‘Genius: Aretha’ Premiere Sneak Peek: A Little Music and a Lot of Family Tension (VIDEO)
Things are tense in Aretha Franklin’s (Cynthia Erivo) childhood home in the premiere of National Geographic’s next Genius.
TV Insider has an exclusive sneak peek at the first episode — premiering on Sunday, March 21 at 9/8c — of Genius: Aretha, and the Queen of Soul goes head-to-head with her father, C.L. Franklin (Courtney B. Vance) about her husband Ted White (Malcolm Barrett).
The clip starts off fun though, with a little music as Aretha plays piano with her family. But it takes a turn when C.L. remarks, “It’s good that you ain’t inviting Ted into the studio next time around.”
Aretha comes to Ted’s defense, but her father continues, “you think he’s a better manager than me, but he ain’t doing nothing but dragging you down.”
Watch the clip above for more from the discussion — and to see Aretha make it clear she’s the one who has a say in her marriage.
National Geographic/Richard DuCree
Genius: Aretha is airing across four consecutive nights, with double-stacked episodes, beginning March 21. With episodes becoming available on Hulu the following day, that means that for the singer’s birthday (March 25), all eight will be available for streaming. The series explores the Queen of Soul’s musical genius and incomparable career and the impact she’s had on the world. The Grammy winner was also a gospel prodigy and an outspoken civil rights champion. She’s considered the greatest singer of the past 50 years.
Genius: Aretha, Premiere, Sunday, March 21, 9/8c, National Geographic
