David Makes Man

• Akili McDowell as David
  • Kwame Patterson as Adult David (season 2)[2]
• Alana Arenas as Gloria, David's and JG's mother
• Phylicia Rashad as Dr. Woods-Trap
• Nathaniel Logan McIntyre as Seren
• Isaiah Johnson as Sky
• Ade Chike Torbert as Raynan
• Jordan Bolger as Shinobi
• Cayden K. Williams as JG (Jonathan Greg), David's younger brother and Gloria's younger son
  • Arlen Escarpeta as Adult JG (season 2)[2]
• Travis Coles as Mx. Elijah

• Daniel Augustin as Eman
• Gillian Williams as Jessica Kelly
• Ruben Santiago-Hudson as Dr. Bree
• Elvis Nolasco as Tio-Teo
• Randy Gonzalez as Mr. Lopez
• Lela Rochon as Alma
• Trace Lysette as Femi
• Liza Colón-Zayas as Principal Fallow
• Juanita Jennings as Mrs. Hertrude
• Lindsey Blackwell as Marissa
  • Erica Luttrell as Adult Marissa (season 2)[3]
• Solomon Valdez as Willie Derrick
• Teshi Thomas as Tare
• Nick Creegan as Desmond
• Kimaya Naomi as Shella
  • Zsané Jhé as Adult Shella (season 2)[3]
• Logan Rozos as Star Child
• Tony Plana as Joe Padilla (season 2)[3]
• Brittany S. Hall as Nicole (season 2)[3]
• Bobbi Baker as Robin (season 2)[3]
• Patrice Arenas as Denise (season 2)[3]
• Trinity Cidel as Trenise (season 2)[3]
• Brandi Huzzie as Trisha (season 2)[3]
• Rodney Gardiner as Corey Roberts (season 2)[3]
• Janmarco Santiago as Elan (season 2)[3]

On August 16, 2017, it was reported that Oprah Winfrey Network had given the production a straight-to-series order created by Tarell Alvin McCraney.[15] On June 26, 2018, it was announced that Dee Harris-Lawrence will be the showrunner and set to serve as an executive producer alongside with Tarell Alvin McCraney, Mike Kelley, Melissa Loy, Michael B. Jordan, and Oprah Winfrey. Production companies involved with the series were slated to include Warner Horizon Scripted Television, Page Fright, and Outlier Productions. The series was set to premiere on August 14, 2019.[1][16][17] The pilot episode was premiered at South by Southwest on March 10, 2019.[18] On December 19, 2019, OWN renewed the series for a second season.[19] On June 29, 2020, HBO Max acquired the streaming rights for the series which was debuted on July 16, 2020.[20] The series' producer Dee Harris-Lawrence most recently signed a overall deal with Warner Bros. Television Studios.[21]

In June 2018, it was announced that Akili McDowell, Phylicia Rashad, Nathaniel Logan McIntyre, Isaiah Johnson, Ade Chike Torbert, Jordan Bolger, Cayden K. Williams, and Travis Coles are cast as series regulars.[1] In August 2018, Alana Arenas has been cast as a series regular while Gillian Williams, Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Elvis Nolasco, and Randy Gonzalez are cast in recurring roles.[22] On October 25, 2018, Lela Rochon, Trace Lysette, Liza Colón-Zayas, Juanita Jennings, Lindsey Blackwell, Solomon Valdez, Teshi Thomas, and newcomers Nick Creegan, Kimaya Naomi and Logan Rozos have joined the series in recurring roles.[23] On August 6, 2020, Kwame Patterson and Arlen Escarpeta were cast in starring roles for the second season.[2] On December 8, 2020, Tony Plana, Brittany S. Hall, Erica Luttrell, Zsané Jhé, Bobbi Baker, Patrice Arenas, Trinity Cidel, Brandi Huzzie, Rodney Gardiner, and Janmarco Santiago joined the cast in recurring roles for the second season.[3]

Production began in the summer of 2018 in Orlando, Florida.[1]

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds an approval rating of 100% based on 23 reviews, with an average rating of 8.98/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Powerful, beautiful, and like nothing else on TV, David Makes Man blends dreamy aesthetics with an empathetically crafted story to create a truly unique viewing experience."[24] On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 81 out of 100, based on 11 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[25]