BET Plus’ original dark comedy series Average Joe will return for a second season, the streaming service said Thursday.

The series stars Deon Cole as a hard-working, blue-collar worker who, in the show’s first season, is on the run for his life after he discovers his recently deceased father stole millions of dollars from dangerous people just before he died. Cole will reprise his role as "Joe Washington" in the second season, according to BET Plus.

The series also starred Tammy Townsend, Malcolm Barrett, Cynthia Kaye McWilliams, Michael Trucco and Ashley Olivia Fisher. 

Average Joe is executive produced by Robb Cullen, McG, Corey Marsh, Mary Viola, Deb Evans and Rose Catherine Pickney. 

“We congratulate the amazing writers, cast, crew and our production partners for creating such a captivating first season,” BET Media Group president and CEO Scott Mills said in a statement. “Average Joe is a masterclass in storytelling – a thriller anchored in authenticity, friendships and family drama, spiked with perfectly timed moments of humor – all of which resonated tremendously with viewers. We are excited to see where the second season will take us.”

BET Plus said it has set May 16 as the premiere date for its original movie Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead.

The movie stars Simone Joy Jones, Nicole Richie and June Squibb as the babysitter.

In the film, a seventeen year old is forced to stay home before her freshman year at Howard University to look after her three siblings. After the elderly babysitter dies, she gets a job and juggles work, family and romance.

Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead is produced for BET Plus by Treehouse Pictures.

WAde Allain-Marcus is the director and Chuck Hayward is the writer. Senior executive producers are Michael Phillips, and Tova Laiter. The executive Producers are Ryan Huffman and Tyra Banks for SMiZE Productions

Also in the cast are Donnielle Tremaine Hensley, Avaamii Sledge, Carter Young, Jermaine Fowler, Patricia “Ms. Pat” Williams and Miles Fowler.

BET Plus will continue to partner with actress/comedian Patricia ‘Ms. Pat’ Williams, renewing Williams’ courtroom series Ms. Pat Settles It and setting a May premiere date for The Ms. Pat Show.

The second season of Ms. Pat Settles It stars the comedian as she takes on cases revolving around family and relationship dynamics, according to the streaming services. With a jury composed of Williams’ closest friends, family members, celebrity guest stars, and comedians, the series will focus on a wide array of cases encompassing financial disputes, romantic entanglements, roommate quarrels, neighborly conflicts, and a myriad of other issues, said BET Plus.

Emmy-nominated The Ms. Pat Show will return for a fourth season on May 23, and will continue to feature Williams in a starring role as a former drug dealer and convicted felon turned suburban mom. The series also stars J. Bernard Calloway and Ashley James. 

The two series are part of a multi-year production deal between Williams and BET Media Group, according to the company. Under this deal, she will produce and perform in other projects across the network.

BET Plus on March 21 will launch dark comedy Diarra from Detroit, the first scripted series project from the two-year BET Studios venture created in 2021 to develop television series and films targeted to Black viewers.

Diarra From Detroit, executive produced by Kenya Barris and starring series creator Diarra Kilpatrick, David Zayas, Phylicia Rashad and Morris Chestnut, follows a divorcing schoolteacher whose search for a missing man she met on a social media dating site pulls her into a decades-old mystery involving the Detroit underworld, BET Plus said. 

BET Studios previously created unscripted sports series Klutch Academy for the BET cable network in 2021. It has also teamed with NBC New Studios and Westbrook Studios to co-produce the documentary The Debutantes, which follows a group of Canton, Ohio-based Black women and girls revitalizing the tradition of the debutante ball. 

In an interview with Multichannel News, BET Studios executive VP and general manager Aisha Summers Burke discussed the launch of Diarra from Detroit and offers her thoughts on the changing scripted TV marketplace. Here's an edited version of that discussion. 

MCN: Why did BET Studios choose Diarra from Detroit as its first scripted project?

Aisha Summers-Burke: When I met Diarra [Kilpatrick], we sat and talked about this project. It made me laugh, it made me wonder, it made me guess, and it made me want to watch more and figure out what happens. She was very clear about her vision, so I think in a time when it’s tough to get projects made, having creators who have a real vision is a plus. 

MCN: The TV industry is experiencing a decline in the amount of scripted content being greenlit and distributed compared to just a few years ago. Do you feel this is still a viable marketplace to get distribution for your content? 

ASB: The business, obviously, has changed since 2021 when we launched. There was a time where DEI was really ramping up — we were coming off of George Floyd and everybody felt like they needed to do something. Now in 2024, it’s a little different, and I think that feeling in certain places around the industry has cooled. My hope is that it will stabilize and that there’ll be a return to really understanding how important it is for storytelling to be diverse on so many levels. We at BET Studios are looking to provide that type of content. 

MCN: Do you have a certain number of projects that you want to launch in 2024?

ASB: If it were up to me, I would put out an unlimited amount of shows, but being a studio I have to work with every network and platform. What I can control is making the best product possible. Diarra is the first of many projects that I’m hoping we’ll announce in 2024 and 2025.

MCN: Are you targeting your projects to a particular platform, whether it's linear or streaming? 

ASB: I am really focused on creating good content with creators everywhere, so there’s not one place that I'm focused on. The goal is to have projects that are very different, that are very diverse in terms of storytelling, in terms of characters, in terms of reach, and that we can play any space that we want anywhere around town. 

BET Plus will team with hip-hop artist/actor Chris "Ludacris" Bridges to develop a new, half-hour scripted dramedy.

The untitled series, inspired by Ludacris’ experience coming up in the competitive music scene in Atlanta, follows the misadventures of an ensemble who are willing to do anything and everything to bolster ratings at their hip-hop station, the streaming service said.

Ludacris will serve as executive producer of the series along with Larry Wilmore, Malcolm Lee, Noah Gardenswartz, Dominique Telson, Chaka Zulu, Jeff Dixon, Josh Cratman and David Blackman. 

The dramedy will add to BET Plus’ lineup of original scripted series, which includes The 2023 Emmy Award-nominated comedy The Ms. Pat Show, Kingdom Business, All The Queens Men, and The Family Business. 

BET Plus leads the list of networks and streaming services delivering holiday TV movie cheer to viewers during the 12 days before Christmas as programmers tie a bow around a robust lineup of original holiday programming that launched in October. 

BET Plus over the next two weeks will distribute the final three movies of its slate of 12 original holiday films and specials that featured several high-profile celebrities and producers, including Jasmine Guy, Tamar Braxton, Vivica A. Fox, Debbie Allen, Tichina Arnold, Jackee Harry, and Michael Colyar, according to BET Plus officials. 

BET Plus VP of content programming, strategy and original movies Marvin Neil said holiday programming has become a yearly staple for the four-year-old African American-targeted streaming service as it looks to offer more family fare.

“The holiday season is about families and togetherness, and I feel like that’s an opportunity that’s been taken up by major networks for decades,” Neil said. “The problem is major networks weren’t really showcasing the black holiday experience the way we felt we deserved, so we were very intentional about really targeting the holiday season as a moment to tell relatable stories for our viewers and for a broader audience.” 

Neil said the appeal of original holiday content attracted actors, directors and writers of color to the streaming service. On the docket for BET Plus holiday films premiering through Christmas are films starring actress/producer Robin Givens (Christmas Rescue); musicians MC Lyte and Tank (Favorite Son Christmas); and actress/singer Kandi Burruss (Whatever It Takes).

Holiday Movie Sampler

A partial list of remaining holiday-themed movies debuting on linear networks and streaming services, along with their premiere dates:

December 14

• Heaven Down Here (Hallmark Movies & Mysteries)
• Christmas Rescue (BET Plus)
• Favorite Son Christmas (BET Plus)

December 15

• The Secret Gift of Christmas (Hallmark Channel)

December 16

• Designing Christmas With You (Great American Family)
• Sealed With a List (Hallmark Channel)
• The Holiday Proposal Plan (Lifetime)
• The Christmas Detective (OWN)
• A Christmas Intern (Lifetime)

December 17

• Dial S for Santa (UPtv)
• Merry Magic Christmas (Lifetime)
• 12 Games of Christmas (Great American Family)
• Friends and Family Christmas (Hallmark Channel)

December 21

• Miracle in Bethlehem, PA (Hallmark Movies & Mysteries)
• Whatever It Takes (BET Plus)
• The Christmas Break (Fox)

December 23

• A Royal Christmas Holiday (Great American Family)
• Mom’s Christmas Boyfriend (Lifetime)
• Christmas Revisited (OWN)

December 24

• A Christmas Letter (UPtv)

BET Plus will debut the second season of its gospel music-themed drama series Kingdom Business on November 2.

The series explores the gospel music industry through multiple lenses of family, faith, love and the redemptive power of music. The second season finds the Jordan family fighting for their gospel record label, their positions in the church, and even their lives, according to BET Plus. 

The series stars Yolanda Adams, Michael Jai White and Michael Beach, with appearances by Loretta Devine, Louis Gossett Jr., Tamar Braxton, Tasha Cobbs Leonard and Kirk Franklin.

Kingdom Business is executive produced by Franklin, Dr. Holly Carter, DeVon Franklin,  Kenny Lenhart, John J. Sakmar, Michael Van Dyck and Deb Evans.

BET Plus has greenlit a new season of its Emmy-nominated comedy series The Ms. Pat Show and will develop new projects with the series’ creator and star Patricia “Ms. Pat” Williams.

The Ms. Pat Show, which was nominated for a 2022 Emmy Award in the Outstanding Directing in a Comedy Series category, will return to the streaming service for a fourth season, although no return date has been announced. The Ms. Pat Show stars Williams as a wife and mother adjusting to living in a conservative town after moving from her Atlanta hometown.

Also Read: J. Bernard Calloway in Emmy Mode with Starring Role in ‘The Ms. Pat Show:’ Multicultural Perspectives

The series also stars J. Bernard Calloway, Tami Roman and Vince Swann. 

