Raising Dion

Raising Dion is an American superhero drama television series that premiered on October 4, 2019 on Netflix.^[1] It is based on the 2015 comic book and short film of the same name by Dennis Liu.^[2] In January 2020, Netflix renewed the series for a second and final season which premiered on February 1, 2022.

Raising Dion
Genre	Superhero Science fiction Adventure Family drama
Created by	Carol Barbee
Based on	Raising Dion by Dennis Liu
Starring	Alisha Wainwright Ja'Siah Young Jazmyn Simon Sammi Haney Jason Ritter Griffin Robert Faulkner Ali Ahn
Music by	Kris Bowers
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	2
No. of episodes	17
Production
Executive producers	Carol Barbee Charles D. King Kim Roth Poppy Hanks Kenny Goodman Dennis Liu Seith Mann Michael Green Michael B. Jordan Marta Fernandez Darren Grant
Producers	Robert F. Phillips Edward Ricourt Juanita Diana Feeney Montez A. Monroe
Cinematography	Armando Salas Peter Flinckenberg Richard Vialet Jon Delgado
Editors	James D. Wilcox Scott James Wallace Elisa R. Cohen William Yeh Matthew V. Colonna Danielle L. Statuto
Running time	36–50 minutes
Production companies	Fixed Mark Productions MACRO Outlier Society Productions
Original release
Network	Netflix
Release	October 4, 2019 (2019-10-04) – February 1, 2022 (2022-02-01)

Premise

Raising Dion follows the story of a woman named Nicole who raises her son Dion after the death of her husband Mark. The normal dramas of raising a son as a single mom are amplified when Dion starts to manifest several superhero-like abilities. Nicole must now keep her son's gifts secret with the help of Mark's best friend Pat, and protect Dion from people out to exploit him while figuring out the origin of his abilities.^[3]

Cast and characters

Main

• Alisha Wainwright as Nicole Warren,^[4] a widowed mother who is raising her son alone while trying to manage his supernatural abilities after the death of her husband
• Ja'Siah Young as Dion Warren,^[5] Nicole's young, superpowered son
• Jazmyn Simon as Kat Neese,^[5] Nicole's older sister who is a surgeon.
• Sammi Haney as Esperanza Jimenez,^[5] Dion's classmate and best friend. She also has osteogenesis imperfecta (brittle bone disease).^[6]
• Jason Ritter as Pat Rollins,^[5] an engineer at a biotech company called BIONA, Mark's best friend and Dion's godfather.
• Griffin Robert Faulkner as Brayden Mills (season 2,^[7] recurring season 1)
• Ali Ahn as Suzanne Wu^[5] (season 2,^[7] recurring season 1), a scientist and the CEO of BIONA

Recurring

• Michael B. Jordan as Mark Warren,^[5] a scientist, Dion’s father and Nicole's deceased husband, who secretly was given superpowers by the aurora event in Iceland and is trapped as a spirit after having been absorbed by the Crooked Man
• Gavin Munn as Jonathan King,^[5] Dion's classmate and bully-turned-friend.
• Skyler Elyse Philpot as Steffi,^[5] Dion's classmate and popular skater kid
• Donald Paul as Mr. Anthony Fry,^[5] Dion's science teacher
• Matt Lewis as Mr. Campbell, Dion's school principal
• Marc Menchaca as Walter Mills, a farmer who is a superpowered man from the Iceland event. He is absorbed into the Crooked Man, leaving his son Brayden, who developed telepathy due to his father's own superpowers, alone.
• Moriah Brown as Willa
• Cade Tropeano as Dubious Boy, Dion's classmate and school show member
• Diana Chiritescu as Jill Noonan
• Kylen Davis as Malik, Nicole's teenage neighbor and Tessa's son
• Dana Gourrier as Tessa, Nicole's neighbor and Malik's mother
• J. Harrison Ghee as Kwame
• Deirdre Lovejoy as Charlotte Tuck, a woman saved by Mark in a storm. She is another woman with superpowers from the Iceland event.
• Josh Ventura as David Marsh (season 2),^[7] the new vice president of operations at BIONA
• Rome Flynn as Tevin Wakefield (season 2),^[7] Dion's new trainer at BIONA who has powers and Nicole's love interest
• Aubriana Davis as Janelle Carr (season 2),^[7] a 15-year-old who has trouble controlling her powers
• Michael Anthony as Gary Stafford (season 2),^[8] a security guard at Dion's school
• Tracey Bonner as Simone Carr (season 2),^[7] Janelle's mother

