OWN tonight (March 9) launches its  new original series Delilah, from Greenleaf creator Craig Wright. The series stars Maahra Hill (Black-ish, How to Get Away With Murder) as Delilah Connolly, a, highly-principled lawyer raising two kids alone while seeking justice for those who need it most, according to OWN. The series also stars Jill Marie Jones, Connolly’s courtroom antagonist who also happens to be her best friend. 

“It means everything to me to be able to represent someone who's as empowered and strong-minded and has such a strong moral compass,” Hill said last month during OWN’s Television Critics Association Winter tour presentation. “I think she reflects Black women and Black America in ways that we haven't seen on a consistent basis.”  

OWN is hoping Delilah has similar success with African-American women viewers as Greenleaf, which finished its five-season run in 2020 as the most watched show within the demographic. 

I spoke to Wright -- who along with Greenleaf has written for such shows as Six Feet Under, Lost and Dirty Sexy Money -- about his inspiration behind Delilah as well as how it fits within the OWN brand. Wright also discusses the success of Greenleaf as well as the show’s upcoming spinoff series. Here’s an edited excerpt from our conversation. 

Picture This: How does Delilah differ from other shows you have produced?

Craig Wright: It's a more realistic show, much, much less like Greenleaf, which I always thought of as a bit of a fable. I think the show more than anything I've done really required me to depend on all my partners, even more for making sure that we were capturing the real world correctly. 

PT: Do you think Delilah can appeal to a similar audience that watched Greenleaf?

CW: I hope so. With everything I work on, I hope to present some real moments of life that maybe you won't see on other TV shows. I feel like TV as an art form sometimes can be very subtly, insulting to the viewers in the way that it divides the world into the people on TV and the people not on TV. So I really think that television owes it to the viewers to give back to them moments of their own lives so that it becomes more of an equal playing field. Delilah probably more than any show I've ever worked on is hopefully full of lived moments that are going to make viewers  say, ‘that's just like what happened to me,’ or ‘that's just like my sister, that's just like my friend.’

PT: What’s the message that you want to convey to viewers with Delilah?

CW: I think the message of the show is that Black women are literally holding the world together for all of us. Holding it together in their families, holding it together in the workplace, holding it together in the political life of the nation. And the message is that we see it, we honor it, and we're grateful for it.

PT: What was your inspiration for the show?

CW: My inspiration for practically everything I do at this point in my life is from conversations with Oprah Winfrey. Everything starts and ends for me with Oprah. So after Greenleaf we started to talk and ask what we wanted to do next, and we decided we wanted to go broader in scope than just the church. We had talks about the OWN viewer and also about the people that were connecting with Greenleaf on Netflix and other outlets and asked what would those viewers want to see next. So we just gradually came up with this idea of a woman who is moving through so many different things in her life and making it work. It was really a desire after five years of wanting to give that Greenleaf audience an image of themselves right back at them.

PT: Were you surprised at how popular Greenleaf had become over its five-season run?

CW: Yes I was, but more than surprised I was just grateful. Oprah talks a lot about intention and, and when your intention is clear, it makes it a lot easier to do the work. Our intention with Greenleaf was to start a conversation about the black church and from the way the audience came along, obviously that was the conversation that was waiting to happen. As I start work on the spinoff, I'm so excited to get back to Lady Mae because I think her voice is one of the most prominent facets of the Greenleaf universe. We got a little taste of it near the end of the show where she starts to preach, and we start to see what she has to say. I'm just so excited to begin to tell the next chapter of that story where we can see Lady Mae placed in that position of power she was always destined to be in.

Read also: Primetime Ratings Sunday: CBS on Top With Oprah’s Royals Interview

New drama series lead the list of show debuts for the second week of March.

OWN on March 9 will premiere its new original drama Delilah, from executive producer Craig Wright (Greenleaf). The series revolves around a high-principled lawyer raising two kids alone while seeking justice for those who need it the most, according to the network.

HBO Max on March 11 will premiere Generation, a dramedy that follows a group of diverse high school students in a mostly conservative town. 

