MerPeople

MerPeople
Directed by	Cynthia Wade
Starring	Morgana Alba Mermaid Sparkles The Blixunami Eric Ducharme Tristan the Red River Mermaid
Composer	Adam Crystal
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of episodes	4
Production
Executive producers	Michael Williams Joel Chiodi David Collins Rob Eric Andréanna Seymore Roland Ballester Cynthia Wade
Producer	Angela Almeida
Cinematography	Boaz Freund
Editors	Gary Pollack Eric Daniel Matzgar Sasha Friedlander Sinéad Kinnane Sloane Klevin
Running time	41–48 minutes
Production companies	Scout Productions Netflix
Original release
Release	May 23, 2023 (2023-05-23)

MerPeople is a documentary miniseries that premiered May 23, 2023, on Netflix. It explores the performing art of "mermaiding" through several performers' experiences.

Cast

• Morgana Alba, a mermaid performer and founder of Circus Siren Pod
• Mermaid Sparkles, an aspiring mermaid living in Little Rock, Arkansas
• Eric Ducharme, "The Mertailor," former Weeki Wachee merman and a maker of mermaid tails
• Chè Monique, a body-positive mermaid and founder of the Society of Fat Mermaids
• Tristan the Red River Merman, a recovering addict and aspiring merman
• The Blixunami, a gay, non-binary merperson and musician
• Barbara Wynns, former Weeki Wachee mermaid and mermaid trainer at Mertailor
• Arlene Brooks, former Weeki Wachee mermaid
• Crystal Robson, former Weeki Wachee mermaid
• Ruth Greenings, former Weeki Wachee mermaid
• Jo McCoy, former Weeki Wachee mermaid
• Tara Spaid, former Weeki Wachee mermaid

Episodes

No.	Title	Directed by	Original air date
1	"No Dead Mermaids"	Cynthia Wade	May 23, 2023 (2023-05-23)
Performing as a merperson is expensive, physically demanding, and few make a living by "mermaiding." The history of the mermaid shows at Weeki Wachee Springs, Florida is touched upon, and former Weeki Wachee mermaids recall their experiences. The Circus Siren Pod, "an elite mermaid performance troop," holds auditions. Tail-maker Eric "The Mertailor" Ducharme plans to open his own live mermaid show and aquarium. Performers Mermaid Sparkles, Chè Monique, and Tristan The Red River Merman audition for Ducharme’s show.
2	"Pick Your Tail, Sweetie"	Cynthia Wade	May 23, 2023 (2023-05-23)
Sparkles doesn’t get hired by Mertailer’s Mermaid Aquarium Encounter. Tristan is offered a position, but must work his way up before performing. The Blixunami lives life unapologetically after having grown up in a repressive, religious environment. The Circus Siren Pod's mermaids recall being sexually harassed by mainly male audience members. The Mertailer Aquarium opens to audiences. At MerMagic Con, Sparkles performs and impresses The CSP's founder, Morgana Alba. She is asked to be a guest performer with the CSP in Las Vegas.
3	"Fly Free, Little Fishy"	Cynthia Wade	May 23, 2023 (2023-05-23)
4	"Fin for the Win"	Cynthia Wade	May 23, 2023 (2023-05-23)

Reception

MerPeople has recieved mostly positive reviews from critics. As of June 2023, has a 100% fresh rating on a Rotten Tomatoes. On Metacritic it holds a score of 68 o with "generally favorable reviews."

Joel Keller of Decider recommended streaming the miniseries, noting that the show had "magic and whimsy" with "doses of reality." However, CNN's Brian Lowry felt "there’s just not enough here to merit making 'MerPeople' part of your world." Lucy Mangan of The Guardian gave the show three out of five stars, and noted the docuseries likely caught the mermaid industry in a "transitional point" before its "full commodification and corporatisation."

External links

• MerPeople at IMDb
• MerPeople at Rotten Tomatoes
• MerPeople at Metacritic