General · EdgepediaOctober 3, 20264 min read

True Story

True Story is a 2021 American limited thriller series on Netflix in which comedian Kevin Hart plays Kid, one of the world's most famous stand-up comics whose hometown tour stop in Philadelphia turns into a life-and-death crisis after a night out with his older brother Carlton, played by Wesley Snipes.¹^•² The series was created by Eric Newman and released in full on November 24, 2021.³^•¹

Key fact	Detail
Format	Limited series, 7 episodes, TV-MA, drama/crime/thriller¹
Release	November 24, 2021, Netflix (United States)¹^•²
Leads	Kevin Hart as Kid; Wesley Snipes as Carlton; Tawny Newsome as Billie¹
Creator	Eric Newman³
Production companies	HartBeat Productions and Grand Electric³
Episode length	Average runtime 37 minutes⁴
Reception	57% Tomatometer (23 reviews) and 78% Popcornmeter (100+ ratings) on Rotten Tomatoes⁵
Awards	Kevin Hart won the 2022 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Television Movie, Limited Series or Dramatic Special⁶

Spoilers

Premise

During a tour stop in his hometown of Philadelphia, Kid, one of the world's most famous comedians, is forced to answer how far he will go to protect what he has.² After a night out with his troubled older brother Carlton, Kid realizes he could lose everything he has built.⁴ Netflix describes the setup as a world-famous comedian desperately searching for a way out after a night with his brother threatens to sabotage more than his success.¹

The seven chapters trace the fallout across a single tour stop. In the premiere, "Chapter 1: The King of Comedy" (58 minutes), Kid launches the tour and reunites with his brother before an afterparty leads to a sobering reality; the finale, "Chapter 7: ...Like Cain Did Abel" (36 minutes), brings Kid to a breaking point and ends with him sharing his story and vowing to be a better man.¹

Cast and production

Kevin Hart plays Kid, described in early production listings as a version of himself, with Wesley Snipes as Kid's older brother Carlton.⁷ The supporting cast includes Tawny Newsome as Billie, Theo Rossi as Gene, William Catlett as Herschel, Paul Adelstein as Todd, Ash Santos as Daphne, John Ales as Nikos, Chris Diamantopoulos as Savvas, Lauren London as Monyca, and Billy Zane as Ari.⁴

The series comes from Eric Newman, whose credits include Narcos, and was produced by HartBeat Productions, Hart's company, together with Grand Electric.³^•⁸ Hart said the idea came from watching Narcos and wondering what he would be like in a setting of turmoil like that.⁸

Relationship to Hart's life

Hart told "CBS Mornings" co-host Gayle King that parts of the series draw on real experiences. "You have to pull from things that've happened in some way, shape or form. Now, yes, do you amplify, exaggerate? Of course. That's how you make good television," he said, adding that the world of Kevin Hart the star and the world of Kid the star are "similarities. There's, like, parallel world. But then it makes a drastic change."⁸ The series is fictional; the production listing describes Hart as playing "a version of himself" in a fictional story.⁷

Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes the limited series holds a 57% Tomatometer from 23 critics and a 78% audience score from more than 100 ratings.⁵ The site's critics consensus says Hart and Snipes make a compelling duo but that the series muffles their chemistry with a dawdling, unmemorable plot.⁹ Reviewers singled out Snipes's performance: Graeme Tuckett of The Post NZ wrote that Snipes makes Carlton the center of every scene he is in, and Nina Metz of the Chicago Tribune gave the show 2 of 4 stars, saying it lacks depth beyond what Snipes brings to it.⁹

At the 2022 NAACP Image Awards, Hart won Outstanding Actor in a Television Movie, Limited Series or Dramatic Special, while Snipes was nominated in the same category, William Catlett was nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actor, and Hanelle M. Culpepper was nominated for Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series for the episode "Chapter 7: ...Like Cain Did Abel."⁶ The series also received a ReFrame Stamp as one of IMDbPro's top 200 most popular TV titles of 2021–2022.⁶

Common Sense Media, which rates the show for ages 14 and up, notes moments of violence, heavy profanity, and alcohol and drug use as plot points, alongside a predominantly Black cast and positive messages about moral choices and taking responsibility.¹⁰

References

Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › Scripted television and comedy series › Drama and prestige series (individual series) › Crime and thriller series › Psychological and domestic thrillers

Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026

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