Never stop watching
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