The Good Lord Bird What's it about: Ethan Hawke goes all in for his performance as abolitionist John Brown, in the first trailer for The Good Lord Bird. Based on James McBride's award-winning novel, the series is told from the perspective of Onion, a young man who was enslaved before joining Brown's ragtag group of abolitionist soldiers. Who's starring: Joshua Caleb Johnson, Hawke, and Daveed Diggs. Release date: Oct. 4 on Showtime