Angels in America (2003)
12-month trend
12-month trend
Monthly article views
2025-09 to 2026-08
A gay man living with AIDS in 1985 Manhattan is visited by an angel who commands him to become a prophet.
The story
Set in 1985 during the Reagan era, the miniseries follows the intersecting lives of six New Yorkers amidst a spreading AIDS epidemic. Prior Walter, a gay man living with AIDS, is visited by an angel who commands him to become a prophet. Meanwhile, Joe Pitt, a Mormon Republican attorney, is pushed by right-wing fixer Roy Cohn toward a job at the US Department of Justice. As disease and loneliness ravage the characters, they navigate a rapidly changing social and political climate, seeking connections and grappling with personal secrets and religious turmoil.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In 1985, while Ronald Reagan is in the White House and AIDS causes mass death, Prior Walter tells his lover Louis he has the disease; Louis leaves him, leaving Prior to face loneliness and guilt. Joe Pitt, a Mormon Republican attorney, is pressured by Roy Cohn—who is also in the closet—to take a job at the Department of Justice. Joe's wife, Harper, is hallucinating from Valium and seeks escape from their sexless marriage. An angel commands Prior to become a prophet, a decision aided by Joe's mother, Hannah, and Prior's friend Belize, a drag queen. Joe eventually leaves his wife for Louis, but they struggle with ideological differences. Roy Cohn is diagnosed with AIDS and is haunted by the ghost of Ethel Rosenberg. As the story progresses, these lost souls form bonds of love and loss, ultimately discovering forgiveness and overcoming abandonment.
- First release year
- 2003
- Runtime (minutes)
- 352
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Mike Nichols
- Writers
- Tony Kushner · writer
- Cast and characters
- Al Pacino · Roy Cohn; Meryl Streep · Hannah Pitt / Ethel Rosenberg / Rabbi Isidor Chemelwitz / The Angel Australia; Patrick Wilson · Joe Pitt; Mary-Louise Parker · Harper Pitt; Emma Thompson · Nurse Emily / Homeless woman / The Angel America; Justin Kirk · Prior Walter / Leatherman in park; Jeffrey Wright · Mr. Lies / Norman "Belize" Arriaga / Homeless man / The Angel Europa; Ben Shenkman · Louis Ironson / The Angel Oceania
- Genres
- fantasy drama; political drama; LGBTQ-related drama
- Themes
- Reagan era politics; AIDS epidemic; social and political climate; LGBTQ issues; Mormonism
- Tone and mood
- fantastical; heavy; vital
- Premise and plot tags
- LGBTQ; Mormonism; AIDS epidemic; Reagan era; Political drama
- Source material / true-story basis
- Pulitzer Prize–winning 1991 play of the same name by Tony Kushner
- Reception
- The miniseries received international acclaim and much critical praise, being ranked first on a list of best LGBTQ TV shows of the 21st century and described as a 'work of art'.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 92% · review count: 24
- Awards and nominations
- Primetime Emmy Awards · All four acting categories · Won; Golden Globe Awards · All five eligible categories · Won; Grammy Award · Best Score Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media · Nominated
- Production trivia
- It was the most-watched made-for-cable film in 2003.; Al Pacino committed to the role of Roy Cohn in 1993.; The Heaven sequence was shot at Hadrian's Villa in Tivoli, Italy.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
Your lists
Loading your lists…