BET Plus will also team with Williams on two new projects, including an animated series Krack Babies — about four kids determined to survive in inner-city Atlanta — and workplace comedy HUD, which follows a team of public servants as they navigate the trials and tribulations of working in the government sector of Housing and Urban Development. 

As Paramount Global continues to engage in talks about selling a stake in its BET Media Group, the group is set to launch in June an ad-supported tier to complement its BET Plus subscription streaming service. 

The BET Plus Essential tier will debut June 25 –  the same day as BET's annual BET Awards telecast –at a price of $5.99 per month, which is $4 less than the monthly BET Plus subscription fee, according to BET officials. 

BET Plus Essential will feature a mix of 15 and 30 second ads that will run before and during programming, customized to limit viewing interruption, according to the service. The ad-supported tier will feature the same original programming lineup from BET Plus, including content from Tyler Perry, Gabrielle Union, Lee Daniels, Mary J. Blige and Kevin Hart.

BET Plus joins other streaming services such as Disney Plus and Netflix in launching ad-supported tiers. 

“A primary focus for BET Plus has been delivering consumers the content they want, how they want it and when they want it, so the natural evolution of the service was to provide consumers with a more economical ad-integrated experience, BET Media Group president and CEO Scott Mills said. “We are delighted to expand access to our premium streaming service by introducing this ad-supported tier.”

The move comes as seven out of 10 Black consumers subscribe to at least one SVOD service and more than 80% have used a free ad-supported streaming TV service in the past month, according to a recent Horowitz Research survey. 

“This lower priced, ad-supported tier of BET Plus will not only deliver to our audiences, but to the advertising community, which has long expressed an appetite for more non-linear options in reaching the highly coveted, digital-native Black consumer market,” BET Media Group president of media sales Louis Carr said. 

A number of potential suitors have already inquired about purchasing BET, including hip hop entrepreneur Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, Tyler Perry, Byron Allen, and more recently producers Kenya Barris and Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, as well as NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal.  

Also: J. Bernard Calloway In Emmy Mode with Starring Role in 'The Ms. Pat Show': Multicultural Perspectives

Black viewers are streaming video and informational programming in unprecedented numbers, and a group of savvy TV veterans is leading the industry in striving to meet those consumers where they are looking for content. 

African-American audiences spend a majority of their viewing time watching streaming services — and 62% of those viewers say streaming is the most relevant platform for stories depicting Black life and culture, according to a recent Nielsen Diverse Intelligence Series report. The three dynamic and uncompromising executives profiled here are dedicated to making sure quality scripted and reality series are streaming — as well as news and informational content — are available to a Black audience with a voracious appetite for authentic, nuanced programming featuring their stories and images.

Brett Dismuke, GM, ALLBLK and WE tv

AMC Networks veteran programming executive Brett Dismuke has his hands full programming across multiple platforms as general manager of both cable network WE tv and streaming service ALLBLK.

Driving Dismuke’s efforts is an ultimate goal of providing quality, entertaining and relevant programming to Black viewers, especially on streaming via ALLBLK. “Many people in my generation grew up with the images we were allowed to have and see,” he said. “Now that we are in a position to control said images, I’m taking on the responsibility of guiding that ship.” 

Dismuke oversaw the 2020 rebranding of the streaming service Urban Movie Channel — formerly owned by BET founder Robert Johnson — to ALLBLK and has created a service that features original scripted and reality series, as well as short films targeted to Black viewers. In particular, scripted series such as comedy Partners in Rhyme, starring iconic hip hop artist MC Lyte, as well as drama series A House Divided (which last month launched its fifth season) and Double Cross, have helped Dismuke grow subscribers and audiences for the service over consecutive quarters, according to AMC. 

“Our goal is to make ALLBLK the No. 1 service in the world for Black stories and storytellers, and Brett Dismuke is a leader who is up for that ambitious objective,” AMC Networks president of entertainment and AMC Studios Dan McDermott said. “He expertly continues to not only develop unique, gripping content for ALLBLK — super-serving the audience — but also finds opportunity and success in the targeted alignments of WE tv and ALLBLK with incredible proficiency. Both platforms continue to grow under his skillful leadership.” 

For Dismuke, the ability to draw from popular reality content from WE tv such as series Love After Lockup, as well as offer original scripted comedy series like Millennials and dramas like Monogamy, gives ALLBLK a large library of diverse content that explores all aspects of the Black experience.   

“I want people to view ALLBLK as a trailblazer in the fairness of equal representation,” he said. “Nothing in life is 100% good, and sharing the depictions of Black and Brown narratives should be no different. I want ALLBLK to be considered a truth teller and an equal sharer of our stories.” 

The entrepreneurial producer and executive, who ran his own company, So Chi Entertainment, and also served as CEO of independent urban production company The Swirl Group prior to joining AMC Networks, said it is critical that Black consumers have viewing options across all platforms.

“Access to a reflection of one’s self can make or break how one views themselves,” he said. “It is great that some mainstream services and networks offer a small section of Black content, but it is a complete game-changer to have services dedicated to highlighting the vast array of our stories.”

Devin Griffin, Executive VP and GM, BET Plus

BET’s efforts to expand its iconic linear cable brand to streaming with the launch of BET Plus in 2019 paid off handsomely in 2022 with Emmy Award nominations for signature comedy series The Ms. Pat Show and drama series The Porter. 

Leading BET Plus’s charge to reach Black viewers on streaming is Devin Griffin, who has overseen operations for the service since its launch. Under Griffin’s tutelage, the service offers more than 2,000 hours of content, including a bevy of original series from such diverse producers as Tyler Perry, Kenya Barris, Lee Daniels, Pat Will­iams, Kirk Franklin and other leading Black content creators. 

“BET Plus puts us in a position to speak to the diversity of perspectives and interests that are within the Black community and those that love Black programming and stories,” Griffin said. “We believe that our edge is that we can tell stories from a place that is unique, but is broadly appealing and relatable.”

BET Plus has developed popular series including Tyler Perry’s Bruh, All The Queen’s Men, Tyler Perry’s Ruthless, The Family Business, Kingdom Business and First Wives Club — as well as series launching in 2023 including Average Joe starring Dion Cole. In 2022 the service struck gold with Emmy nominations for The Porter, which earned an Outstanding Choreography for a Scripted Program nod for its portrayal of Black Pullman workers in the aftermath of World War I, and original comedy The Ms. Pat Show, which garnered a nomination for Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series. The series follows the exploits of a convicted felon turned suburban wife, mother and comedian. 

The Ms. Pat Show star J. Bernard Calloway said the show’s Emmy nomination is verification of the quality of content that BET Plus is producing under Griffin’s leadership. 

“It’s great to be part of a project that has made history for [BET Plus],” he said. “The nomination is basically the respect of our peers and the recognition of how great the show is.”

Griffin said that recognition is helping to build greater awareness for BET Plus and confirms its strategic business plan is headed in the right direction. 

“One of the big driving forces for me is being able to contribute to expanding the ways Black stories and experiences get portrayed,” he said. “With BET Plus, we’ve been able to expand the canvas that we’re able to paint on.”

Geraldine Moriba, SVP of News, Entertainment andEmpowerment, theGrio

Emmy- and Peabody Award-winning producer, journalist and Stanford University Brown Institute research scientist Geraldine Moriba is successfully mixing the Allen Media Group-owned theGrio’s originally-produced news and information programming across multiple distribution platforms to create a successful media formula targeting a Black audience.  

To complement theGrio’s signature news and entertainment website and basic cable network theGrio.tv, Moriba in 2022 launched theGrio streaming network and mobile app dedicated to programming about and featuring unique Black voices. She also launched theGrio Black Podcast Network, offering more than five weekly podcasts on political, social and entertainment issues affecting Black culture. 

“Geraldine continues to pave the way in delivering high-quality, African-American-focused content,” AMG founder, chairman and CEO Byron Allen said. 

Extending theGrio’s reach beyond media, Moriba — who prior to joining theGrio in 2021 produced documentary series for PBS such as Sinking Cities and Chasing the Dream through production company, Moriba Media — also developed and oversaw theGrio Awards, celebrating excellence in entertainment and social justice. The inaugural event aired in November on CBS and Paramount Plus.  

Moriba wants to position theGrio as a global brand that serves Black consumers with quality, informative programming wherever they are consuming content.

“Right now, theGrio is the largest Black newsroom in the nation, and our reporting is unapologetic,” she said. “When you couple that with the entertainment and lifestyle value, it makes us very successful at targeting a diverse multimedia audience.” 

Allen Media Group’s purchase of Black News Channel assets this past July bolstered what already was arguably one of the leading Black-oriented news and entertainment websites. Moriba has already integrated former Black News Channel on-air personalities Marc Lamont Hill and Ebony K. Williams into its news and informational strategy by creating daily news shows for both that will run across theGrio’s multiplatform offerings.

Moriba’s ultimate goal is to ensure Black issues and stories are heard across all platforms, she said. 

“Without doubt, Black people are central to the fabric of American culture, and there are not enough platforms telling our stories,” she said. “Our mission is to build a portfolio of a broad representation of Black people across the spectrum. We are trying to get people of globally varied backgrounds, gender identification, ages and sexual orientations, with the driver being Black culture to help us move forward faster and stronger.” ■

As the television industry continues to deck the halls with more than 130 original holiday-themed films, this year’s slate has more of a diverse and inclusive feel as people of color continue to influence holiday images and storylines on the screen and behind the camera. 

An unprecedented number of this season’s holiday films have persons of color in leading roles or as executive producers, eager to reach audiences who over the years have felt underserved or unseen in movies from this genre, according to industry observers.

Paramount’s BET Plus and VH1, for example, will offer 14 original Christmas-
themed films featuring predominantly African-American casts, up from 11 a year ago. Lifetime will deliver 15 holiday originals featuring actors of color in starring roles.

Hallmark Channel, Netflix, UPtv and Great American Family also are featuring movies with inclusive casts and high-profile talent to help ring in the holidays. Entertainers of color such as Rita Moreno (Lifetime's Santa Bootcamp), Freddie Prinze Jr. (Netflix’s Christmas With You), Gladys Knight (Great American Family’s Someday at Christmas), Mario Lopez (Lifetime's Stepping Into the Holidays) and Loretta Devine (VH1’s All I Didn’t Want for Christmas) are starring in holiday-themed films through the end of December.

