The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey
GenreDrama
Created byWalter Mosley
Based onThe Last Days of Ptolemy Grey
by Walter Mosley
Screenplay by
  • Walter Mosley
  • Jerome Hairston
Directed by
Starring
ComposerCraig DeLeon
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of episodes6
Production
Executive producers
ProducerLlewellyn Wells
Cinematography
  • Shawn Peters
  • Hilda Mercado
Editors
  • Leo Trombetta
  • Hye Mee Na
Running time49–57 minutes
Production companyAnonymous Content
DistributorApple Studios
Release
Original networkApple TV+
Original releaseMarch 11 (2022-03-11) –
April 8, 2022 (2022-04-08)

The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey is an American drama streaming television limited series created by Walter Mosley for Apple TV+. Based on the 2010 novel of the same name by Mosley, the series stars Samuel L. Jackson, Dominique Fishback, Cynthia McWilliams, Damon Gupton, and Marsha Stephanie Blake. It premiered on March 11, 2022, and concluded on April 8, 2022, consisting of six episodes.

The series received seven nominations at the 6th Black Reel Awards for Television, winning four, including Outstanding Television Movie or Limited Series. It also received six nominations at the 54th NAACP Image Awards, while Jackson and Fishback were nominated for their performances at the 28th Critics' Choice Awards.

Premise

A lonely 91-year-old man with dementia is temporarily able to remember his past and uses the time to investigate the death of his nephew.

Cast

Main

Supporting

Episodes

No.Title [1]Directed byTeleplay byOriginal release date [2]
1"Reggie"Ramin BahraniWalter MosleyMarch 11, 2022 (2022-03-11)
Ptolemy Grey's memory is getting worse. After learning his grand-nephew is no longer there for him, Ptolemy's niece assigns him a new caretaker.
2"Robyn"Debbie AllenWalter Mosley & Jerome HairstonMarch 11, 2022 (2022-03-11)
Kicked out of by Niecie, Robyn moves in with Ptolemy and accompanies him to a doctor's appointment for an experimental treatment.
3"Sensia"Hanelle M. CulpepperWalter Mosley & Jerome HairstonMarch 18, 2022 (2022-03-18)
Ptolemy begins treatment to restore his memories, drifting in and out of fever dreams about his life as Robyn keeps vigil at his side.
4"Coydog"Guillermo NavarroWalter MosleyMarch 25, 2022 (2022-03-25)
After unearthing a long-forgotten treasure, Ptolemy makes a plan. Later, he meets with a friend of Reggie's and learns revelatory details.
5"Nina"Guillermo NavarroWalter MosleyApril 1, 2022 (2022-04-01)
Ptolemy looks to his longtime friend and lawyer to help protect Robyn. A family gathering in Reggie's honor brings both healing and confrontation.
6"Ptolemy"Hanelle M. CulpepperWalter MosleyApril 8, 2022 (2022-04-08)
Ptolemy must settle all scores and make peace with his past-before he loses his memories once and for all.

Production

The series was announced in December 2020, with Samuel L. Jackson set to star in and executive produce the series with Walter Mosley adapting his own novel into the screenplay.[3] Dominique Fishback was added to the cast in March 2021.[4] Walton Goggins, Marsha Stephanie Blake, Damon Gupton, Cynthia Kaye McWilliams and Omar Benson Miller were added to the cast in April 2021, with production beginning that month.[5][6] Episodes were directed by Ramin Bahrani, Debbie Allen, Hanelle Culpepper, and Guillermo Navarro.[7] Filming concluded on June 26, 2021.[8] Craig DeLeon is the composer for the limited series.[9]

Release

The limited series premiered on March 11, 2022 on Apple TV+.[10]

Reception

Critical response

The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported an 88% approval rating with an average rating of 7.1/10, based on 41 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey loses some luster in its final stretch, but Samuel L. Jackson and Dominique Fishback's sterling performances make this an unmissable elegy."[11] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 75 out of 100 based on 22 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[12]

Accolades

Year Award Category Recipient(s) Result
2022
 6th Black Reel Awards for Television Outstanding Television Movie or Limited Series Diane Houslin Won
Outstanding Actor, TV Movie or Limited Series Samuel L. Jackson Won
Outstanding Supporting Actress, TV Movie or Limited Series Dominique Fishback Nominated
Outstanding Directing, TV Movie or Limited Series "Robyn"
Debbie Allen 		Won
"Ptolemy"
Hanelle Culpepper 		Nominated
Outstanding Writing, TV Movie or Limited Series "Robyn"
Walter Mosley, Jerome Hairston 		Nominated
"Ptolemy"
Walter Mosley 		Won
2nd Hollywood Critics Association TV Awards Best Actor in a Streaming Limited or Anthology Series or Movie Samuel L. Jackson Nominated
37th Imagen Awards Best Director – Television Guillermo Navarro Nominated
2023
 28th Critics' Choice Awards Best Actor in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television Samuel L. Jackson Nominated
Best Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television Dominique Fishback Nominated
54th NAACP Image Awards Outstanding Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey Pending
Outstanding Actor in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special Samuel L. Jackson Pending
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special Omar Benson Miller Pending
Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series "Robyn"
Debbie Allen 		Pending
"Sensia"
Hanelle Culpepper 		Pending
Outstanding Make-up Michele Lewis Pending

References

  1. ^ "Apple TV+ – The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey". Apple Inc. Retrieved March 31, 2022.
  2. ^ "Shows A-Z – The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey on Apple+". The Futon Critic. Retrieved March 31, 2022.
  3. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (December 17, 2020). "Samuel L. Jackson To Star In 'The Last Days Of Ptolemy Grey' Apple Limited Series From Author Walter Mosley". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
  4. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (March 9, 2021). "Dominique Fishback Joins Samuel L. Jackson In 'The Last Days Of Ptolemy Grey', Ramin Bahrani To Direct Apple Limited Series". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
  5. ^ Petski, Denise (April 27, 2021). "'The Last Days Of Ptolemy Grey': Walton Goggins, Marsha Stephanie Blake, Omar Miller Among Five Cast In Apple Limited Series". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 27, 2021.
  6. ^ Damon Gupton [@DamonGupton] (April 27, 2021). "Finally, we can let the cat out of the bag. Honored to be in production with this extraordinary cast led by the fantastic ⁦⁦@SamuelLJackson and wonderful ⁦@Domfishback" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  7. ^ Phillips, Michael. "'The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey' review: Samuel L. Jackson stars in a tale of secrets and buried treasure". mcall.com. Retrieved 2022-03-04.
  8. ^ Jackson, Samuel L. [@samuelljackson] (June 26, 2021). "Put this one in the Can! Time to track down the next one!! #lastdaysofptolemygrey#endalz#persistencepaysoff". Retrieved June 29, 2021 – via Instagram.((cite web)): CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  9. ^ Grobar, Matt (March 8, 2022). "Composer Craig DeLeon Looked To Build A "Campfire" With 'The Last Days Of Ptolemy Grey' Score – Hear An Exclusive Track". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
  10. ^ Del Rosario, Alexandra (January 12, 2022). "'The Last Days Of Ptolemy Grey': Apple TV+ Limited Series Starring Samuel L. Jackson Gets Premiere Date & First Look Images". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
  11. ^ "The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
  12. ^ "The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey: Season 1". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved January 20, 2023.

External links

Apple TV+ original programming
Black Reel Award for Outstanding Television Movie or Limited Series
Categories