Episodes

Series overview

Season	Episodes		Originally released
1	9		October 4, 2019 (2019-10-04)
2	8		February 1, 2022 (2022-02-01)

Season 1 (2019)

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original release date
1	1	"ISSUE #101: How Do You Raise a Superhero?"	Seith Mann	Carol Barbee	October 4, 2019 (2019-10-04)
2	2	"ISSUE #102: Fortress of Solitude"	Seith Mann	Joshua Sternin & Jennifer Ventimilia	October 4, 2019 (2019-10-04)
3	3	"ISSUE #103: Watch Man"	Rachel Goldberg	Leigh Dana Jackson	October 4, 2019 (2019-10-04)
4	4	"ISSUE #104: Welcome to BIONA. Hope You Survive the Experience"	Rachel Goldberg	Edward Ricourt	October 4, 2019 (2019-10-04)
5	5	"ISSUE #105: Days of Mark's Future Past"	Seith Mann	Carol Barbee	October 4, 2019 (2019-10-04)
6	6	"ISSUE #106: Super Friends"	Dennis Liu	Michael Poisson	October 4, 2019 (2019-10-04)
7	7	"ISSUE #107: Why So Vomity?"	Neema Barnette	Kimberly Ndombe	October 4, 2019 (2019-10-04)
8	8	"ISSUE #108: You Won't Like Him When He's Angry"	Neema Barnette	Teleplay by : Joshua Sternin & Jennifer Ventimilia & Edward Ricourt Story by : Joshua Sternin & Jennifer Ventimilia	October 4, 2019 (2019-10-04)
9	9	"ISSUE #109: Storm Killer"	Seith Mann	Leigh Dana Jackson and Carol Barbee	October 4, 2019 (2019-10-04)

Season 2 (2022)

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original release date [9]
10	1	"ISSUE #201: A Hero Returns"	Darren Grant	Carol Barbee & Leigh Dana Jackson	February 1, 2022 (2022-02-01)
11	2	"ISSUE #202: Sankofa"	Darren Grant	Carol Barbee & Leigh Dana Jackson	February 1, 2022 (2022-02-01)
12	3	"ISSUE #203: Monster Problem"	Dennis Liu	Edward Ricourt	February 1, 2022 (2022-02-01)
13	4	"ISSUE #204: With Friends Like These"	Dennis Liu	Ryan Mottesheard	February 1, 2022 (2022-02-01)
14	5	"ISSUE #205: You vs. Me"	Janice Cooke	Tanya Barfield	February 1, 2022 (2022-02-01)
15	6	"ISSUE #206: 36 Good Hours"	Janice Cooke	Michael Poisson & Yvonne Hana Yi	February 1, 2022 (2022-02-01)
16	7	"ISSUE #207: World Without Mom"	Bola Ogun	Carol Barbee & Leigh Dana Jackson	February 1, 2022 (2022-02-01)
17	8	"ISSUE #208: Who You Are"	Bola Ogun	Carol Barbee & Leigh Dana Jackson	February 1, 2022 (2022-02-01)

Production

Development

On October 5, 2017, it was announced that Netflix had given the production a straight-to-series order for a first season consisting of nine episodes. The series is based on the comic book of the same name written by Dennis Liu and illustrated by Jason Piperberg. Liu then directed a short film based on his comic. Carol Barbee adapted a screenplay from the short film and comic and is the showrunner for the series. Executive producers for the series were set to include Liu, Barbee, Michael B. Jordan, Charles D. King, Kim Roth, Poppy Hanks, Kenny Goodman, and Michael Green. Production companies involved with the series were slated to consist of Outlier Society Productions and MACRO.^[3][10] The series premiered on October 4, 2019.^[1] On January 2, 2020, Netflix renewed the series for an eight-episode second season,^[11] which was released on February 1, 2022.^[12] In April 2022, the series was canceled.^[13]

