Ethan Hawke, Daveed Diggs and Joshua Caleb Johnson star in a humorous, dramatic and historical tapestry of Antebellum America based on the award winning novel by author James McBride. Told from the point of view of Onion, a newly freed teenager who joins abolitionist John Brown on a holy crusade to end slavery and finds himself part of the famous 1859 raid at Harpers Ferry, the Limited Event Series is an adventure equal parts absurd and tragic, spotlighting the ever-changing racial, religious and gender roles that make up the American identity.

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Video Quality

The Good Lord Bird arrives on MOD Blu-Ray courtesy of Showtime Home Entertainment with a gorgeous AVC encoded 1080p transfer. This limited series consists of seven episodes spread across two discs, which leaves plenty of breathing room even with a small array of supplements. There are mercifully no instances of aliasing or compression artifacts at play here. This presentation is an improvement from the streaming and broadcast versions of the show, which suffer slightly from being overly compressed. This series is no longer available through its network app, though, so that point is moot regardless.

The show has an earthy natural color palette that deftly captures the various natural wonders on display. The nuances of the colors jump off the screen, especially when it comes to distinct articles of clothing, the shades on display in the landscapes and the blue skies. Skin tones appear natural and textured across the entire cast with grime, facial hair and deep age lines appearing on certain performers. The level of detail on display remains inspiring, as all of the intricate aspects of the period costumes and production design are razor sharp. Black levels are very deep and provide a great amount of detail in shadows. Highlights do not fall victim to any blooming in this presentation. Showtime continues to offer up top notch work all around.

Audio Quality

This Blu-Ray comes with a really good DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track that does everything it needs to, but it does feel somewhat surprising that a modern series such as this is not set up for a surround sound experience. That being said, the stereo track captures the ambient sounds that flesh out the mix with a dedicated precision. Action set pieces are more sporadic, but when they do pop up they are given the weight they need. Dialogue comes through clearly without being outclassed by the score or any sound effects. The music from Jamison Hollister aids the tone of the series admirably and is presented with flawless fidelity within the mix. Environmental sounds are plentiful throughout from the nature sounds to some of the bustling towns. The audio presentation is a winner. There are English SDH subtitles provided for those who desire them.

Special Features

James McBride Intro: A minute-and-a-half introduction from the author of The Good Lord Bird who discusses John Brown and his impact on ending slavery.

Rediscovering John Brown: A three-minute piece in which the cast and creative team discuss the legacy of John Brown, the way in which the truth of the man has been covered up by history, the use of humor in the story and more.

Fireside Chat: A three-minute featurette in which author James McBride, Ethan Hawke and Joshua Caleb Johnson discuss the telling of this narrative, their roles on the show and more.

The Art of Artillery: A three-minute look (with proper spoiler alert at the beginning) at the firearms used within the narrative and how they impact the story.

Outfitting The Good Lord Bird: A four-minute exploration (again with proper spoiler alert) of the costumes of the show and how they bring this time period to life.

The Making Of Harpers Ferry: A nearly four-minute piece which takes a look at the reconstruction of Harpers Ferry to what it was like in the time period of the show and what it was like shooting on location.

Final Thoughts

The Good Lord Bird is a bit difficult to categorize in the best way. The series is telling a historical story, but it has a very modern sensibility. The subject matter is of the utmost seriousness, but the series allows for a sardonic and genuinely funny quality that allows these difficult moments to land that much more impactfully. It has a very clear purpose, but it is not so inflexible as to pass up a worthy narrative detour. It is one of the most rewarding journeys we have taken on television in recent memory. The performances are perfect, and the writing is sublime. We recommend it with an enthusiastic endorsement. Showtime Home Entertainment has delivered a Blu-Ray that offers a truly gorgeous A/V presentation and some decent special features. This one has been removed from its streaming home, but it does not deserve to be forgotten. Highly Recommended

The Good Lord Bird can be purchased directly through MovieZyng or through various other online retailers.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Showtime Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.