The Best Episodes of Genius Season 3

Episode Rankings

1. #1 Fan Favorite
   

   7.7/10(448 votes)

   #1 - Respect

   S3:E13/21/2021

   Desperate for a hit, Aretha travels to Muscle Shoals in 1967 to record her first album with Atlantic Records. After suffering the loss of her surrogate mother, Little Re braves her first solo in 1953, in her father’s, C.L. Franklin, church.

   Director:Anthony Hemingway

   Writer:Unknown

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   Director:Anthony Hemingway

   Writer:Unknown
2. 

   7.2/10(272 votes)

   #2 - Until the Real Thing Comes Along

   S3:E23/21/2021

   Struggling to find her sound, Aretha catches the attention of Jerry Wexler at Atlantic Records in 1966. Meanwhile, Little Re has her first touring experience on the Gospel Circuit in 1954 with C.L. Franklin and meets her idol, Clara Ward.

   Director:Unknown

   Writer:Unknown

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   Director:Unknown

   Writer:Unknown
3. 

   7.3/10(237 votes)

   #3 - Do Right Woman

   S3:E33/22/2021

   Aretha juggles her music career and her commitment to the civil rights movement, led by Martin Luther King Jr., in 1967 and 1968. Meanwhile, Little Re leaves behind her newborn child to return to the Gospel Circuit in 1955, meeting with music legends James Cleveland and Little Sammie Bryant.

   Director:Unknown

   Writer:Unknown

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   Director:Unknown

   Writer:Unknown
4. 

   7.4/10(237 votes)

   #4 - Unforgettable

   S3:E43/22/2021

   Aretha is featured on the cover of Time Magazine in 1968, but she’s devastated when the article focuses on the scandalous details of her personal life. Barbara Franklin and Young C.L. Franklin struggle to establish themselves in Memphis in 1941, before Little Re is born.

   Director:Unknown

   Writer:Unknown

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   Director:Unknown

   Writer:Unknown
5. 

   7.5/10(228 votes)

   #5 - Young, Gifted and Black

   S3:E53/23/2021

   Aretha, inspired by Angela Davis and the Soledad Brothers, records her protest album “Young, Gifted and Black” in 1970. Despite Jerry Wexler’s uncertainty, the album is a success. Barbara Franklin makes a decision that has a devastating effect on Little Re in 1951.

   Director:Unknown

   Writer:Unknown

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   Director:Unknown

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6. 

   7.3/10(236 votes)

   #6 - Amazing Grace

   S3:E63/23/2021

   Aretha records her best-selling live Gospel album “Amazing Grace” in 1972 at New Temple Missionary Baptist Church, ignoring her sibling’s pleas to record instead at New Bethel with their father, C.L. Franklin.

   Director:Unknown

   Writer:Unknown

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   Director:Unknown

   Writer:Unknown
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7. 

   7.3/10(213 votes)

   #7 - Chain of Fools

   S3:E73/24/2021

   As the Queen of Soul enters the age of disco, Aretha will do anything to remain relevant—including stealing an opportunity from her sister Carolyn. She receives a GRAMMY nomination but is ultimately snubbed from winning the award.

   Director:Unknown

   Writer:Unknown

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   Director:Unknown

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8. 

   7.6/10(229 votes)

   #8 - No One Sleeps

   S3:E83/24/2021

   Despite significant emotional losses, including a second divorce and the death of her father in 1984, Aretha pushes herself artistically and triumphs.

   Director:Unknown

   Writer:Unknown

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   Director:Unknown

   Writer:Unknown