Casting

Alongside the initial announcement of the series order, it was confirmed that Michael B. Jordan had been cast in a supporting role in the series.^[3] In June 2018, it was announced that Jason Ritter, Jazmyn Simon, Alisha Wainwright, and Ja'Siah Young had been cast as a series regulars.^[14][15][16] In July 2018, Donald Paul was cast as a recurring role in the series. On January 29, 2019, it was reported that Ali Ahn had joined the cast in a recurring capacity.^[17] On February 23, 2021, Rome Flynn, Aubriana Davis, Tracey Bonner, and Josh Ventura joined the cast undisclosed capacities while Ali Ahn and Griffin Robert Faulkner were promoted to series regulars for the second season.^[7] On August 24, 2021, Michael Anthony joined the cast in a recurring role for the second season.^[8]

Filming

Principal photography for the series began in late July 2018 in various cities and towns in Georgia including Chattahoochee Hills and Fairburn. Filming continued in the same areas in August 2018 and also took place in Midtown Atlanta at locations including the Fox Theatre.^[18] Filming for the second season began on January 25, 2021 and concluded on May 25, 2021.^[19][20]

Reception

The review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes reported an 83% approval rating for the series, based on 29 reviews, with an average rating of 6.8/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "While its family drama and superhero aspirations don't quite come together, compelling performances and a sense of wonder keep Raising Dion afloat and suggest that with a little more guidance it could become something great".^[21] On Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, the series was assigned a score of 61 out of 100 based on 7 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".^[22]

The second season was watched for over 108.75 million hours in its first 26 days on the platform according to Netflix top 10s.^[23]

Accolades

The show received five nominations at the 1st Children's and Family Emmy Awards: Outstanding Children's or Family Viewing Series, Outstanding Younger Performer in a Preschool, Children's or Young Teen Program (for Young and Haney), Outstanding Stunt Coordination for a Live Action Program, and Outstanding Sound Mixing and Sound Editing for a Live Action Program.

Controversy

In February 2022, artist Jason Piperberg posted a series of tweets regarding the authorship of the show.^[24] In the thread, he states "Dennis [Lui] wrote the script. I did all the art, letters, and vast majority of book layout/file prep for the 1 and only issue of the comic. With that in mind, it seems pretty odd that only Dennis is credited when the show states that it's 'based on the comic book by' both of us."^[25]

