The true crime genre has become incredibly popular over the last few years. As a result, many mainstream networks and streaming services have jumped on the bandwagon, and Apple TV is one of them. The growing streaming service has recently debuted a new miniseries called Black Bird which is based on the true story of James Keene (Taron Egerton), a man serving time in prison on drug charges who gets an opportunity for an early release. He is asked to transfer prisons and elicit a confession from a suspected serial killer named Larry Hall (Paul Walter Hauser). Keep reading to learn 10 things you didn’t know about the Apple TV series Black Bird.
1. The Series Was Announced Early in 2021
When the pandemic started, production across the entire entertainment industry was put on hold and it started to feel like new content was a thing of the past. However, since COVID restrictions have been loosened, production has picked back up and things have been coming out much quicker. In fact, Black Bird was released just about a year and a half after it was originally announced in January of 2021.
2. The Series is Based on a Book
We’ve already established that Black Bird is based on a true story, but what many people may not realize is that it is also based on a book titled In with the Devil: a Fallen Hero, a Serial Killer, and a Dangerous Bargain for Redemption. The book was written by James Keene and Hillel Levin.
3. There Are Six Episodes
If you like binge-watching shows, you’ll probably agree that it’s always nice to know how many episodes you can expect before getting started. That said, some people will be disappointed to learn that Black Bird is fairly short – even for a miniseries. The project consists of just six episodes. The good news, however, is that the episodes are fairly long.
4. The Series is Filmed in New Orleans
Black Bird is set in the Chicago area. If you watch the series, you may feel like what you’re seeing is an accurate depiction of the midwest. Interestingly enough, though, the miniseries wasn’t filmed anywhere near Chicago. Filming primarily took place in the New Orleans area with some scenes being filmed in Canada.
5. The Series Was Ray Liotta’s Last TV Role
People all over the world were stunned and saddened in May of 2022 when news broke that Ray Liotta had suddenly passed away at just 67 years old. Although he had several movie projects in the works at the time of his death, Black Bird marks his final role on the small screen.
6. The Series Has Gotten Great Reviews
If you’re the kind of person who likes to wait to read reviews before checking out a new movie or show, you’ll be happy to know that Black Bird has gotten mostly positive feedback from both reviewers and viewers. Not only is the story interesting, but the cast also did a great job.
7. Episodes Are Released on a Weekly Basis
Over the last few years, it has become common for streaming services to release all of the episodes in a season at the same time. Unfortunately, though, that isn’t the case with Black Bird. The first two episodes were released on July 8 and subsequent episodes are released on a weekly basis.
8. Larry Hall Really Has a Twin Brother
If you’ve been watching Black Bird, you may be confused about what’s true and what isn’t when it comes to Larry Hall. Although he mentions having a twin brother, it’s unclear if he’s telling the truth or just suffering from some kind of delusion. Apparently, though, he really did have an identical twin brother named Gary.
9. The Details Can Get Intense
All of the diehard true crime fans out there know that these kinds of stories can be difficult to digest. However, if you’re newer to the true crime genre you might not know what to expect. The details of the crimes highlighted in Black Bird can be a bit gruesome at times. Needless to say, this isn’t the kind of thing you’ll want to watch with young children around.
10. Paul Walter Hauser and Taron Egerton Didn’t Do Any Chemistry Reads
Chemistry reads are usually an important part of the casting process, but that wasn’t the case with Black Bird. Egerton and Hauser didn’t do any chemistry reads prior to filming. While it’s true that this could’ve ended up disastrous, the exact opposite ended up happening. The two have an undeniably strong level of on-screen chemistry.
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