One
could call it "The 'Empire' Effect." When Lee Daniels' series made its debut
on Fox back in January 2015 it was an immediate smash. Though not a surprise to
most people, it was obviously a shocking revelation to TV network executives who
seemingly had no idea that a dramatic show starring and about black people could
be such a hit. They've been convinced that there aren't many black people (and white
viewers as well) in the entire country who could support a black TV show, and that the pitiably few black viewers were already perfectly content to watch the
same old boring dramas and sitcoms with white actors. However, now that they
have seen the light, networks—in particular Fox—know they have a new
audience that they inexplicably never programmed directly to before.
This
fall, there are several new black-themed shows eager to attract this new audience
including Fox's baseball drama "Pitch"; the cop drama "Shots
Fired" conceived and produced by "Love and Basketball" and
"Beyond the Lights" director Gina Prince-Bythewood; and the revamped
"24" series "24: Legacy," this time with a black lead (Corey Hawkins). Over
on FX is Donald Glover's oddball comedy drama "Atlanta" which is
already being touted as one of best new TV shows of the season. HBO has the
highly anticipated and long-in-the-works comedy "Insecure," created
and starring Issa Rae, who has become an underground sensation with her highly
popular web series, "The Misadventures of an Awkward Black Girl."
But
another much-anticipated show is the new drama "Queen Sugar," not only for
the story but also for the behind the scenes developments. Produced by
Warners Television & Harpo for Oprah Winfrey's OWN channel and premiering on
September 6th and 7th with a two-parter, the show is the
brainchild of executive producer and co-creator Ava DuVernay ("Selma"). It's also the first TV show ever in which most of the first season's episodes (it's
already been greenlit for a second season) were directed by black women, including
DuVernay (who directed the first two episodes), Tina Mabry ("Mississippi
Damned") and Tanya Hamilton ("Night Captures Us").
Of
course, the purpose of having a show made by black female directors is twofold—first,
to give a platform to filmmakers who find it hard to maintain a career and face a lack of
opportunities; second, to offer a different voice than the usual white, male-dominated point of view on
television, leading to a more nuanced and realistic portrayal of black people
instead of the same old worn-out stereotypes.
"Queen Sugar" does succeed very well in that regard, though it does
delve into predictable tropes. After all, it is
first and foremost a soap opera. But the show (at least from the first three
episodes provided to us) is more quiet and introspective. The focus is
not so much on dramatic hysterics, but the subtler day-to-day struggles and
inner battles that family ties go through to survive another day.
The
series revolves around three adult siblings, known as the Bordelons of
Louisiana. First, there's Nova (Rutina Wesley), the oldest and
"mature" one. She's politically and culturally conscious, complete
with dreads and a nose ring, and rules her siblings with harsh love and
stern commands. But, she has some issues of her own: a messy affair
with married white cop and a possible son (though her relationship is not
exactly clearly explained in the episodes provided) locked away in prison.
Then
there's the brother Ralph Angel (Kofi Siriboe), a devoted single father but
chronically unemployed man who is unfairly looked down by his sisters as
being irresponsible.
And
finally there's Charley (Dawn-Lyen Gardner) the "perfect" one with
the "perfect" life who is quietly resented by her brother and sister
for basically abandoning the family for a life away from home elsewhere. Charley's
perfect bubble is broken when her NBA superstar husband gets caught with a
hooker. (The
scene where Charley confronts her husband in the middle of game is one of the
very few false notes in the series so far.)
But
the three of them get hit with the biggest blow when their father suddenly dies,
only to find out that the family's sugar cane farm, which he was overseeing,
was actually in dire financial straits and that no crops had been grown on it
for several years. With the pressures of their father's death and the farm
situation, long simmering resentments and jealousies begin to, loudly at times,
raise their heads. It all leads to a permanent disintegration of the family until
they decide to put all away all the past bitterness and come
together to run the farm.
All
of the performances are uniformly excellent despite Rutina Wesley's tendency to go a bit
"extra" in some dramatic scenes. But it's the more unusual
little touches that make "Queen Sugar" special, such as the sweet
romance between the siblings' aunt (Tina Lifford) and her suitor (Omar Dorsey).
Rarely do we see romances involving older people on TV or in the movies; love is
exclusive to high schoolers and cynical millennials. One is hard-pressed to
think of another romantic love story between two middle-aged black people on
television. It's a show of quiet rhythms and visual splendors, such as the
green dewy acres of farmland in the morning, the textures of black hair against
dark silk or the tip-toe flirtation between a farmer and a still bitter Charley
softly opening up to his kind graces. Whatever the target demographic, these
are the touches that accomplish what any good soap opera needs to do—they get you
hooked.
