The Big Cigar Season 1: Release date, cast, plot, and everything we know so far

Biographical thriller-mystery show The Big Cigar season 1, Apple TV’s limited drama series, is set to premiere for the global audience on May 17, 2024. Andre Holland, best known for the Academy Award-winning film Moonlight, leads the series alongside Alessandro Nivola, Tiffany Boone, P.J. Byrne, and others.

As per Apple TV+’s press release, the upcoming drama tells the true story of Black Panther co-founder and leader Huey P. Newton’s daring escape from the FBI to Cuba with the assistance of the famous film producer Bert Schneider. Schneider’s foolproof escape plan involves making a bogus movie production.

Disclaimer: This article may contain significant spoilers for The Big Cigar.

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The Big Cigar season 1 will be released on May 17

Limited drama series The Big Cigar season 1 will air globally on Friday, May 17, with two episodes, Panther/Producer and The Cuban, respectively. One new episode will be released every Friday the following week until its final episode, which is set for June 14.

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Cast and characters of The Big Cigar season 1

The Big Cigar season 1, an adaptation of a famed individual, features a star-studded crew consisting of the Moonlight actor Andre Holland. He stars alongside Disobedience actor Alessandro Nivola and Tiffany Boone, who is famous for playing Roxy Jones in Amazon’s Hunters.

Below is the full list of cast members and characters fans can expect to see in The Big Cigar season 1.

• Andre Holland as Huey P. Newton
• Alessandro Nivola as Bert Schneider
• Tiffany Boone as Guen Fontaine
• P.J. Byrne as Steve Blauner
• Marc Menchaca as Agent Clark
• Moses Ingram
• Rebecca Dalton
• Olli Haaskivi
• Jordane Christie
• Glynn Turman

NAACP Image Award winner Janine Sherman Barrois serves as The Big Cigar season 1’s showrunner. Meanwhile, multiple Grammy-winning actor Don Cheadle, whose portfolio comprises Iron Man 2 & 3, Devil in a Blue Dress, and Hotel Rwanda, joined the crew as director of the first two episodes.

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What is the plot of The Big Cigar?

The series' plot revolves around the manhunt of Huey P. Newton, best known as an influential African American activist who co-founded the Oakland Black Panther Party for Self-Defence in 1966 with Bobby Seale. He fled to Cuba in 1974 following an arrest and charge for murdering a prostitute, a crime that he claimed he didn’t do.

Bert Schneider, a film producer, provided the cash and logistics, including setting up a bogus film production, to help Newton escape to Cuba and evade federal authorities.

The official synopsis via Apple TV+ reads:

“Black Panther Party co-founder Huey P. Newton enlists an unlikely ally—Hollywood producer Bert Schneider—to elude an FBI manhunt and escape to Cuba.”

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Where to watch The Big Cigar season 1

One can watch new episodes of the show starting May 17 exclusively on Apple TV+ with a subscription. The streaming service is available for fans in over 100 countries and regions worldwide.

Ahead of the series premiere, check out The Big Cigar's official trailer, shared by Apple TV+. Fans can also check out an earlier adaptation of Newton’s life, a 2001 film directed by Spike Lee, A Huey P. Newton Story.

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