Is Woke woke?
Woke (2020)
TV Show
Released: January 1, 2020
Wokeness Score
7/10
Strongly Ideological
Woke messaging is very prominent and often feels forced or shoehorned in. Characters and plot are primarily shaped to serve the ideology. Many viewers feel the agenda overshadows the entertainment.
Key Summary Points
- Protagonist's police profiling triggers 'awakening' to systemic racism via talking objects metaphor.
- Explores microaggressions, gentrification, and pressure on Black artists to engage social issues.
- Satirizes wokeness while affirming racial justice as central to personal and artistic growth.
Wokeness Analysis
The Hulu series 'Woke' (2020) centers on Black cartoonist Keef Knight's transformation after a traumatic police encounter, using talking inanimate objects as metaphors for newfound awareness of systemic racism, microaggressions, gentrification, and cultural appropriation in liberal San Francisco. Created by and inspired by real cartoonist Keith Knight, the show explicitly frames 'wokeness' as a reluctant but necessary awakening, critiquing 'keeping it light' art while exploring how Black creators face pressure to address race. It satirizes both sides—mocking performative wokeness, cancel culture, and white liberal cluelessness—yet prioritizes racial justice themes over pure comedy, with plot points like lost syndication deals and relationship strains tied directly to activism. Reviews note its timely focus on police profiling and everyday racism, even pre-George Floyd, with surreal elements serving ideological messaging rather than escapism. While not purely didactic, the intentional social commentary and representation of marginalized experiences make the messaging prominent and often feel shoehorned to serve progressive narratives on identity and injustice.
Plot
Keef Knight, a Black cartoonist in San Francisco known for his lighthearted 'Toast & Butter' strip, is on the verge of mainstream syndication success. After being racially profiled and assaulted by police, he begins hearing inanimate objects like trash cans and markers voice uncomfortable truths about racism and inequality. This forces him to confront microaggressions, gentrification, and his own complacency, straining his career, relationships, and friendships while he grapples with becoming 'woke.' The eight-episode comedy blends live-action with animated elements for surreal humor.