Read Also: Review: Generation

Below are video trailers and premiere dates for several shows debuting the week of Feb. 22-Feb. 28 on cable networks and streaming services (for some videos, viewer discretion is advised):

March 9 -- COVID Diaries NYC (documentary) -- HBO

March 10 -- Last Chance U: Basketball (sports reality) -- Netflix

March 11 -- My Beautiful Stutter (movie) -- Discovery Plus

March 12 -- Yes Day (comedy) -- Netflix

March 12 -- Cherry (movie) -- Apple TV Plus

March 12 -- Kid 90 (documentary) -- Hulu

March 12 -- The One (drama) -- Netflix

OWN Wednesday released a first-look video trailer for its new drama series Delilah, which debuts in March.

Delilah stars Maahra Hill (Black-ish, How to Get Away With Murder) as a headstrong, highly-principled lawyer raising two kids alone while ceaselessly seeking justice for those who need it most, according to OWN.

The series, executive produced by Craig Wright (Greenleaf), also stars Jill Marie Jones (Girlfriends), Susan Heyward (Orange is the New Black), and Ozioma Akagha (Marvel’s Runaways).

E.W. Scripps’ Bounce said it acquired rights to air Greenleaf starting Oct. 4 and Everybody Hates Chris Oct. 5.

Greenleaf, which ran for five seasons on OWN, will air Sunday Nights. Bounce will be airing all five seasons. It follows the drama and scandals surrounding a family that runs a mega-church.

Bounce also announced that Greenleaf co-star Gregory Alan Williams is joining the cast of Saints & Sinners, the Bounce drama entering its fifth season in 2021.

Everybody Hates Chris, which aired from 2005 to 2006 on UPN and the CW from 2006 to 2009, is based on the life of comedian Chris Rock. It will air weeknights. 

Rock is hosting Saturday Night Live this weekend and stars in the new season of Fargo on FX.

“Greenleaf and Saints & Sinners on the same network is a dream scenario for the passionate fans of both shows,” said David Hudson, executive VP of original Programming and Production for Bounce. “We are also excited to have Gregory join the cast of Saints & Sinners. He’s a very talented actor and will fit in perfectly.”

The first week of summer will see the final season debut of OWN's Greenleaf as well as the return of CBS' All-Access' The Twilight Zone. 

OWN on June 23 will premiere the fifth and final season of its mega church drama Greenleaf, starring Keith David and Lynn Whitfield. The series finished its fourth season as the most watched original scripted series on ad-supported cable for African-American women and total viewers, according to OWN.

On June 25 streaming service CBS All Access will return anthology series The Twilight Zone for its sophomore run. The series, based on the 1960's series of the same name, is executive produced by Jordan Peele. 

Below are video trailers and premiere dates for several other shows debuting the week of June 22 to June 28 on cable networks and streaming services (for some videos, viewer discretion is advised):

June 25 -- Esme & Roy (returning animation series) -- HBO Max

June 25 -- Doom Patrol (returning series) -- HBO Max

June 25 -- Search Party (returning series) -- HBO Max

June 26 -- My Spy (action movie) -- Prime Video

June 28 -- Black Monday (returning series) -- Showtime

June 28 -- I’ll Be Gone In the Dark (documentary) -- HBO

OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network will air on June 16 a special, Greenleaf: Goin’ Up Yonder, in preparation for the show's fifth and final season, according to the network. 

Hosted by Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter Patti LaBelle -- who appeared in Greenleaf as Christian motivational speaker Maxine Patterson -- the special celebrates the first four seasons of the drama series and looks forward to the show’s fifth and final season, which premieres on June 23, said the network. 

Greenleaf stars Lynn Whitfield (pictured), Merle Dandridge, Keith David, Lamman Rucker and Deborah Joy Winans will appear in the special, according to OWN. 

OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network will develop a spinoff series from its drama show Greenleaf, the network said Wednesday.

Greenleaf, which follows the lives of the Greenleaf family and their megachurch empire, will premiere its fifth and final season on June 23, sand the network. OWN did not reveal details regarding the spinoff or whether any of Greenleaf’s current cast -- which includes Merle Dandridge, Keith David, Lynn Whitfield, Kim Hawthorne, Lamman Rucker and Deborah Joy Winans -- will be featured in the new series.

[embed]https://twitter.com/GreenleafOWN/status/1262570146628947969[/embed]

Oprah Winfrey and Craig Wright serve as executive producers for Greenleaf, which during its September to November 2019 fourth season run was the most watched original scripted series on ad-supported cable for African American women, and was the fourth most-watched original scripted series on ad-supported cable for all women 25-54, according to Nielsen. 

