National Geographic’s Genius ran for four seasons across 36 episodes, each centered on a different historical figure. The series, created by Kenneth Biller, Noah Pink, Suzan-Lori Parks, and Jeff Stetson, dramatizes the lives of history’s great minds from their young adulthood to their final years. The show follows their discoveries, loves, relationships, causes, flaws, and genius. It premiered on April 25, 2017, and concluded on February 22, 2024.
The series received two Primetime Emmy Award nominations and won an NAACP Image Award. It was renewed for a third season in April 2018 and a fourth in December 2020. The final season, Genius: Music, premiered on February 1, 2024, on National Geographic and Disney+.
Trailer, via National Geographic.
Einstein and Picasso
The first season focused on Albert Einstein. It followed his early years as a patent clerk, his struggle to gain a teaching position and doctorate, and his later years as a respected physicist who developed the theory of relativity. The season was based on the 2007 book Einstein: His Life and Universe by Walter Isaacson.
The second season turned to Pablo Picasso. It chronicled his life as a young man discovering his talent and his later years as a celebrated artist struggling with the rise of fascism and the price of fame.
| Season | Focus | Years |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Albert Einstein | Patent clerk to physicist |
| 2 | Pablo Picasso | Young discovery to celebrated artist |
| 3 | Aretha Franklin | Gospel singer to rising star |
| 4 | Martin Luther King Jr. & Malcolm X | Civil rights leaders |
The Mary Shelley Turn
The third season was originally planned to focus on Mary Shelley. That changed during development. The season instead centered on Aretha Franklin. It aired in March 2021.
The season followed two periods in Franklin’s life. The first showed her as a young gospel singer who became pregnant at the age of twelve. The second covered her rise to become a celebrated star.
King and Malcolm X
The fourth season brought the show into its most recent era. It followed the lives of Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. The season premiered on February 1, 2024, on National Geographic and Disney+.
Aaron Pierre played Malcolm X. Kelvin Harrison Jr. played Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Jayme Lawson played Betty Shabazz. Weruche Opia played Coretta Scott King. Gary Carr played Clyde X. Hubert Point-Du Jour played Ralph Abernathy. Ron Cephas Jones played Elijah Muhammad.
What Works
The show excels at character development. It digs into the personal lives of its subjects, showing how their work and their relationships shaped each other. The performances are uniformly strong across all four seasons.
The series also benefits from its episodic structure. Each season can stand alone, allowing viewers to jump in at any point without feeling lost. This makes it easy to recommend to friends or watch casually.
The show is at its best when it focuses on the human side of its subjects. Its weakest moments come when it leans too heavily on exposition about scientific theories or artistic movements. Those stretches can feel dense and hard to follow.
Where It Falls Short
The show struggles with pacing. Some episodes feel rushed, compressing decades of a subject’s life into a single hour. This can make it difficult to fully understand the stakes of a particular moment.
There is also a risk of sensationalism. The show occasionally emphasizes the scandalous or controversial aspects of its subjects’ lives over their actual work. This can dilute the show’s central argument about genius.
The show’s episodic structure also means that some viewers may feel disconnected from the larger arc of a season. Without a consistent through-line, the individual episodes can feel like self-contained stories rather than parts of a larger narrative.
The Fourth Season
The fourth season is the most recent entry. It brings the show’s format to its logical conclusion, pairing two figures whose work and lives were intimately connected. The season premiered on February 1, 2024, on National Geographic and Disney+.
The performances in this season are particularly strong. Aaron Pierre brings a quiet intensity to Malcolm X, while Kelvin Harrison Jr. finds a compelling mix of idealism and exhaustion as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Final Verdict
Genius is a solid, often engaging series that rewards attention but occasionally frustrates it. Its strengths are its character work and its willingness to explore the messy, personal side of genius. Its weaknesses are pacing issues and occasional sensationalism.
The show is at its best when it slows down and lets its subjects breathe. It is at its worst when it gets caught up in its own spectacle.
The series is available to stream on Disney+, where the fourth season is currently airing. The earlier seasons remain available on the platform as well.
| Season | Premiere Date | Platform |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | April 25, 2017 | National Geographic |
| 2 | April 2018 | National Geographic |
| 3 | March 2021 | National Geographic |
| 4 | February 1, 2024 | National Geographic / Disney+ |
Comparison of Seasons
The four seasons of Genius took very different approaches to their subjects. The first two seasons focused on scientists and artists, while the latter two focused on political and cultural leaders.
| Season | Subject | Approach |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Albert Einstein | Scientific biography |
| 2 | Pablo Picasso | Artistic biography |
| 3 | Aretha Franklin | Musical biography |
| 4 | Martin Luther King Jr. & Malcolm X | Political biography |
The first two seasons were more straightforward in their approach. They followed the subjects’ careers from start to finish, with a clear through-line. The latter two seasons were more fragmented, jumping between different points in their subjects’ lives.
The fourth season is the most ambitious in its scope. It asks viewers to keep track of two timelines at once, which requires more attention than the earlier seasons demanded.
Final Score
Genius is a solid, often engaging series that rewards attention but occasionally frustrates it. Its strengths are its character work and its willingness to explore the messy, personal side of genius. Its weaknesses are pacing issues and occasional sensationalism.
The show is at its best when it slows down and lets its subjects breathe. It is at its worst when it gets caught up in its own spectacle.
Get the Notebook.
The day's best stories and every fresh verdict, in plain English, in your inbox by seven. One email a day, no more.