References

1. White, Peter (August 16, 2019). "'Raising Dion': Netflix Sets Premiere Date & Unveils First Images Of Sci-Fi Family Drama". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on September 14, 2019. Retrieved October 4, 2019.
2. Gajanan, Mahita (September 1, 2015). "Raising Dion: a diverse comic book that turns its back on superhero tropes". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on October 8, 2019. Retrieved October 9, 2019.
3. Andreeva, Nellie (October 5, 2017). "Netflix Orders Black Superhero Family Drama 'Raising Dion' Co-Starring Michael B. Jordan From Charles D. King's MACRO". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on October 5, 2017. Retrieved October 5, 2017.
4. Guimarães, Elisa (February 5, 2022). "'Raising Dion' Season 2 Cast and Character Guide: Who's Back and Who's New in the Netflix Show". Collider. Archived from the original on February 5, 2022. Retrieved February 6, 2022.
5. Hough, Q.V. (October 10, 2019). "Raising Dion Cast & Character Guide". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on October 10, 2019. Retrieved January 6, 2020.
6. Haney, Sammi (September 25, 2019). "Meet Sammi, the 9-Year-Old Actress With a Disability Co-Starring in Netflix's 'Raising Dion'". The Mighty. Archived from the original on November 11, 2019. Retrieved November 11, 2019.
7. Petski, Denise (February 23, 2021). "'Raising Dion': Rome Flynn, Aubriana Davis, Tracey Bonner & Josh Ventura Join Season 2 Cast Of Netflix Superhero Drama". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on February 23, 2021. Retrieved February 23, 2021.
8. "'Michael Anthony Cast As Gary Stafford On "Raising Dion" Season 2 After First Season Became Netflix's Most Viewed Show". MarketWatch Atlanta. August 24, 2021. Archived from the original on September 20, 2021. Retrieved August 24, 2021.
9. "Shows A-Z – Raising Dion on Netflix". The Futon Critic. Retrieved December 1, 2021.
10. Littleton, Cynthia (October 6, 2017). "Netflix Gives Series Order to Michael B. Jordan's Sci-Fi Family Drama 'Raising Dion'". Variety. Archived from the original on October 6, 2017. Retrieved October 6, 2017.
11. Ramos, Dino-Ray (January 2, 2020). "'Raising Dion' Superhero Drama Renewed For Season 2 By Netflix". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on January 2, 2020. Retrieved January 2, 2020.
12. Mitovich, Matt Webb (November 30, 2021). "Vikings Sequel, Raising Dion Season 2 and Others Get Netflix Premiere Dates". TVLine. Archived from the original on November 30, 2021. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
13. Otterson, Joe (April 26, 2022). "'Raising Dion' Canceled After Two Seasons at Netflix". Variety. Archived from the original on April 26, 2022. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
14. Denise, Petski (June 20, 2018). "'Raising Dion': Jason Ritter To Star In Netflix's Superhero Family Drama Series". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on June 20, 2018. Retrieved June 20, 2018.
15. Petski, Denise (June 26, 2018). "'Raising Dion': Jazmyn Simon Joins Netflix's Superhero Family Drama Series". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on June 27, 2018. Retrieved June 26, 2018.
16. Petski, Denise (June 27, 2018). "'Raising Dion': Alisha Wainwright & Newcomer Ja'Siah Young To Star; Seith Mann To Direct & Exec Produce". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on June 27, 2018. Retrieved June 27, 2018.
17. Petski, Denise (January 30, 2019). "Matt Lauria Joins Apple's 'Dickinson', Ali Ahn In Netflix's 'Raising Dion'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on January 30, 2019. Retrieved January 30, 2019.
18. Walljasper, Matt (August 27, 2018). "What's filming in Atlanta now? Stranger Things, Raising Dion, Queen America, Superintelligence, plus unpacking the new FilmL.A. report". Atlanta. Archived from the original on August 29, 2018. Retrieved August 30, 2018.
19. Young, Ja'Siah [@jasiahyoungofficial] (January 25, 2021). "Thank you so much to my awesome friends at @netflix for the awesome and thoughtful gift!! So happy to be back for @raisingdion SEASON 2 ✌🏽 🎥🎬 @tedsarandos #belabajaria @renrad2 @adriana__nassar @jamesvflannery 🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽🖤🖤🖤". Retrieved February 6, 2022 – via Instagram.
20. Young, Ja'Siah [@jasiahyoungofficial] (May 25, 2021). "That's a wrap on filming @raisingdion Season 2!!! 🎬📣🎥🦸🏽♂️⚡🌩️💫 Can't wait to share this MAGIC with you all!!! HOPE YOU'RE READY!!". Retrieved February 6, 2022 – via Instagram.
21. "Raising Dion: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved December 1, 2021.
22. "Raising Dion: Season 1". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved March 5, 2021.
23. "'Raising Dion' Season 3: Netflix Renewal Status & What to Expect". What's on Netflix. March 4, 2022. Archived from the original on March 6, 2022. Retrieved March 6, 2022.
24. Piperberg, Jason [@JasonPiperberg] (February 4, 2022). "1/7: I've been hesitant to say anything about this, but since season 2 of @RaisingDion's @netflix series just dropped this week, there's something I'd like to say for my own peace of mind. 🧵" (Tweet). Archived from the original on November 3, 2022. Retrieved December 1, 2022 – via Twitter.
25. Piperberg, Jason [@JasonPiperberg] (February 4, 2022). "4/7: Dennis wrote the script. I did all the art, letters, and vast majority of book layout/file prep for the 1 and only issue of the comic. With that in mind, it seems pretty odd that only Dennis is credited when the show states that it's "based on the comic book by" both of us" (Tweet). Archived from the original on February 4, 2022. Retrieved December 1, 2022 – via Twitter.

External links

• Raising Dion on Netflix
• Raising Dion at IMDb