Broadcast network ABC and streaming service Netflix were the big winners in the television category during Saturday’s NAACP Image Awards presentation.

ABC won seven Image Awards, which honors the accomplishments of people of color in the fields of television, music, literature, and film. Netflix finished second with six awards, while OWN and Facebook Watch also won multiple Image Awards.

ABC’s comedy series black-ish won six Image Awards, including a best comedy series statuette. OWN’s Greenleaf (pictured) was the top choice in the drama series category. 

BET aired live the NAACP Image Awards for the first time. The event was also simulcast on such networks as CMT, VH1, MTV, Comedy Central and Logo. 

The 51st NAACP Image Awards winners in the television category are as follows:

Outstanding Comedy Series

"black-ish" (ABC)

Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series

Tracee Ellis Ross -- "black-ish" (ABC)

Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series

Anthony Anderson -- "black-ish" (ABC)

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series

Marsai Martin -- "black-ish" (ABC)

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series

Deon Cole -- "black-ish" (ABC)

Outstanding Drama Series

"Greenleaf" (OWN)

Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series

Angela Bassett -- "9-1-1" (FOX)

Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series

Omari Hardwick -- "Power" (Starz)

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series

Harold Perrineau -- "Claws" (TNT)

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series

Lynn Whitfield -- "Greenleaf" (OWN)

Outstanding Television Movie, Limited-Series or Dramatic Special

"When They See Us" (Netflix)

Outstanding Actor in a Television Movie, Limited-Series or Dramatic Special

Jharrel Jerome -- "When They See Us" (Netflix)

Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Limited-Series or Dramatic Special

Niecy Nash -- "When They See Us" (Netflix)

Outstanding News/Information (Series or Special)

"Unsung" (TV One)

Outstanding Talk Series

"Red Table Talk" (Facebook Watch)

Outstanding Reality Program/Reality Competition Series/Game Show

"Rhythm + Flow" (Netflix)

Outstanding Variety (Series or Special)

"Homecoming: A Film by Beyoncé" (Netflix)

Outstanding Children's Program

"Family Reunion" (Netflix)

Outstanding Performance by a Youth (Series, Special, Television Movie or Limited-Series)

Marsai Martin -- "black-ish" (ABC)

Outstanding Host in a Talk or News/Information (Series or Special) -- Individual or Ensemble

Jada Pinkett Smith -- "Red Table Talk" (Facebook Watch)

Outstanding Host in a Reality/Reality Competition, Game Show or Variety (Series or Special) -- Individual or Ensemble

Steve Harvey -- "Celebrity Family Feud" (ABC)

Outstanding Guest Performance in a Comedy or Drama Series

Kelly Rowland -- "American Soul" (BET Networks)

Streaming networks Hulu and Netflix lead what is a limited rollout of new, scripted shows premiering from Sept. 3 to Sept. 8.

Hulu’s Sept. 4 premiere of Wu-Tang: An American Saga (pictured) follows the origins of the legendary rap group Wu-Tang Clan, according to the service.

Netflix on Sept. 6 will debut The Spy, starring Sacha Baron Cohen as former Mossad agent Eli Cohen, who successfully goes undercover in Syria in the early 1960s, said Netflix.

Below are video trailers and premiere dates for several shows debuting this week on cable networks and streaming services:

Sept. 3: Mayans M.C. (returning series), FX

Sept. 3: Greenleaf (returning series), OWN

Sept. 6: Couples Therapy (reality series), Showtime

Sept. 6: Good Talk With Anthony Jeselnik (talk show), Comedy Central

Sept. 6: Into The Dark: Pure (horror movie), Hulu

Sept. 6: Titans (returning series), DC Universe

Sept. 7: Keeping Up with The Kardashians (returning series), E! 

OWN has renewed its drama series Greenleaf for a fourth season, the network said Wednesday.

The renewal of the series -- which follows the exploits of a family-run megachurch -- comes as the series posted its biggest audience for season three, garnering 2.3 million viewers for its Sept. 12 episode based on Nielsen Live +3 ratings, according to OWN.

The series stars Merle Dandridge, Lynn Whitfield and Keith David. Executive producers for the series include Craig Wright, Clement Virgo, Kriss Turner Tower and Oprah Winfrey.

