Our Kind of People - Lee Daniels: "It's the Black Knots Landing!"

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LOS ANGELES (AP) — Affluent and well-connected Black families are the focus of “Our Kind of People,” a new Fox drama series from “Empire” creator Lee Daniels.

Based on “Our Kind of People: Inside America's Black Upper Class," a 1999 nonfiction book by Lawrence Otis Graham, the series will join the network's fall schedule, while midseason's “The Cleaning Lady” will bring the rarity of an Asian lead character to TV.

“Our Kind of People,” according to Fox's thumbnail description, is an “unapologetic celebration of Black resilience and achievement.” Set on Massachusetts' fabled Martha's Vineyard island, it stars Yaya DaCosta (“Chicago Med,” “Whitney”) and Morris Chestnut (“The Resident”).

“We’re not only saying something culturally, we’re doing something culturally,” producer Daniels told advertising buyers, who are rotating among virtual presentations of next season's offerings from Fox and other broadcasters this week.

A dark secret from the past will change a woman’s life — and one community — forever.


Exciting news was announced today and soap fans are going to want to check it out. FOX’s President of Entertainment Michael Thorn has given a series order for Our Kind of People by Academy Award nominee Lee Daniels (Empire) and Karin Gist (Grey’s Anatomy). Inspired by Lawrence Otis Graham’s acclaimed novel, Our Kind of People: Inside America’s Black Upper Class, the primetime series will run during the 2021-22 season.


Viewers can expect to be taken on a journey through the aspirational world of Oak Bluffs on Martha’s Vineyard — a place where the rich and powerful black elite have come to play for over 50 years. When strong-willed, single mother Angela Vaughn sets out to get back her family’s name, and make a real difference with her revolutionary haircare line that highlights the innate, natural beauty of black women, a dark secret about her mother will turn her world upside-down and leave the community shaken — forever.

Of the series, Thorn stated, “Our Kind of People is a soapy, thrilling exploration of race and class in America and an unapologetic celebration of black resilience and achievement — all daringly told by a team we’ve been eager to get back in business with,” and went on to praise, “There are no better storytellers than Karin Gist and Lee Daniels to bring Lawrence Otis Graham’s seminal work to life.”


Given the exhilarating storylines Daniels and Gist have featuring on their other well-known dramas, we cannot wait to check this one out!

Will you watch?
 
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Carrie Fairchild

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Will you watch?
Yes, yes and yes! I love the sound of this show. We really are being spoiled with primetime suds this year although I don't think there was any news about Promised Land at the ABC upfronts yesterday. It looks like it could be a midseason / summer series for 2022?
 

Brian Kinney

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Will you watch?
No, the way Empire's final season was done I have no desire to watch again anything by Lee Daniels. And since his Star series also had no proper ending I'm wondering which viewers want to get run over a third time by him? The biggest surprise to me is that Fox-TV is desperate enough to give him another chance while the great Prodigal Son just got cancelled by them. Meaning: even if it's good it doesn't end well.
 
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