Naomi is an American superhero drama television series created by Ava DuVernay and Jill Blankenship which is based on the comic book series of the same name co-written by Brian Michael Bendis and David F. Walker and illustrated by Jamal Campbell.[2] It follows Naomi McDuffie, a comic book-loving teenager and the host of a Superman fan website who sets out to determine the origins with help from her best friend, her supporting adoptive parents, and a tattoo shop owner with a secret origin after a supernatural event occurs in Port Oswego, Oregon. The series stars Kaci Walfall, Cranston Johnson, Alexander Wraith, Mary-Charles Jones, Mouzam Makkar, Daniel Puig, Camila Moreno, Will Meyers, Aidan Gemme, and Barry Watson. It premiered on The CW on January 11, 2022, and concluded on May 10, 2022.[3][4] In May 2022, the series was canceled after one season.[5]
In addition, Alie Urquhart costars as Esme Brooks, class president of Port Oswego High school and Naomi's rival while Brian Brightman co-stars as Commander Steel, a U.S. Military Commander based in Port Oswego.
On December 4, 2020, it was reported that Ava DuVernay and Jill Blankenship are developing a series for The CW based on the comic book series Naomi, co-written by Brian Bendis and David F. Walker and illustrated by Jamal Campbell.[20] On February 9, 2021, The CW gave the production a pilot order.[21] On May 24, 2021, Naomi was picked up to series. The series is created by DuVernay and Jill Blankenship who are expected to executive produce alongside Sarah Bremner and Paul Garnes.[2] The pilot is written by DuVernay and directed by Amanda Marsalis. The production companies involved with the series are Array Filmworks and Warner Bros. Television.[22] The series premiered on January 11, 2022.[3] On May 12, 2022, The CW canceled the series after one season.[5]
In March 2021, Kaci Walfall was cast in the titular role while Alexander Wraith, Cranston Johnson, Camila Moreno, Barry Watson, Mouzam Makkar, Mary-Charles Jones, Aidan Gemme, Daniel Puig and Will Meyers were also tapped as series regulars.[23][24] In December 2021, Stephanie March joined the cast in a guest starring role.[25] In January 2022, Chase Anderson was cast in an undisclosed capacity.[26]
Principal photography for the series began on August 23, 2021, in Georgia.[27][28] Cliff Charles is a cinematographer while DeMane Davis is a director for the series.[29]
In Latin America, Naomi premiered on HBO Max on January 27, 2022.[30] In Scandinavia, it premiered on HBO Max on February 3, 2022.[31]
In Italy it aired on 20 Mediaset.
The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 91% approval rating with an average rating of 7/10, based on 27 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "Kaci Walfall proves a plucky enough heroine to give the deliberately-paced Naomi its own super-powered charm."[32] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 72 out of 100 based on 9 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[33]
According to Samba TV, 313,000 U.S. households streamed the premiere on the first day of availability.[34]