“Greenleaf is a cornerstone of our scripted programming slate and pulls in millions of viewers each week with its unique storylines and powerful characters,” said Erik Logan, OWN president in a statement. “We are very proud of this show, the incredible cast, producers and crew, and can’t wait for more twists and turns from the Greenleaf family in season four.”

The second half of Greenleaf’s season two starts up on OWN Aug. 15, and creator Craig Wright promises explosives for the Memphis megachurch. The first half set up serious conflicts — between Grace and Mac, and Charity and Kevin — and the second half will reveal “the fallout of those explosions,” said Wright.

Oprah Winfrey is an executive producer, and plays blues joint owner Mavis McCready. Wright says Winfrey pushes him to make scenes “rougher and deeper.

“She wants juicy, meaty stuff to play,” he added.

Before the TV work hit, Wright ran a church in St. Paul, Minn. He said Winfrey was keen to explore the goings-on of a megachurch. “I’ve learned to trust Oprah,” he said. “When she says it’s gonna be OK, it’s gonna be OK.”

And DuckTales is gonna be OK on Disney XD. Like the original, the reboot features Scrooge McDuck, grandnephews Huey, Dewey and Louie, and Donald Duck, too. Co-producer Francisco Angones says the ideal Duck-Tales team member balances respect for the show’s heritage and a desire to take it in new directions. “They’re so insanely excited to work on DuckTales,” he said, “and so horribly horrified to mess it up.”

A whiteboard at show headquarters reads, “DuckTales Must Be Great.” Angones mentioned that part of the theme song —about solving a mystery and rewriting history — popped up in his wedding vows.

The voice cast includes Danny Pudi and Bobby Moynihan. The producers promise a lively family comedy. “We make sure we create a feeling in you when you watch that you had when you were a kid,” executive producer Matt Youngberg said.

And the final season of AMC’s Halt and Catch Fire, starting up Aug. 19, may bring viewers back to kidhood too. It depicts the “dawn of search” in the early ’90s, according to creators Christopher Cantwell and Christopher Rogers. “Season four is about the characters arriving at the future they worked very hard to create,” said Rogers. “They’re asking, is this what we hoped for?”

Charlie Collier, AMC and SundanceTV president/general manager, talked about the “rewarding evolution” of Halt from computer drama spec script to critical darling. “It’s something that we’re really proud of,” he said.

The season is full of recognizable early ’90s music, including Hole, Pavement and The Breeders. “They’re songs we both loved as children of the ’80s who reached musical maturity in the ’90s,” Rogers said.

“The Chris’s,” as Collier calls them, don’t know what they’ll do after Halt. For premiere night, they’ll be at the fourth birthday party for Cantwell’s son. With a Justice League theme, the boys will dress up as superheroes, with Cantwell as a villain. A Jedi robe and ski goggles will be part of his costume. “It’s still a work in progress,” Cantwell admitted.

Rogers sees possibilities. “That’s our new show!” he quipped.

When actor/producer Tyler Perry announced he would no longer produce scripted shows for OWN after signing an exclusive production deal with Viacom’s networks beginning in 2019, many predicted OWN would pull back from the scripted arena. Instead OWN, under the leadership of network owner Oprah Winfrey, is doubling down on scripted programming.

Along with renewing its Winfrey starrer series Greenleaf and its Winfrey/Ava DuVernay co-produced series Queen Sugar for new seasons, OWN has teamed with creative heavyweights such as Mara Brock Akil and Salim Akil, DuVernay and Will Packer to develop new series targeted to African-American women.

OWN president Erik Logan recently spoke to Multichannel News programming editor R. Thomas Umstead about the loss of original scripted series from Perry, as well as the network’s plan to create new content. Here’s an edited excerpt of their conversation.

MCN:How big is the loss of the Tyler Perry scripted shows to OWN in terms of the network’s development of original scripted series?
Erik Logan: First of all, it’s still business as usual with Tyler — we have him on the air for many more years. He’s been a big part of what we’re doing and we’re going to continue to be in business with him under his exclusivity through May 2019, and we have the right to work with him beyond that on a nonexclusive basis. So we’re not viewing anything as a loss; we’re looking at it as an opportunity to grow our programming with other shows as we pivot into this new era of scripted programming for OWN.

