I'm a Virgo is an American surreal comedy television miniseries created and directed by Boots Riley and starring Jharrel Jerome. The first four episodes premiered at South by Southwest in March 2023, and all seven episodes were released on Amazon Prime Video three months later.

Synopsis Cootie, a sheltered boy, has grown to be 13 feet tall by the age of 19. He is being raised by his aunt Lafrancine and uncle Martisse in Oakland, California, where he is shielded from the outside world until a group of teenage political activists inadvertently learn of his existence.

Cast Main Jharrel Jerome as Cootie, a 13-foot-tall sheltered teenager Olivia Washington as Flora, a fry cook with the power of super speed Brett Gray as Felix, a loyal friend who is obsessed with his car Kara Young as Jones, a young activist with the power of "psychic theatre" Allius Barnes as Scat, a member of the gang obsessed with the existential cartoon Parking Tickets

Special guest stars Walton Goggins as Jay Whittle / The Hero, a billionaire who acts as a local superhero Mike Epps as Martisse, Cootie's uncle and guardian Carmen Ejogo as Lafrancine, Cootie's aunt and guardian Kendrick Sampson as Edwin Garrison, The Hero's assistant

Guest stars Elijah Wood as Studious Guy Joel Edgerton as the voice of a UPS driver in the fictional show Parking Tickets Danny Glover as the voice of a weatherman in Parking Tickets Juliette Lewis as the voice of Justin, a character in Parking Tickets Slavoj Žižek as the voice of the Baby in Parking Tickets Omar Miller as Damian Wallace, a man facing execution Morgan Fairchild as Cressley Whittle, The Hero's mother

Episodes

Production Development On June 22, 2020, it was reported that Boots Riley was creating a new series with Michael Ellenberg of Media Res, starring Jharrel Jerome, called I'm a Virgo. Riley started writing in 2019. On December 14, 2020, it was reported that the half-hour series would be a co-production between Media Res and Amazon Studios. Riley and Jerome executive produce alongside Michael Ellenberg and Tze Chun. The cast also includes Mike Epps, Carmen Ejogo, Brett Gray, Allius Barnes, Kara Young and Olivia Washington. On May 23, 2026, during the press tour for I Love Boosters, Riley stated that there were no plans for a second season after having to cut 40% of the script, including a penultimate episode, due to budget issues two weeks before production began.

Filming Principal photography took place primarily in New Orleans, Louisiana, with outdoor shooting on location in Oakland, California. The show utilizes practical effects with miniatures and puppets for some shots.

Music The soundtrack is provided by Riley's group The Coup, and Tune-Yards provided the score.

Release The first four episodes premiered at the South by Southwest film festival on March 11, 2023. The seven-part series was released on Prime Video on June 23, 2023.

Reception The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reports a 96% approval rating with an average rating of 8.10/10, based on 61 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "Boots Riley's towering imagination looms as large as his supersized hero in I'm a Virgo, an uproarious satire that's given an enormous heart to match by star Jharrel Jerome." Metacritic gave the series a weighted average score of 86 out of 100 based on 26 critic reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".

Ben Travers of Indiewire rated the series a B+, calling it "a visually imaginative parable with a moving message". Chase Hutchinson of Collider rated the series an A and called it "big on ambition yet precisely focused". Erin Brady of /Film wrote that it is "one of the streaming era's most interesting and offbeat projects [...] Riley's unique visual style and the dynamic performances from its eclectic cast make it unlike anything you'll watch this year".

Accolades The show was nominated in the category of Outstanding Special (Practical) Effects in a Photoreal or Animated Project at the 22nd Visual Effects Society Awards.

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