The Big Cigar is a 2024 biographical drama television miniseries developed by Jim Hecht, based on the 2012 Playboy article of the same name by Joshuah Bearman.
Set in 1974,[10] the series chronicles the manhunt for Huey P. Newton, the founder of the Black Panther Party, who seeks the help of film producer Bert Schneider as he tries to escape to Cuba.
[25] Judy Berman of Time Magazine gave a favorable review and wrote, "That Newton's wariness of mass culture frames the story from the very beginning is a sign that viewers are in for something much smarter, bolder, and more challenging than the entertainment industry's typical, sanitized take on radical politics".
[28] Richard Roeper from the Chicago Sun-Times wrote a favorable review about the actor André Holland stating that he "does a brilliant job of capturing the complicated and charismatic Black Panthers co-founder".
The website's critics consensus reads, "A magnetic performance from André Holland gets The Big Cigar close to lighting up, but a lack of narrative focus slightly dampens the spark.