Just as impressive, celebrities such as Jamie Foxx (VH1’s Hip Hop Family Christmas Wedding), Toni Braxton (Lifetime’s A Christmas Spark), Robin Givens (BET Plus’s The Christmas Clapback) and Idris Elba (VH1’s A New Diva’s Christmas Carol) have taken the directorial and executive producer reins in an effort to deliver more authentic holiday stories. 

The holiday programming genre needs to make more room for unique portrayals of how people of color (who are major consumers of entertainment) experience the festive season in order to remain viable and attractive to an increasingly diverse population, network executives said.

Authentic, Inclusive Fare

“I think it’s important for us to maintain authenticity and inclusiveness when focusing on the holidays,” Lifetime executive VP of movie, limited series and original movie acquisitions Tanya Lopez said. “Just looking at an image and saying, ‘that person is my skin color,’ is not enough.”

Of Lifetime’s 26 new original holiday movies, 60% feature a person of color either in front of or behind the camera. Lopez said the network’s holiday films over the years have consistently featured inclusive casts, and this year the network offered more films with directors of color.  

Lifetime’s lineup of holiday films directed and executive-produced by people of color includes A New Orleans Noel, executive-produced by actress Keshia Knight Pulliam, and Kirk Franklin’s The Night Before Christmas, executive-produced by the gospel songwriter. 

“It’s been part of our DNA for so long that we haven’t seen it as a big pivot at all,” Lopez said. “We want to show as many holiday family traditions, no matter what that looks like.”

Holiday stories told from a different perspective give viewers a glimpse of life that doesn’t revolve around the tropes typically associated with seasonal films, said Knight Pulliam, who played Rudy Huxtable in the 1980s sitcom The Cosby Show. A New Orleans Noel, starring Tim Reid and Patti LaBelle, showcases some of the holiday traditions of African-American families in the Crescent City.  

“Oftentimes [traditional holiday] movies won’t culturally reflect who we are as African-American people, and we have a culture that’s all our own and specific to us,” Knight Pulliam said during a virtual press event for the movie before it premiered on December 3. “Seeing that … opens up windows to people to show what’s possible and opens up windows to empower people. When you start from a real and authentic place, you can’t go wrong.”  

Hallmark Channel’s Christmas at the Golden Dragon — in which a beloved Chinese restaurant closes on Christmas Eve, forcing patrons and workers to reevaluate the importance of family and friends around the holidays — showcases the holiday season from the perspective of its Taiwanese writer/producer Emily Ting. Ting said the story is based on her family’s desire to experience a traditional Christmas after coming to the U.S. from Taiwan. 

“I had such high expectations only to realize that, sometimes, eating Chinese takeout with your family on Christmas is all you need to celebrate the holidays,” Ting said.

Hallmark executive VP of programming Lisa Hamilton Daly said movies like Christmas at the Golden Dragon and the Asian-American themed A Big Fat Family Christmas help the network attract a more diverse audience by allowing storytellers to tell stories that are familiar to one segment of the audience while exposing different traditions to others. Also on Hallmark’s holiday movie list is The Holiday Stocking, produced by Hallmark’s African-American targeted Mahogany content production brand.

Holidays Are for Everyone

“On the most basic level, the holiday season is for everybody,” Daly said. “We really want to make sure that we are including the broadest range of holiday traditions and people that we can. As we get better at this, we’re seeing bigger and broader audiences.”  

UP Entertainment VP of content strategy and acquisition Hector
Campos said that the network has seen an early ratings bump for UPtv’s lineup of 17 original Christmas-themed films — seven of which feature diverse lead characters. 

“It’s important to us that our audience sees themselves reflected authentically on the screen, and we have actors from all backgrounds in starring roles,” Campos said. “Through our second week of Christmas premieres the response from viewers so far has been great.”

TV analyst Marc Berman said the popularity of holiday-themed movies is only enhanced by providing original movies targeting diverse groups, which has the benefit of delivering new viewers and advertisers.

“We live in a diversified world, and as a distributor you need to show the world as it is,” Berman said. “There’s been a lot of discussion about the lack of diversity in media, and these outlets are beginning to understand that if they don’t represent the world as it is, their brands are going to ultimately pay the price. Advertisers realize that they have to represent brands that represent the world, and I think these outlets realize that, whether it’s scripted dramas or holiday movies.” ■

Cable networks and streaming services are entering the last phase of its nearly three-month run of original holiday films, with more than 50 movies scheduled to debut over the next 25 days from such cable services as Lifetime, Hallmark Channel, VH1, Great American Family and UPtv as well as streaming services BET Plus, HBO Max and Shudder.

Below is a partial list of remaining holiday-themed movies debuting on cable and streaming services, along with their premiere dates.

December 1 

Rolling into Christmas (BET Plus)

Serving Up the Holidays (Lifetime)

A Hollywood Christmas (HBO Max)

December 2 

Christmas with the Campbells (AMC Plus)

A Big Fat Family Christmas (Hallmark Channel)

Cloudy With a Chance of Christmas (Lifetime)

Scrooge: A Christmas Carol (Netflix)

Christmas in the Wilds (Uptv)

December 3

Christmas on Candy Cane Lane (Great American Family)

A Fabled Holiday (Hallmark Channel)

A New Orleans Noel (Lifetime)

The Great Holiday Bake War (OWN)

The Holiday Stocking (Hallmark Movies & Mysteries)

Christmas on the Slopes (UpTV)

December 4

B&B Merry (Great American Family)

Undercover Holiday (Hallmark Channel)

Merry Textmas (Lifetime)

Christmas on the Rocks (UPtv)

December 8

A Miracle Before Christmas (BET Plus)

Scentsational Christmas (Lifetime)

December 9

Aisle Be Home For Christmas (Great American Family)

The Most Colorful Time of the Year (Hallmark Channel)

A Recipe for Joy (Lifetime)

Something From Tiffany’s (Prime Video)

Christmas Bloody Christmas (Shudder)

December 10

Kirk Franklin’s The Night Before Christmas (Lifetime)

A Prince For the Holidays (Great American Family)

Christmas Class Reunion (Hallmark Channel)

The Gift of Peace (Hallmark Movies & Mysteries)

A Christmas Fumble (OWN)

A Royal Christmas Match (UPtv)

December 11

The Holiday Sitter (Hallmark Channel) 

Single and Ready To Jingle (Lifetime)

Santa’s Got Style (UPtv)

A Christmas Prayer (TV One)

December 12

A Nashville Country Christmas (Paramount Network)

December 15

A Blackjack Christmas (BET Plus)

Record Breaking Christmas (Lifetime)

December 16

Holiday Heritage (Hallmark Channel)

A Christmas to Treasure (Lifetime)

The Apology (Shudder)

December 17

A Brush With Christmas Romance (Great American Family)

Five More Minutes: Moments Like These (Hallmark Movies & Mysteries)

The Holiday Dating Guide (Lifetime)

Sappy Holiday (UPtv)

December 18

The Art of Christmas (Great American Family)

Hanukkah on Rye (Hallmark Channel)

Wrapped Up in Love (Lifetime)

A Vintage Christmas (UPtv)

December 19

‘Twas the Night Before Christmas (Hallmark Channel)

December 21

Fuhgeddabout Christmas (VH1)

December 22

A Christmas Gift (BET Plus)

December 24

The Snowball Effect (UPtv)

December 25

Christmas in Wolf Creek (UPtv)

High profile returning series from HBO Max and Showtime highlight the shows premiering this week on cable and streaming services.

The sophomore campaign of HBO Max’s The Sex Lives of College Girls debuts November 17 and continues to follow the lives of four college roommates attending a prestigious New England college, according to the streaming service.

Showtime on November 20 will premiere the third season of The L Word: Generation Q  -- the sequel series from the pay service’s The L Word show that aired from 2004 to 2009 -- which follows the exploits of a group of Los Angeles-based friends.

Below are video trailers and premiere dates for multiple shows debuting the week of November 14 to November 20 on cable networks and streaming services (for some videos, viewer discretion is advised):

November 16 – Leverage: Redemption (returning series) – Freevee

November 16 – Limitless With Chris Hemsworth (reality) – Disney Plus

November 16 – The Santa Clauses (comedy) – Disney Plus

November 16 – The Wonder (thriller) – Netflix

November 17 – Dead to Me (returning series) – Netflix

November 17 – Gangs of London (returning series) – AMC Plus

November 17 – First Wives Club (returning series) – BET Plus

November 17 – Fleishman is in Trouble (dramedy) – Hulu

November 18 – Disenchanted (movie) – Disney Plus

The final episodes of AMC’s iconic zombie series The Walking Dead headline a busy week of TV show premieres leading into the first weekend of October. 

The third and last block of eight episodes comprising the 11th and final season of The Walking Dead will debut October 2 on AMC. The first eight episodes aired in August 2021 and the second block debuted in February 2022. 

Also debuting October 2 on AMC is the horror series Interview With The Vampire, based on the classic novel from Anne Rice. The series stars Sam Reid and Jacob Anderson. 

Showtime on October 2 will premiere its music documentary Nothing Compares, chronicling the life and career of Irish  singer Sinéad O’Connor. 

Below are video trailers and premiere dates for multiple shows debuting the week of September 26 to October 2 on cable networks and streaming services (for some videos, viewer discretion is advised):

September 27 –  Reasonable Doubt (drama) – Hulu

September 28 – Blonde (drama) – Netflix 

September 28 – The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers (returning series) – Disney Plus 

September 29 – Zatima (comedy) – BET Plus

September 30 –Entergalactic (animation) – Netflix 

September 30 – The Greatest Beer Run Ever (drama) – Apple TV Plus

September 30 – Hocus Pocus 2 (movie) – Disney Plus 

September 30 – Jungle (drama) – Prime Video 

September 30 – Ramy (returning series) – Hulu

Multichannel News/Broadcasting + Cable Senior Content Producer R. Thomas Umstead talks to veteran TV/film/Broadway actor J. Bernard Calloway about his starring role in BET Plus' Emmy-nominated series The Ms. Pat Show as part of a special Emmys edition of the Multicultural Perspectives podcast.

