PHILLY D.A.
The critically acclaimed 8-part docuseries PHILLY D.A., was created and directed by Ted Passon along with fellow creators: co-director Yoni Brook and producer Nicole Salazar. The unprecedented series centers around Larry Krasner, the civil rights lawyer, who shocked the nation when he won a long-shot campaign to be the District Attorney of Philadelphia on a platform to end mass incarceration. With incredible real-time behind-the-scenes access the series captures an historic moment of change in the American the criminal justice system that is rippling through the rest of the country. PHILLY D.A. explores the most pressing social issues of our time—police brutality, the opioid crisis, gun violence, and mass incarceration—through the lens of an idealistic team of outsiders attempting an overhaul from within the system.
The series had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival and its international premiere at the Berlin Film Festival - where it became the first docuseries to ever screen at the festival. It won the GOTHAM AWARD for “Best Breakthrough Nonfiction Series” and the Columbia-Dupont Journalism Award.for “excellence in journalism.” PHILLY D.A. was also nominated for “Best Nonfiction Series” by The Independent Spirit Awards, Cinema Eye Honors, and the IDA Awards.
Currently streaming on APPLE TV.
“The best TV show I’ve seen so far this year… if there were a scripted drama this complicatedly compelling I feel like it would be the only thing anyone was talking about.”
— Matt Brennan | LA Times
Critic’s Pick: “PHILLY D.A. never sets foot in a courtroom… but it’s as captivating, timely and relevant a legal drama as you’re likely to watch this spring. The gripping PBS documentary series [has] conflicts that are messy, uncomfortable and human… it’s the legal thriller we need right now.”
— James Poniewozik | NY Times
“it’s the best documentary series of 2021. It’s certainly the most illuminating, enthralling, and impressive…”
— Ben Travers | Indiewire
“Internecine struggles abound, and at times they can make “Philly D.A.” feel more like a political thriller than a documentary. …watching Krasner and his team do what they’re trying to do is too compelling, no matter how messy, frustrating, and painful things get."
— Anna Boots | NEW YORKER
“Philly D.A. is the second coming of The Wire, in docuseries form… It’s compelling… it’s gripping… engrossing, and heartbreaking… The show should be viewed as a model for an entire genre of documentary storytelling. Philly D.A. is a beautiful, sprawling story that does justice to both the giant organizations and the many individuals caught inside them. I’m totally mesmerized by this series, I could not stop watching it.”
— Kathryn VanArendonk | VULTURE
“It’s like if Aaron Sorkin and The Wire had a nonfiction baby… one of the top ten shows of 2021.”
— Willa Paskin | SLATE
“Riveting… the fast-moving, over-the-shoulder, fly on the wall pressure-cooker pace conveys perfectly the importance of the life-and-death issues”
— Fionnuala Halligan | Screen Daily
“A landmark in documentary filmmaking.”
— Ken Jacobs | AFI
“A PBS docuseries that moves like a prestige drama… Philly D.A. captures lightening in a bottle, exploring timely questions about whether it’s possible to uproot a system from the inside out. It’s the new season of The Wire you’ve been waiting for.”
— Kelly Connolly | TV Guide