MCN:How important is the scripted genre for the OWN brand?
EL: Obviously, we launched originals through the unscripted space before adding Tyler’s scripted content in 2013. Then Oprah had some thoughts about how she wanted to develop some new vehicles to tell a different story, and that’s when Greenleaf and Queen Sugar came about. Because of the success of those shows, we now have four of the top six scripted shows [among African-American female audiences] in all of cable today. And what that does is, it gives you a tremendous amount of confidence to keep leaning into that type of storytelling, and that led us to having more discussions with other content producers.

Oprah had always wanted to work with Mara and Salim Akil and that deal came together, which was tremendous. Then we had more conversations which led to this amazing opportunity with Will Packer, and Will talks to a different type of audience because Will has his way of telling stories. Then the success with Ava [DuVernay] that we have had with Queen Sugar — which led to the season three [renewal], and also to Harpo Films having an overall deal with Ava — gives us access to more creative. So the way we look at it is we’re going to invest in scripted shows.

MCN:In this crowded environment of 450-plus scripted shows, how important is it for OWN and other networks to have high-profile producers behind scripted products to help cut through the clutter?
EL: I think you know having big hit shows requires a lot of things. It requires an exceptional showrunner; it requires a tremendous writer’s room; it requires a flawless execution — all of the things that we know. When we start the creative process with Oprah, she says to people like Ava, like Mara and Will Packer that this is a place for creatives to really have the freedom to tell the stories that they want to tell. Because Oprah’s part of the alchemy that makes the stories work, we’re able to clearly shine a light on who our audience is, and focusing very specifically on our audience is how we cut through the clutter. We cut through by knowing who we’re talking to and how we’re talking to them.

That’s the reason why we are bullish about this new era that we’re moving into. Because of Oprah, Ava and the work that Tyler has done laying that foundation for us for all those years, scripted will continue to be a part of what we do; Mara has the opportunity to build from there and so does Will. So you know, it really is a very interesting mix of creative people that we have brought together and it all sort of feeds on one another.

MCN:Will Oprah become more involved in the development of these shows, either in front of or behind the camera?
EL: Oprah will weigh in on where she wants to be and how she wants to be. That’s what has been so exciting with this process — you know she can move in and out of any show that she wishes. She works directly with Ava on Queen Sugar and directly with Craig Wright on Greenleaf. So you know Oprah really gets involved with these creative people to establish the expectations of what our viewers want to see. A key part of this is making sure we have stories, imagery, narratives so that our target 25-54 African-American female can see themselves on our air in a way they haven’t before. So getting that right is why we continue to move into this new era of premium scripted cable.

OWN has renewed its original drama series Greenleaf for a third season, the network announced Monday.

The series, which follows the exploits of a family-run Memphis-based megachurch, is currently averaging more than 2 million viewers in live+3 ratings and is cable’s number five original scripted series on ad-supported cable in W25-54 in Live+3, according to OWN.

Greenleaf, which stars Oprah Winfrey in a recurring role, will return for its third season in 2018. In addition, Rick Fox, who portrays journalist Darius Nash, has been upped to a series regular for season three. 

The second half of season two will return with a two-night premiere on, Aug. 15 and Aug. 16, said the network. 

“We can’t wait to see what another season of Greenleaf will bring,” said Erik Logan, President, OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network in a statement.  “This series was instrumental in evolving OWN’s scripted programming and it continues to pull in viewers each week with its unique storytelling and characters.”

Netflix has acquired the streaming rights to OWN drama series Greenleaf, the OTT service said Thursday.

Netflix will stream the first season of the series, which featured Oprah Winfrey in a recurring role, beginning March 3 as part of an agreement between Netflix and series producer Lionsgate.

OWN will launch the sophomore season of the series, which follows the exploits of a family-owned megachurch, on March 15.  The show’s June 21 premiere drew a OWN record 3.0 million viewers.Greenleaf also stars Lynn Whitfield, Merle Dandridge and Keith David. 