More Podcasts with Emmy Nominees: From Dreamgirl to President: Sheryl Lee Ralph Continues to Shine | W. Kamau Bell on Why 'We Need to Talk About Cosby'

BET Plus will debut its latest Tyler Perry-produced series, Tyler Perry's Zatima, this September, according to a new trailer for the drama series.

The 10-episode series, a spinoff of Perry's Sistas, debuts September 29 and follows that series' popular character Zac, (Devale Ellis) and Fatima (Crystal Renee Hayslett) as they navigate the ups and downs of their relationship, said BET Plus officials.

The series also stars Cameron Fuller, Remington Hoffman, Nzinga Imani, Jasmin Brown, Guyviaud Joseph and Danielle LaRoach. 

Zatima is produced by Tyler Perry Studios, with Perry serving as executive producer, director and writer, said BET Plus.■

Inclusivity both in front of and behind the camera was a recurring theme during the August 8 to August 12 CTAM-produced portion of the Television Critics Association virtual summer tour as cable and streaming services showcased a bevy of BIPOC-themed scripted series and movies while addressing diversity issues within the TV industry.

The newly rebranded Hallmark Media (formerly Crown Media Family Networks) unveiled details regarding its African-American targeted Mahogany movie franchise, which includes the August 28 launch of its first original movie, Unthinkably Good Things. Mahogany senior VP of programming Toni Judkins said the franchise  – based on Hallmark’s 34 year-old Mahogany greetings card brand targeting African-Americans – will continue to follow the earmarks of traditional Hallmark movies, but will be told from the authentic, unique lens of Black women.

Hallmark will launch two additional Mahogany movies in 2022, including one holiday film, according to Hallmark executive VP of programming Lisa Hamilton Daly. 

“What was important was to fuse essential elements of the Hallmark brand with the Mahogany brand,” Judkins said. “The pillars of what Mahogany is … are sisterhood, friendship, connection and community.” 

The Mahogany films will also feature diverse talent both in front of and behind the camera, a combination which industry executives speaking at TCA say is still too rare. 

That dynamic however, can be seen in OWN’s original series Queen Sugar, which will launch its seventh and final season on September 6. The Ava DuVernay-produced series has featured more than three dozen female directors over its seven-season run, according to the network. 

DuVernay said when she started the series few television shows featured female directors, but after seven successful seasons of going against the grain and constantly pushing to have a female-exclusive directing team, it has now become more commonplace for women of color to prominently sit in the director’s chair.

“No one would ever need to do that now because you will be looked at sideways if you don’t have any women directing,” she said. “To have been there … when it was scorned and ridiculed, to the time now where it’s pretty much, ‘yeah, you got to include a lady somewhere in there,’ is a remarkable thing.” 

Starz has also announced a continued commitment to work with directors and writers of color for several upcoming series. On the heels of renewing its original series Raising Kanan – the third series in the Courtney Kemp-created Power franchise – for a third season, the premium network announced it will team with producers DuVernay and Tanya Saracho on new original series as well as musical artists Ne-Yo and Christina Milian on a new “premium take” on the Step Up movie franchise, according to network President of Original Programming Kathryn Busby. 

The shows follow earlier Starz announcements regarding new series from Marlon Wayans (Book of Marlon) and Dear White People producers Steven J. Kung and Justen Simien. 

Several streaming services also showcased new and diverse programming. Amazon Prime Video offered a look at a British-based series Jungle, which follows the  struggles and perspectives of several connected strangers uniquely told through hip hop and drill music. Executive produced by Junior Okoli and Chas Appeti, Jungle debuts September 30 on the service.

During BET Plus’s presentation for the second season of its Emmy-nominated comedy series The Ms. Pat Show, series co-creator Jordan Cooper said that services like BET Plus have opened up new avenues for diverse content to make it to the screen, offering greater editorial freedom and control to tell stories in a manner that might not be acceptable on traditional linear channels.

“I think that more is going to come from other artists who are going to come in and shake the table up a bit because we don’t want to see the same old stuff that we’ve seen for the past 50 years,” he said. 

Recently launched Spanish-language subscription streaming service ViX Plus showcased during TCA two of its new original shows – drama series Marea Alta and the Salma Hayek-produced film Quiero Tu Vida – as part of the TelevisaUnivision-owned service’s 10,000 hours of novelas, sports and other entertainment  offerings and 70 original series and movies it plans to offer during its first operating year. 

“There are almost 600 million people in the world who speak Spanish, and yet only a fraction of the global streamers’ content is originally produced in Spanish,” Vix Plus Executive Vice President and general manager Rodrico Mazon said. “We know Hispanic audiences everywhere are hungry to stream more native Spanish language content – this is why we are investing a massive amount of incremental dollars in original content and sports rights, above and beyond our existing linear businesses.” 

Allen Media Group and The Weather Channel chairman and CEO Byron Allen took the issue of onscreen inclusion a step further during AMG’s Thursday panel session by saying diversity in ownership is key to greater, inclusive representation on the small screen. Allen said it’s imperative for the industry to push for an environment that welcomes unfiltered voices and perspectives. 

“I think we have a situation where we do not have enough diversity and ownership – [women and people of color] do not own enough of the media outlets to control their image and how they are produced and depicted,” Allen said. “Until we have a stronger representation of diversity and ownership, we don’t have a true democracy.”■

A behind the scenes look at Super Bowl LIV's halftime show and the final run of TNT's drama series Animal Kingdom highlight a busy Father's Day week of premieres across cable networks and streaming services.

Netflix's June 14 debut of Halftime follows music superstar Jennifer Lopez as she prepares for her 2020 Super Bowl halftime performance with fellow artist Shakira.

TNT's Animal Kingdom debuts its sixth and final season on June 19. The 13-episode season, which follows the exploits of a criminal family enterprise, stars Sawn Hatosy, Jake weary, Ben Robson and Finn Cole. Also launching its final season is Hulu's dramedy series Love, Victor. The show's third season, which stars Michael Cimino, debuts June 15 on both Hulu and Disney Plus.

Below are video trailers and premiere dates for multiple shows debuting the week of June 13 to June 19 on cable networks and streaming services (for some videos, viewer discretion is advised):

June 15 – God’s Favorite Idiot (comedy) – Netflix

June 15 – Iron Chef: Quest for an Iron Legend (reality) – Netflix

June 16 – Father of the Bride (movie) – HBO Max

June 16 – Leave No Trace: A Hidden History of the Boy Scouts (documentary) – Hulu

June 16 – Rutherford Falls (returning series) – Peacock

June 16 – The Old Man (drama) – FX

June 16 – Martin: The Reunion (special) – BET Plus

June 16 – Players (comedy) – Paramount Plus

June 17 – Cha Cha Real Smooth (dramedy) – Apple TV Plus

June 17 – Jerry and Marge Go Large (movie) – Paramount Plus

June 17 – Good Luck to You, Leo Grande (movie) – Hulu

June 17 – The Lake (comedy) – Prime Video

June 17 – Spiderhead (movie) – Netflix

June 17 – This Summer I Turned Pretty (drama) – Prime Video

June 19 – Flatbush Misdemeanors (returning series) – Showtime

A new Paramount Plus Star Trek prequel and Emmy Award winner Glenn Close's return to TV in Apple TV Plus's Tehran kicks off the list of original shows debuting during the first week of May. 

Paramount Plus's Star Trek: Strange New Worlds debuts May 5 and follows the adventures onboard the U.S.S. Enterprise in the decade before the original Star Trek series. The series stars Anson Mount as Captain Christopher Pike, Ethan Peck as Spock, and Rebecca Romijn as Number One.

Returning for its second season on May 6 is Apple TV Plus' s drama series Tehran, starring Niv Sultan as a Mossad spy who infiltrates the inner workings of Iran. Close, whose last regular TV series role was in Damages in 2012, joins the cast for the show's sophomore campaign.

Below are video trailers and premiere dates for multiple shows debuting the week of May 2 to May 8 on cable networks and streaming services (for some videos, viewer discretion is advised):

May 4 – The Circle (returning series) – Netflix

May 4 – Meltdown: Three Mile Island (documentary) – Netflix 

May 5 – The Porter (drama) – BET Plus 

May 5 – Girls5eva (returning series) – Peacock

May 5 – Wild babies (documentary) – Netflix

May 5 – The Pentaverate (comedy) – Netflix

May 5 – The Staircase (drama) – HBO Max 

May 6 – The Big Conn (documentary) – Apple TV Plus 

May 6 – The Great Soul Food Cook-off (reality) – OWN

May 6 – Sheryl (music documentary) – Showtime

May 6 – The Wilds (returning series) – Prime Video

 Apple TV Plus's drama series The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey is among several new series, movies and documentaries debuting during the first full week of March. 

The six-episode series stars Samuel L. Jackson as an elderly man with dementia who uses an opportunity to remember his past to complete some unfinished business, according to the streaming service. 

Below are video trailers and premiere dates for multiple shows debuting the week of March 7 to March 13 on cable networks and streaming services (for some videos, viewer discretion is advised):

March 8 – Perfect World: A Deadly Game (reality series) – Peacock

March 8 – Undercurrent: The Disappearance of Kim Wall (documentary) – HBO

March 9 – The Andy Warhol Diaries (documentary) – Netflix

March 9 – Good Trouble (returning series) – Freeform

March 10 – Bust Down (comedy) – Peacock

March 10 – Ruthless (returning series) – BET Plus

March 11 – The Adam Project (sci-fi movie) – Netflix

March 11 – The Snoopy Show (animation) – Apple Tv Plus

March 11 – Turning Red (animation movie) – Disney Plus

March 11 — Upload (scf-fi/comedy) – Prime Video

Cable programmers and streaming services are commemorating Black History Month with numerous African American-themed original scripted series, movies, documentaries and specials. 

