A Small Light is a biographical drama miniseries created by Joan Rater and Tony Phelan. It premiered on National Geographic on May 1, 2023. The miniseries became available to stream on Disney+ and Hulu the following day. It received widespread critical acclaim.
Premise
Secretary Miep Gies helps her Jewish employer Otto Frank, his family, and other Jewish refugees go into hiding during World War II after the German invasion of the Netherlands.
Cast and characters
Main
Bel Powley as Miep Gies
Agi Tietjen portrays young Miep
Joe Cole as Jan Gies
Amira Casar as Edith Frank
Billie Boullet as Anne Frank
Zoe Ponzo portrays young Anne
Ashley Brooke as Margot Frank
Polly Sakoufaki portrays young Margot
Liev Schreiber as Otto Frank
Recurring
Guest
Lisa Karlström as Charlotte Kaletta
Episodes
Production
Development
It was announced in February 2022 that Disney+ had greenlit the miniseries from National Geographic, which Tony Phelan and Joan Rater wrote and Susanna Fogel directing multiple episodes of the series. In April Bel Powley was cast as Gies, with Liev Schreiber starring as Otto Frank and Joe Cole as Jan Gies. Amira Casar, Billie Boullet and Ashley Brooke would join in June, with Boullet cast as Anne Frank.
Production began by July 2022, with filming taking place between Hradec Králové, Prague and Amsterdam in summer 2022.
Music
The series' soundtrack was executive produced and co-produced by Este Haim, and features covers by musicians including Danielle Haim, Kamasi Washington, Sharon Van Etten, Angel Olsen, Weyes Blood, Remi Wolf, King Princess, Orville Peck, and Moses Sumney. The soundtrack album was released on May 23, 2023.
Release
A Small Light premiered on National Geographic on May 1, 2023. It was released on Disney+ and Hulu on May 2, 2023. It later aired on Freeform on May 6, 2023. The miniseries consists of eight episodes.
Reception
Audience viewership
On May 4, 2023, according to Jordan Williams of Screen Rant, "With over 11 million recorded attention signals across online platforms, A Small Light is generating considerable buzz from potential viewers, including the second-greatest hype on YouTube for May 2023 releases."
Critical response
The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 100% approval rating with an average rating of 8.80/10, based on 33 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "Bel Powley's arresting performance burns bright in A Small Light, a sensitive portrait of heroism in the face of all-encompassing tragedy." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 83 out of 100 based on 16 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".
Christine Persaud and Nick Perry of Digital Trends included A Small Light in their "Best Shows on Hulu Right Now" list. Kelly Connolly of TV Guide included A Small Light in their "74 Best TV Shows on Hulu Right Now" list. Tamara Fuentes of Cosmopolitan included A Small Light in their "30 Best TV Shows of 2023 We Can't Get Enough Of" list.