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American Fiction

Novelist Thelonious 'Monk' Ellison's books don't sell well, and he's in a rut. Despairing at the way other black authors are marketed, he develops an alter ego that quickly gets out of hand.

Novelist Thelonious 'Monk' Ellison's books are well-reviewed and well-regarded, but they don't sell well, and he's in a rut. Despairing at the way other black authors are marketed and the way they're expected to write and behave, he pens a tough crime novel under a pseudonym, as a protest, expecting it to disappear.

But things get out of hand when publishers love it, and his alter ego, the wanted felon Stagg R Leigh, is offered a huge advance.

Release date:

1 hour, 47 minutes

On TV

Sunday 22:00

Credits

Role Contributor
Thelonious 'Monk' Ellison Jeffrey Wright
Lisa Ellison Tracee Ellis Ross
Sintara Golden Issa Rae
Clifford Ellison Sterling K Brown
Arthur John Ortiz
Coraline Erika Alexander
Agnes Ellison Leslie Uggams
Wiley Valdespino Adam Brody
Willy the Wonker Keith David
Van Go Jenkins Okieriete Onaodowan
Lorraine Myra Lucretia Taylor
Paula Baderman Miriam Shor
Mandel Patrick Fischler
Director Cord Jefferson
Writer Percival Everett
Writer Cord Jefferson

Broadcasts