Here's a sampling of what's on tap for the first half of February (for some videos, viewer discretion is advised):  

Feb. 4 – Phat Tuesdays

(documentary)

Prime Video

Feb. 5 - Single Black Female

(movie)

Lifetime

Feb. 6 -- Power Book IV: Force

(drama)

Starz 

Feb. 7 -- One Thousand Years of Slavery – The Untold Story

(documentary)

Smithsonian Channel

Feb. 8 -- The Loyola Project

(documentary)

CBS Sports Network

Feb. 10 -- Real Husbands of Hollywood More Kevin, More Problems

(special)

BET Plus

Feb. 11 -- Everything’s Gonna Be All White

(docuseries)

Showtime

Feb. 11 -- Clotilda: Last American Slave Ship

(documentary)

National Geographic

Feb. 12 -- Profiled: The Black Man

(documentary)

Discovery Plus

Feb. 13 -- Bel-Air

(drama)

Peacock

Feb. 14 -- Special Black History Month Roundtable

(special)

MSG Network 

Comcast and ViacomCBS reached a new carriage deal that gives Comcast expanded rights to include BET Plus among the services it offers subscribers.

The deal renews carriage of the CBS Television Network, cable channels BET,  CBS Sports Network, Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, Paramount Network, Pop TV, Smithsonian Channel and Showtime, and streaming services Paramount Plus, Showtime OTT and Pluto TV.

Comcast and ViacomCBS last year announced a deal to get together to build SkyShowtime, a streaming service in Europe. This week, the companies named Monty Sarhan as CEO of the venture.

Also: Comcast To Carry CNN Plus in New Deal with WarnerMedia

“We are pleased to have reached new agreements that strengthen our long-valued partnership with Comcast,” said Ray Hopkins, president, U.S. networks distribution, ViacomCBS. “ViacomCBS is a cornerstone content provider, and we look forward to serving millions of Xfinity customers with greater access to their favorite channels and programming from our leading brands.”

Financial terms were not disclosed.

“ViacomCBS continues to be a great partner, and we are very pleased to provide our Xfinity customers with access to their content across our industry-leading platforms,” said Rebecca Heap, senior VP, consumer products & propositions, Comcast Cable. ■

BET can’t get enough Tyler Perry.

BET’s BET Plus streaming service and Tyler Perry Studios said they have green lit a new original drama Tyler Perry’s Zatima, a spinoff from Tyler Perry’s Sistas, the top scripted series among Black viewers on cable. 

The new series, with 10 one-hour episodes, follows the Sistas characters Zac, played by Devale Ellis, and Fatima, played by Crystal Renee Hayslett. 

Zatima is the second Tyler Perry spinoff going to BET Plus, following Tyler Perry’s Ruthless, a spinoff from Perry’s The Oval.

"We are continuing to strengthen our investment in quality programming, and our partnership with Tyler Perry has a proven track record of super-serving our audience," said BET CEO Scott Mills. “We look forward to unlocking crossover viewership opportunities between our linear platform and our streaming service one of our strongest series, Sistas. With Zatima joining our expanding roster of BET Plus originals, BET is committed to giving viewers more of the compelling content they love and expect across our platforms."

Executive produced, directed, and written by Tyler Perry, Zatima started production at Tyler Perry Studios this week and will premiere in 2022 on BET Plus.■

Content Spotlight is a new podcast from Multichannel News and Broadcasting & Cable that looks at new and returning television series through the eyes of the show’s stars and creators. 

Multichannel News senior content producer, programming R. Thomas Umstead discusses BET Plus’ new original drama series Sacrifice with show star and executive producer Paula Patton. The veteran actress talks about making the adjustment from theatrical films to the small screen as well as her future aspirations.

Sacrifice, which originally debuted on BET Plus as an original movie, premieres Nov. 4.

BET will look to create premium television series and films as part of BET Studios, a new studio production company offering equity ownership for Black content creators, the network said Wednesday.

The studio venture will be headed by former Warner Bros. Television executive Aisha Summers-Burke, who will report to BET president Scott Mills and will be responsible for working collaboratively with the studio’s creative partners and key internal constituencies. Principal partners in the venture include content producers Kenya Barris, Rashida Jones and Aaron Rahsaan Thomas.  

BET Studios will look to develop content for BET and sister streaming service BET Plus as well as other ViacomCBS-owned networks including Paramount Plus, Showtime, CBS and Nickelodeon, according to the company. The service will also select third-party platforms that seek content from rising Black creatives. 

“The demand for premium content from Black creators has accelerated dramatically as a result of both the rapidly changing media and social landscapes,” Mills said in a statement. “BET, with our 40-year legacy of celebrating Black culture and the full power of the ViacomCBS ecosystem, is uniquely positioned to service this demand. As a company with its origin in Black entrepreneurship, we are incredibly excited to create the first major studio to provide Black creators with ownership, creative freedom and the unparalleled partnership and support of BET. I am thrilled to have Aisha at the helm of this venture, and I look forward to our collaboration with our amazing creative partners in BET Studios.” 

Added David Nevins, chief content officer, scripted originals for Paramount Plus and chairman and CEO of Showtime Networks: “BET Studios is an exciting and novel extension of the storied BET brand, and we have a structure well-suited to our times to bring top talent into this production company with real ownership. Scott Mills deserves tremendous credit for driving this innovative new business from idea to reality – and Kenya, Rashida and Aaron, could not be a more talented or in-demand group to lead this venture along with Aisha Summers.” 

Also Read: Showtime Head David Nevins Put in Charge of Paramount TV Studios

Burke, who most recently served as VP of scripted television for the cable and streaming division of Warner Horizon before it merged with Warner Bros. TV in 2020, said that the venture will continue to build on BET's legacy of offering quality programming to the Black community. 

“With the launch of BET Studios, we are excited to introduce a new model that opens the aperture to a broad array of platforms and supports the full range of content from Black creators,” she said. “This entrepreneurial environment offers creatives the opportunity to produce diverse high-end content reflecting all aspects of entertainment.”

BET Plus has renewed comedy The Ms. Pat Show for season two, two weeks after the series premiere. Season two will have 10 episodes.  

Based on the standup comedy of Ms. Pat (Patricia Williams), the series tells the story of a convicted felon turned suburban mother and comedian, “whose hustle and resilient spirit were forged on the streets of Atlanta,” according to BET Plus. She finds herself and her family in conservative middle America. 

Williams is Ms. Pat. The cast also includes J. Bernard Calloway, Tami Roman, Theodore Barnes and Briyana Guadalupe. 

“We knew The Ms. Pat Show was something special and that our viewers would fall in love with this family,” said Devin Griffin, executive VP and general manager of BET Plus. “Ms. Pat’s story is incredibly inspiring, and her humor makes it a unique and relatable show. We’re eager to continue building our relationship with Ms. Pat, Jordan E. Cooper, Lee Daniels, Imagine and everyone involved in creating this incredible show for our viewers.” 

Brian Grazer, Lee Daniels, Pam Williams, Marc Velez, Samie Kim Falvey, Jordan E. Cooper and Patricia Williams executive produce. Anthony Hill was showrunner in season one. 

“I heard y’all was looking for Season 2, so here we go,” said Williams. “I can’t wait for you to see what Jordan and I do this time! And I can’t thank Lee Daniels, Brian Grazer and Ron Howard enough for supporting this project.”

The show premiered August 12.

“It took five years for the right network to see what we knew immediately,” said Daniels. “That The Ms. Pat Show was telling real stories about a real Black family, that it was funny, and hard, and just special. It only took two weeks for BET Plus's audience to celebrate what the Ms. Pat team put on that screen every episode. We are thrilled at the response from fans, Black Twitter specifically, and look forward to what season two will bring.”

 BET Plus today (Aug. 12) will add a new comedy series to its lineup with the debut of The Ms. Pat Show.

The series, based on comedian Patricia “Ms. Pat” Williams’ stand-up comedy and memoir, follows the story of a former convicted felon turned suburban mom and stand-up comedian, who finds herself in conservative middle America, said the streaming service. 

Along for the ride are her penny-pinching husband, played by J. Bernard Calloway (City On A Hill), a struggle of a sister played by Tami Roman (The Family Business), and two distinct sets of kids played by Theodore Barnes (The Prince of Peoria), newcomer Briyana Guadalupe, Vince Swann (50 Central) and Brittany Inge (Boomerang), said the service.

The Ms. Pat Show is executive produced by Williams, Brian Grazer, Lee Daniels, Samie Kim Falvey, Anthony Hill and Jordan E. Cooper.

Read Also: Bet Plus to Be Available Through Vizio's SmartCast

ViacomCBS and Vizio have reached an agreement that will make the BET Plus streaming service available to users of Vizio’s SmartCast platform.

“We are excited for the launch of BET Plus, which offers SmartCast users access to BET Plus’ original series, specials, and thousands of hours of popular TV shows and exclusive content,” said Katherine Pond, VP of business development at Vizio. “This addition to our line-up of premium apps aligns perfectly with our dedication to deliver content for every audience that can be enjoyed instantly on the big screen.”

Also Read: BET Plus Sets May Date for ‘Favorite Son’ Movie

Vizio users will be able to find BET Plus in the app row of the SmartCast Home screen starting Aug. 4. Vizio users will be able to get a free seven day trial of the service before purchasing a subscription for $9.99 a month.

Also Read: Presiding Over the House of Perry

Vizio has been upgrading its SmartCast platform, adding channels and improving its channel guide. It has also been making more subscription streaming services available.

Apple TV Plus, Disney Plus, Hulu, Netflix, Peacock and Amazon Prime Video are already available via SmartCast.

Also Read: Vizio Smart TVs Add Discovery Plus App

BET Plus features the best of black culture with show including First Wives Club, Tyler Perry’s Ruthless, The Family Business and American Gangster: Trap Queens. 

Black women may not run the world yet, but they are certainly making their mark in several scripted series that explore the complexities of female friendships. 