Oprah Winfreyis putting the “O” in OWN’s scripted series lineup. After successfully teaming with Tyler Perry to jump into the scripted arena which such originals as The Haves and the Have Nots and If Loving You Is Wrong, the network in June premiered its megachurch-themed drama Greenleaf, in which Winfrey herself starred in a recurring role as blues club owner Mavis McCready. The series was an instant hit for the network, averaging 3 million viewers for its June 21 debut, a record for an OWN series premiere. In OWN’s second non-Perry scripted drama series, the upcoming family drama Queen Sugar, Winfrey serves as executive producer with Selma producer Ava DuVernay. The Wire spoke with OWN president Erik Logan about the network’s scripted series push and how much the Oprah factor and her decision to become more hands-on with the shows have helped influence the network’s scripted fortunes.

Related Video:MCN One-on-One in 2 -- OWN's Erik Logan

The Wire: How have OWN and Oprah looked to develop the network’s original scripted series?

Erik Logan: We’re doing what we feel we’ve always tried to do, which is to find stories that connect with people that need to be told. If you look at Greenleaf narrowly, what excited us all about this project was that it was a family drama, but what was going to make this one different was that we were going to feature African-Americans in a way where they can see themselves in real issues that are facing the community. You put that on the backdrop of an African-American megachurch, and layer in what everybody knows that has either been printed or rumored to have happened in churches of that size and stature, and it really gives a wonderful arena to tell stories.

I think the success is that there’s such a push/pull in this story of truth is greater than fiction and fiction is greater than truth. Every episode, we feel, goes to the audience and invites them to think about themselves, their communities and who they are as well. That has always been the core of OWN. If you go back to 2011 when we put [Oprah’s] Lifeclass on the air for the very first time, when Oprah was just sitting in a chair … the intention of that show was to have people start thinking and inducing interest into how to better your life. Scripted is just a new way of doing that for Oprah. I think you’ll see that with Queen Sugar as well. We tackle some very, very real critical, cultural issues in a very similar way that we did with Greenleaf.

TW: Will we see more of Oprah on screen as the network develops more original scripted content?

EL: Certainly, if you’re running the network, the answer is absolutely. To be real about it, if she sees characters in these stories that really spoke to her — like Mavis spoke to her in Greenleaf — the answer is going to be yes. She loves acting and she’s certainly doing a lot of it now. She enjoyed her Greenleaf experience, but I will also say she enjoyed her Queen Sugar experience just as much — serving as executive producer with Ava — behind the camera as much as in front of the camera. I’m often asked how involved she is, and I say we’ve been having a series of meeting around a lot of things. People still get taken aback that some of the decisions on these shows — whether it’s casting or choosing clothing articles or colors or palettes — that Oprah is in these conversations.

One of the things that I think is so great — and I’ve stolen this as a line from her — is that she taught me that love is in the details. The reason why Greenleaf is as successful and is on brand and is connecting — and why Queen Sugar will be the same — is because that is who Oprah is. She is leaning into those details. We have other projects out there that she may or may not be in. Certainly we have a season two of Greenleaf coming so we’ll see what happens with the storyline of Mavis. It’s real fun to dream that up right now.

[Queen Sugar debuts on Tuesday, Sept. 6, on OWN.]

Tuesday’s premiere of OWN’s new church-themed drama series Greenleaf delivered a ratings record for the network.

The Lionsgate-produced series, which features Oprah Winfrey’s first appearance in a scripted series in nearly two decades, averaged 3.0 million viewers in its debut, easily besting the 1.9 million viewers generated by the September 2014 premiere of the Tyler Perry-produced series If Loving You Is Wrong, said network officials.

The series'  premiere episode, which follows the drama within a close-knit family and their Memphis-based megachurch, also finished as the second most watched cable debut in 2016 behind FX’s The People V. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story, according to OWN. 

In addition, the season premiere of Perry drama The Haves and the Have Nots, drew  2.9 million viewers, said the network

OWN will debut two new episodes of the series tonight beginning at 9 p.m., the network said.

OWN will roll out its latest scripted drama Greenleaf over two nights in May, said network officials.

The series, which, follows the life of preacher Grace Greenleaf who returns to her parents’ Memphis-based megachurch after the mysterious death of her sister, will air episodes on May 24 and May 25, said network executives.

The series and stars Lynn Whitfield (The Josephine Baker Story), Keith David (Community) and Merle Dandridge (The Night Shift), as well as OWN CEO Oprah Winfrey, who appears in her first recurring scripted television role in two decades, according to the network. 

The 13-episode series is produced by Lionsgate Television and executively produced by Winfrey, Craig Wright and Clement Virgo.