In Starz’s new series Run The World, BET’s veteran show Sistas and BET Plus’s First Wives Club, with ABC’s series reboot of Waiting to Exhale in the offing, the camaraderie between girlfriends seems to be appealing to all viewers. 

“Black women continue to occupy an important and seminal space in culture, and our point of view is unique but also universal in terms of our struggles and our stories,” BET scripted programming head Traci Blackwell said. “Your sistagirl group is usually one of the most important relationships in your life, and I think those stories continue to be relevant to audiences.”

While the genre is not new — 1990s broadcast TV shows Girlfriends and Living Single were successful in exploring the dynamics of Black female friendships — Starz president of original programming Christina Davis said this new wave of shows goes more in-depth into not only the relationships themselves, but the culture which influences the character storylines. Davis said Starz’s Run the World, which launched last month and follows four 30-something, professional Black female friends as they deal with career and relationship challenges, incorporates the rich culture, sights and sounds of Harlem as an important backdrop for the storyline.

“You can point to a couple of shows that have scratched the surface, but I think we go deeper than anything that we’ve seen before,” she said. “I also think the appetite for such shows is overwhelming in a great way.” 

BET’s Sistas, produced by Tyler Perry, returned for its third season June 9 having averaged a network-high 1.4 million total viewers on a Nielsen Live-Plus-3 basis during its second season. The series follows a group of single Black women as they navigate their career, friendships and relationship goals. 

Shows like Sistas and First Wives Club, a takeoff on the 1996 movie that’s now in its second season, serve as a window into lives of diverse female relationships that aren’t often represented on television, according to Blackwell.

Other scripted series, like HBO’s Insecure and OWN’s Delilah, explore the bonds between Black female friends as part of broader storylines within the show. But executives say the overarching theme of maintaining that close and often unbreakable bond — even as it’s tested in a variety of ways — resonates with viewers. 

“I think television owes it to the viewers to give back to them moments of their own lives,” said Craig Wright, creator of Delilah, which examines the strength of a long friendship between two lawyers even as they face off in court. “It’s the lived moments that make viewers say that’s just like what happened to me or she’s just like my sister or friend.” 

The genre doesn’t show signs of slowing down: ABC has given a script commitment to Waiting to Exhale, a reboot of the 1995 Lee Daniels film that starred Whitney Houston, Angela Bassett, Lela Rochon and Loretta Devine. BET’s Blackwell says shows examining the complexities of friendships between women will always find an audience on television. 

“For women, and particularly Black women, relationships, family, raising kids, dating challenges, religion and spirituality are all things that touch the group in really interesting ways in terms of how we relate,” she said. “The story of that female bond continues to be really important and feels relatable to all of us.” 

Hulu comedy Shrill’s final season launch headlines the series debuts for the first week of May.

Shrill’s third and final season premieres May 7 and will continue to follow the exploits of Annie (Aidy Bryant), an overweight woman looking to change her life without changing her body. 

Also this week, Cinco De Mayo day will see the return of Cartoon Network’s Crank Yankers, while Netflix debuts docuseries The Sons of Sam: A Decent Into Darkness.

Mother’s Day (May 9) will feature the premiere of Showtime’s new comedy sketch series Ziwe, starring comedian Ziwe Fumudoh.

Below are video trailers and premiere dates for several shows debuting the week of May 3 to May 8 on cable networks and streaming services (for some videos, viewer discretion is advised):

May 6 -- Favorite Son (movie) -- BET+

May 6 -- Legendary (reality) -- HBO Max

May 6 -- From Cradle to Stage (music docuseries) -- Paramount Plus

May 6 -- Girls5eva (comedy) -- Peacock

May 6 -- That Damn Michael Che (comedy) -- HBO Max

May 7 -- Jupiter’s Legacy (drama) -- Netflix

BET Plus in May will debut a new gospel music-themed original film directed by actress Robin Givens.

The movie, Favorite Son, debuts May 6 and follows brothers in a gospel group who struggle to find a balance of life, love, faith and religion, while under the strict rule of their father, a megachurch reverend, said the streaming service. Favorite Son is inspired by Tiffany L. Warren’s novel of the same name. 

Givens will direct the movie, which stars Jonathan McReynolds, Anthony Evans Jr., Rotimi, Walnette Santiago, Serayah and Tamika Scott. Eric Tomosunas, Ron Robinson, Keith Neal, Devin Griffin and Maureen Guthman serve as executive producers.

Also Read: BET Plus, Tyler Perry Set Summer Launch for ‘All The Queen's Men’ Series

 BET Plus and Tyler Perry Studios this summer will launch a new drama series All The Queen's Men, the streaming service said Thursday.

The 10-episode series stars Eva Marcille as a businesswoman navigating the ownership of a popular nightclub -- Club Eden -- that features exotic male dancers, according to BET Plus. 

The series is based on the book Ladies Night by Christian Keyes, who also stars in the show along with Skyh Alvester Black, Candace Maxwell, Racquel Palmer, Michael Bolwaire, Keith Swift, Dion Rome and Jeremy Williams. 

All The Queen’s Men is executive produced by Michelle Snead and Keyes.

Read also: Presiding Over the House of Perry

BET Plus said it will be producing a new original series, Birth of Cool, in partnership with Macro Television Studios and Hillman Grad Productions.

The 10 episode series is a dramedy following the students and teachers at Crispus Attucks High, a predominantly Black school in Compton.

Birth of Cool was created by writer-director Juel Taylor and writer Tony Rettenmaier. Taylor will direct the pilot.

“BET Plus continues to be the home for best-in-class creatives to tell their original stories about the Black experience,” said Devin Griffin, executive VP and general manager of BET Plus. “We appreciate Lena’s creative vision and continued trust and are thrilled to partner with a skilled group of creators from Macro Television Studios and Hillman Grad to bring this series to life.”

BET Plus is a joint venture between BET Networks and Tyler Perry Studios.

Also Read: Presiding Over the House of Perry

“We are excited to continue Macro’s commitment to excellence in content creation and to be partnered with Juel and Tony and help bring their unique vision to the screen,” said Marta Fernandez, president of Macro Television Studios. “Along with our partners at BET Plus, Hillman Grad and Endeavor Content, we passionately support their voices and dedication to telling authentically Black stories.”

“Our goal at Hillman Grad is to find the next generation of visionary filmmakers who challenge the ways in which we typically represent characters of color on screen. Juel and Tony are exactly that. We’re so excited to have been on this journey with them and can’t wait to introduce the world to the brilliance, humor, and depth of Birth of Cool,” said Rishi Rajani, president of film/TV at Hillman Grad.

Fernandez and Mark R. Wright will oversee for Macro Television Studios. Macro Television Studios’ partners on the TV series are Endeavor Content and Hillman Grad Productions, with Charles D. King, Fernandez, Lena Waithe, Rishi Rajani, Taylor, Rettenmaier, Aaliyah Williams and David Morris serving as executive producers.

ViacomCBS CEO Bob Bakish said the company will be holding an investor event early next year to explain its streaming strategy before it relaunches CBS All Access as Paramount Plus.

Speaking at the UBS media investor conference Tuesday, Bakish said ViacomCBS’s big streaming services were growing, but that the company would be shutting down two smaller ones, MTV Hits and Comedy Central Now.

Bakish forecast that in the fourth quarter Pluto TV, the company’s free, ad supported streaming service, will reach at least 30 million monthly average users domestically and 40 million MAUs globally.

Related: ViacomCBS Partners with AWS, Moves All Broadcast Operations to the Cloud

ViacomCBS’s pay services--CBS All Access and Showtime OTT--will have at least 19 million subscribers.

“We now see domestic streaming and digital video revenue, which does include some ad sales money, at an annual run rate in Q4 of $3 billion," Bakish said. “That’s up front the $2.8 billion and change we talked about on our Q3 call and that implies over 50% growth in the quarter.

At the investor event, the company plans to discuss its streaming strategy and aspirations in more detail, he said.

“There we’ll share more about our plans for Paramount Plus, including an update on the content slate, our distribution and marketing strategy and our film utilization plans,” he said.

“We’ll also give you an update [on] our entire streaming ecosystem, and that includes Pluto TV as well as Showtime OTT, and we’ll share with you how we’re using the assets of this great company to pursue a global streaming strategy,” he said.

In addition to content, Bakish said ViacomCBS’s strategy involves ubiquitous distribution through traditional operators, mobile operators and over-the top players. ”We think that combination is really powerful,” he said.

The company on Monday announced that Comcast Cable’s Xfinity X1 will be carrying CBS All Access, and later Paramount Plus.

He added that Pluto TV will serve as a powerful gateway to and funnel for the company’s subscription services.

With ViacomCBS cable channel brands being incorporated into CBS All Access and Paramount Plus, smaller direct-to-consumer services like MTV Hits and Comedy Central Now “really don’t make sense on a standalone basis, and so we’re sunsetting those two services in the fourth quarter as we prepare to fully embed that content inside of Paramount Plus,” Bakish said.

However, the company’s Noggin and BET Plus DTC services will continue. 

“Both are very well defined services that have good subscriber momentum,” he said. “There’s some opportunities to bundle those products and create other kinds of consumer packages. But no, we’re not planning on sunsetting either BET Plus or Noggin."

In terms of films, Bakish said the company has 12 films on its slate for 2021 and is pursuing a variety of strategies. Some, like Maverick, the Top Gun sequel, have been delayed by the pandemic. Others like SpongeBob SquarePants Sponge on the Run, will stream, first with a Premium VOD window, then on Paramount Plus.

“Coming out of the pandemic, you will have a more multifaceted film business and you’ll have shorter theatrical windows, which is different than saying I think the theatrical business is going away,” he said.

“The film category will continue to be strategic and valuable, but certainly is evolving, and that’s giving us more flexibility, more optionality as we go unlock value for Paramount and for ViacomCBS writ large."

In his speech after receiving the TV Academy’s Governor’s Award during the 72nd Primetime Emmy Awards Sept. 20, producer/director Tyler Perry referenced his Atlanta megaproduction facility, a 330-acre former Confederate Army base purchased in 2015, which his grandmother and mother could not have imagined being owned by Perry — or any Black producer — in their lifetimes.

“In my grandmother’s quilt there were no patches for Black people on television,” said Perry,  describing a quilt that represented memories from his family history. “Now, whether we know it or not, we are all sewing our own quilts with our thoughts and behaviors, our experiences and our memories.”

Orchestrating the new patches in the ever-expanding Tyler Perry Studios quilt is Michelle Sneed, president of production and development. As Perry’s right hand, Sneed — who initially joined TPS in 2009 and was named to her current position in 2018 after a brief stint with BET — oversees the production of the studios’ prolific lineup of original comedy and drama specials which over the years have bolstered the lineups of such networks as BET, TBS, OWN and streaming services like BET Plus. Sneed, 38, also serves as executive producer of several of the studios’ most popular shows, including The Oval, Sistas, Ruthless and Bruh, as well as Nickelodeon’s Young Dylan. 

Since launching in 2006, Tyler Perry Studios has created more than a dozen scripted series and nearly 25 movies. Its first series, House of Payne, drew a then-cable sitcom record 5.9 million viewers in its June 2007 premiere on TBS and raised eyebrows when the network picked up a then-unprecedented 90-episode order for the series after an initial 10-episode run. Perry in 2019 would extend beyond linear television when he partnered with BET in 2019 to create original content for BET Plus. 

Even the scourge of COVID-19  couldn’t hamper TPS’s momentum. Four months after suspending production in March, the studio was one of the first TV production companies to reopen, producing more than 80 episodes of four shows through September within a strict bubble atmosphere. 

Sneed outlined the strategy behind the studio operation’s busy TV-production business, as well as the future of a still-hurting TV production industry post-pandemic, with Multichannel News. Here’s an edited transcript of the interview. 

MCN: During last month’s Emmys telecast, Tyler Perry was honored with the Governor’s Award. From your perspective, how significant was that moment in time for Perry’s legacy in television?

Michelle Sneed: Tyler never ceases to amaze me. He is always setting new heights for himself. He’s the ultimate dreamer. He’s taught me how to dream, and he’s taught me how to live up to my truth no matter what that is. For them to recognize him as the entertainer that he is is amazing. Just like his speech said, it is already an opportunity to provide truth, to provide something to look at, to provide an example and to provide representation for everyone else just like us who's trying to get their foot in the door and make something amazing happen in this industry. We don't always have the opportunity or the access, and he is living proof that you can do it your way — that you can stick to your guns, dream and work towards that.

MCN: Given the success that Perry had enjoyed over the years, do you feel the industry recognition was late in coming? 

MS: I don’t think it’s late in coming, especially given the events of this year. Tyler is going to do his thing regardless — he didn’t ask for this. He was going to do everything he’s done regardless of whoever is recognizing him for it. So I think this was a good time because we happened to be in a period of extreme civil unrest, and it seems like everybody is trying to jump on board as far as industry-wide equality and opportunity, and I think there’s no better representation of that than him. So I actually think the timing was perfect, and I think that we couldn’t have written it better than this, for him to receive it at this time and during this climate in the U.S.

MCN: When you joined Tyler Perry Studios in 2006, what was your perception of Tyler Perry?

MS: At the time, I was familiar with Tyler Perry because of the stage plays — honestly through watching bootleg [recordings], and that's how I'd heard of Madea [Perry’s popular TV and movie character]. I was first introduced to Tyler Perry’s work through the people who loved Madea and watched the stage plays. I knew from the moment that I met him, even though it was brief, that he was a person who was on a mission and he was laser-focused and nothing could throw him off. I'll just never forget the introduction, and I just could tell that there was a motivation behind everything that he was doing. Tyler is one that runs off of intuition, and also what God says to him. I could see that and I could feel it all. I think anyone who sits down with him for any length of time, whether he’s in a particular creative moment, if he's directing or if he just got finished writing, you kind of catch that. I think I caught it that day. I drank the Kool-Aid and I believed him. 

MCN: At the time Tyler Perry Studios launched, the cable industry was starting to come into its own, but there weren’t a lot of African-American targeted networks, and not a lot of shows reflecting the Black experience. How much of an impact did Tyler Perry Studios have, not only by creating content featuring African-Americans, but also proving to the industry that there’s a sizable audience for that content?

MS: I think Tyler knew in the years he was doing his stage plays and talking directly to the people that this audience existed for the content he was creating. He knew that these stage plays were selling out multiple nights in big cities and in small towns that people don’t even think about or can’t really identify on a map. He went everywhere. I think then he knew that there was this audience out there who craved this content. They’re packing these theaters out, but he wondered how he could extend that experience and take these favorite characters they love on the road and put them on TV. He knew that there was this underrepresentation there, and he knew that he could super-serve this audience, and he did that. So in the beginning, he literally did everything himself: he literally got the lights himself, he literally got the cameras himself, just like these young filmmakers are doing out here. Because of the success [in] the theater, he had the resources to actually buy a warehouse at that time, to actually buy some equipment and to get a local crew. He knew that he was onto something, and the rest is history.

MCN: So let’s talk about that history. Tyler Perry put together a lot of shows with tons of episodes much faster than the industry was used to seeing before. What was behind the strategy of being so prolific in creating content? 

MS: When he first made the transition from the theater to TV, he took those theater skills. So, in live theater, you’re doing everything. You have to quick-change right there in the back, you’ve got to switch out these sets real quick. Everything is kind of real time. So because that was a foundation of his knowledge about any kind of performance production, that was what he knew. So he cut to what he knew and translated that to television. And when he created those first 10 episodes of House of Payne, [TBS] said, ‘What? You did this when? These are all ready at one time? Who does that?’ Without any backing from a major distributor, he did it all on his own. So once he knew that he could do it, there was no stopping him. That became his model, to shoot it the way he knows how and to be as efficient as possible, especially in the beginning when he was putting up his own money for it. But the core of what we do, and the volume and the pace in which we do it, is from theater. He suctioned that and it worked.

MCN: How was his approach to production different from traditional studios?

MS: When I came on, House of Payne was in season five or six and already a very successful, very groundbreaking series. The boom of 1990s Black television series had faded out by the mid-2000s. But here comes Tyler with this new Black family that everybody can relate to, so it was groundbreaking. Even with shows in the ’90s, you didn't see quite an ensemble of characters like this. I think for myself and many of my colleagues, it was jaw-dropping. It was like … who else is doing it? Who else had 100 episodes? Not just other Black people but who else, period? And literally doing everything on his own. It was amazing. When I got there, the first show I worked on was Meet the Browns, and there was an order for 70 episodes. We cranked through those, and the more efficient we got, the more help we got from other professionals joining his team, and we were able to continue to tweak even more and become even more efficient with his style of directing.

MCN: So let's fast-forward to the creation and development of the Tyler Perry Studios production facility. How big of an evolution was that for the company?

MS: I think it was a major evolution for the company. We had success at Greenbriar, the first official film studio, and we thought, ‘How can it get better than this?’ But eventually we had to put up tents and temporary production spaces because we were just running out of room. Of course, Tyler was always 100 steps ahead of us. We were starting to venture into dramas, so he knew that he had to find a space that could support his vision and the growth that he had in mind. He had been poking around for years in Atlanta. It’s a longer story on how he came up with the Fort, but 330 acres later we’re here.

MCN: So with all the success that you guys have had, and Tyler Perry as well, there have also been some criticisms revolving around the portrayal of Black women in his movies and shows at times or calls to bring in more women writers for his shows. How do you answer some of those criticisms?

MS: Everyone has a right to their preferences and criticisms. However, they should be mindful of judging or having preconceived thoughts and ideas about Tyler’s audience. It is important to remember that he was and is loyal to producing content for an audience that everyone else forgot.

MCN: So we go into 2020. At Tyler Perry Studios, you guys are creating content for ViacomCBS networks, including BET as well as its new streaming service BET Plus. Then boom, the pandemic hits. How do you feel the COVID-19 outbreak has affected the television industry in general and Tyler Perry Studios in particular?

MS: Yeah, it hit all right. It was definitely out of the blue for us. Of course we had been seeing the headlines and seeing the updates on COVID while we were on tour with Madea’s Farewell Play [stage production]. We started prepping a few shows by mid-March, and of course as it became more close to us, we started to talk about what we were going to do. As an executive in the industry we were really trying to get a handle on this and really understand what's going on. It didn't matter if you were in L.A. or New York or Atlanta. It didn't matter if you were a high-dollar budget or an indie. It didn't matter, we were all in it at the same time, as well as the rest of the country, whatever industry you are in. 

MCN: When did you consider the possibility of returning to production in the midst of the pandemic? 

MS: I think it was March 13 that we had to lay everyone off. It was gut-wrenching because we were in prep and everybody thinks they're about to shoot, and then we're like, ‘It's not going to happen? People just aren't going to be able to do what they love? We're not going to have any new content on TV?’ That's unacceptable. It was about five or six days after everyone was sent home when Tyler said, ‘We need a bubble.’ We didn't think much about it, but of course Tyler never stops. He started reaching out to everyone he could, the Sanjay Guptas of the world and all of these experts.

MCN: Tyler Perry Studios was one of the first to get back to work. What protocols did you put in place to assure that the actors and production people remained healthy? 

MS: For us, April and May were just literally trying to get all the information that we can by getting on the phone with the unions and the guilds. We were, quite frankly, ahead of everyone at that time. We became leaders in returning to work for the industry without even meaning to. We’re having these conversations with our distribution partners to determine what was realistic. If we build a bubble, how do we make people feel like they’re not in jail? How do we have everybody with different diets? How do we get food inside of this bubble? How do we keep everyone literally from leaving? We came up with a 30-plus-page document — just literally a brain dump of everything that we know, that we would want ourselves to have access to. That’s how we approached it.

MCN: At its height, how many people were in the bubble? 

MS: Over the summer, we ran three different camps, and I think the most we had at one time was 388.

MCN: Wow. During that period, did anyone test positive?

MS: No, thank God. At this point to date — we test every Monday and Thursday — we’ve taken over 14,000 tests. Of those 14,000 tests we’ve had 16, well actually now, as of yesterday, we’ve had 17 positive cases. All of those positive cases were either in prep, meaning when people go home but not in the camp, or when we do the sequestering period, which is so important. When you check into the camp, you have to go through the series of sanitizing your luggage, getting tested and then you are taken one by one to your room and you are sequestered in your room until everyone’s results come back. So you could be in your room anywhere from eight hours to 24 hours. 

But, of course, we bring you food throughout, you have a stocked refrigerator as soon as you’re checked in, you have snacks. We feed everyone every two hours. So all of that’s taken care of. And you’re in your room with cable and a smart TV with Netflix. So during that period, we have had positive cases, when people were sequestered. Once the positive cases are revealed, we safely get those people off the campus, get their room completely sanitized, and then that’s it. By the way, we don’t allow anyone to come into the campus. So once the campus is closed, no one can come in.

MCN: How do you see the television industry evolving after the pandemic, and how will Tyler Perry Studios fit into whatever new normal comes about?

MS: I definitely see the industry evolving in the sense that even after COVID is gone, and hopefully that’s soon, I think that there are certain practices that we may want to keep. Who knows what the next COVID is, or how that looks? I think that just like other industries, we’re asking questions like, does every resource need to physically be on campus, or at the set, or at the studio or whatever your scenario is? So I think that as an industry as a whole, and as a country as a whole, we’re all looking at that. 

Also, some of these roles that are more administrative, are those permanently now work-from-home opportunities? Is crew grouping important in general? Is zoning important in general? Are these the practices that we want to have anyway after COVID is gone? Does it make us more efficient? If something were to break out again, does it help us in the long run? So I think that we’re all asking these kinds of questions and certainly looking at ways to be more efficient. 

I say all of that to say that, looking ahead, there’s nothing that we cannot do. For us to be able to shoot 82 episodes this summer, and still stay on our production budget of things and still be able to do our work as good as we did it before, if not better — that just says so much. So I think as an industry we’ll have renewed passion for what we do. At the end of the day, I think that it will have a profound positive impact on everyone in the industry. 

The last week of August will offer a light schedule of new original series premieres on cable and streaming services.

Disney Plus will bring back Disney Channel’s Phineas and Ferb animated series for an Aug. 28 standalone movie, Phineas and Ferb The Movie: Candace Against the Universe, while BET Plus will help say goodbye to Tyler Perry’s iconic character Madea as part of an Aug. 27 special Tyler Perry’s Madea’s Farewell Play. Netflix on Aug. 25 will bring back its drama series Trinkets (pictured) for a sophomore season. 

Below are video trailers and premiere dates for several other shows debuting the week of Aug. 24 to Aug. 30 on cable networks and streaming services (for some videos, viewer discretion is advised):

Aug. 24 -- Family Business (drama) -- Acorn TV

Aug. 24 -- Reno 911! (comedy) -- Quibi

Aug. 27 -- Class Action Park (documentary) -- HBO Max

Aug. 27 -- Pure (drama) -- HBO Max

Aug. 28 -- The Binge (comedy) -- Hulu

Aug. 30 -- Love Fraud (reality) -- Showtime 

BET Plus will stream the stage play Tyler Perry's Madea's Farewell Play on Aug. 27, the service said Wednesday.

The play, Perry's final stage run as the iconic character Madea, pulls together many of the characters portrayed in Perry's Madea-themed movies and plays for family gathering, according to the service.

"Tyler Perry’s Madea burst onto the scene and entered our hearts over 20 years ago and we are honored to share this final stage performance with BET+ subscribers,” said Devin Griffin, General Manager, BET+. “Now, more than ever, is the time to celebrate family and unity and Tyler Perry's Madea's Farewell Play does just that.”

BET Plus will stream the stage play Tyler Perry's Madea's Farewell Play on Aug. 27, the service said Wednesday.

The play, Perry's final stage run as the iconic character Madea, pulls together many of the characters portrayed in Perry's Madea-themed movies and plays for family gathering, according to the service.

"Tyler Perry’s Madea burst onto the scene and entered our hearts over 20 years ago and we are honored to share this final stage performance with BET+ subscribers,” said Devin Griffin, General Manager, BET+. “Now, more than ever, is the time to celebrate family and unity and Tyler Perry's Madea's Farewell Play does just that.”

BET+ has added a new drama series, Diggstown, to its lineup of African-American targeted programming.

The six-part series stars Vinessa Antoine as a corporate lawyer, who, after her aunt commits suicide following a malicious prosecution, decides to reconsider her priorities, according to the streaming service.

Diggstown is co-produced Circle Blue Entertainment and Freddie Films, with Floyd Kane, Amos Adetuyi (Jean of the Jones), Brenda Greenberg (Being Erica) and Todd Berger (Wynonna Earp) serving as executive producers, said BET+

Below are video trailers and premiere dates for several shows debuting the week of March 16 to March 22 on cable networks and streaming services (for some videos, viewer discretion is advised):

March 16 -- The Plot Against America (drama) -- HBO

March 18 -- Little Fires Everywhere (drama) -- Hulu

March 18 -- Brockmire (returning series) -- IFC 

March 18 -- Motherland: Fort Salem (Drama) -- Freeform

March 19 -- Altered Carbon: Resleeved (Anime) -- Netflix

March 19 -- Feel Good (comedy) -- Netflix

March 19 -- Tyler Perry's Ruthless (drama) -- BET+

BET+ Friday said it will premiere its first Tyler Perry-produced original series, Tyler Perry's Ruthless on March 19.

The series, a spinoff of BET's television series Tyler Perry's The Oval, follows the story of a woman who kidnaps her younger daughter to join her in the dark underworld of a fanatical religious cult, according to the streaming service. The series, which is executive produced, written and directed by Perry, stars Melissa L. Williams, Matt Cedeño, Lenny D. Thomas, Yvonne Senat Jones, Baadja-Lyne Odums, Jaime Callica, Nirine S. Brown, Blue Kimble, Stephanie Charles, Hervé Clermont, Anthony Bless, and Bobbi Baker.

Tyler Perry’s Ruthless is the first new original series from Perry to stream on BET+, a joint venture between BET Networks and Tyler Perry Studios.

BET+ has renewed its comedy series Bigger for a sophomore campaign, the streaming service said. 

The  series, which launched its first season on BET+ this past September, follows five close knit African-American friends as they navigate love, friendships, career ambitions, and the journey to getting "bigger" together, according to the streaming service. The series stars Rasheda Crockett, Chase Anthony, Tristen Winger, Tanisha Long, and Angell Conwell.

Bigger was created by Felischa Marye and is executive produced by Will Packer. 

“We are excited and proud to bring the Bigger squad back for another run.  Will and Felischa have been tremendous partners and we can’t wait to dive deeper into the hilarious and complicated lives of Layne and her group of friends,” said Devin Griffin, general manager, BET+ in a statement. “Our commitment to premium content continues with this series. Fans embraced the show because it’s real and fresh, and provides a new way for Black viewers to see themselves in original Black stories on screen.”

 BET+ has launched a new limited drama series, Dark Money, to its subscribers. 

The four-part, London-based series tells the fictional story of the Mensahs, an ordinary working-class family from North London whose movie star son, Isaac (Max Fincham), reveals he was abused by a renowned filmmaker while abroad. 

The show explores the impossible set of decisions and the consequences that follow when Issac’s parents, Manny (Babou Ceesay), and Sam Mensah’s (Jill Halfpenny) decide to accept a substantial pay-off in return for their silence, according to BET+.

Dark Money was written and executive produced by Levi David Addai and directed by Lewis Arnold (Broadchurch, Humans). George Faber, Mark Pybus and Lucy Richer served as the series executive producers, along with Erika Hossington.

BET+ has renewed a second season of its crime drama series The Family Business, the streaming service said Thursday.  

The Family Business, based on the New York Times best-selling crime drama book series, follows the Duncans, an upstanding tight knit family that by day, owns and operates an exotic car dealership in New York, but by night conducts more illicit business activities, according to the service. 

Carl Weber, author of the book series, serves as showrunner and executive producer. Ernie Hudson, who stars in the series, also serves as executive producer, according to BET+.

"We couldn’t be more excited to welcome Carl Weber’s The Family Business back for season two,” said Devin Griffin, general manager, BET+ in a statement. “We are thrilled to dig even deeper with Carl Weber and continue our amazing partnership to bring his best-selling book series to life for his fans.  BET+ is committed to providing creators the freedom to tell unique Black stories that will resonate and entertain audiences; and this next season further demonstrates that commitment.”

Viewers will have to ante up $9.99 per month to watch BET’s new BET+ digital streaming service when it launches on Sept. 19, the network announced Monday.

The African American-targeted service created by BET Networks and Tyler Perry Studios, will feature more than 1,000 hours of premium content, including new original content from Perry as well as other producers such as Will Packer and Tracy Oliver, said network officials.

“We are thrilled to offer a streaming experience of content curated for the underserved African American audience with BET+," said Scott Mills, BET Networks president in a statement. "African Americans have a higher SVOD adoption rate than any other consumer base on the market, which is why BET+ is a natural complement of BET’s linear network, which has been and continues to be the leading home of black culture for decades."

The network’s $9.99 price tag is higher than the Walt Disney Co.'s Disney+ subscription video on demand service, which will retail at $6.99 when it debuts in November. WarnerMedia has yet to announce a subscription price for its HBO Max service, set to launch later this year.

New series set to debut on BET+ include a remake of First Wives Club from producer Oliver (Girls Trip) and starring Jill Scott, as well as Packer’s scripted comedy Bigger. In addition, the service will also feature Perry’s works across films, television and stage.

“In our first year, we will release a BET+ original project almost every month, adding to our lineup of deep and diverse content,” said Devin Griffin, general manager BET+. “We’re focused on super-serving lovers of black stories by working with top talent, and supporting fresh new voices, on both sides of the camera.”