FX brings author Octavia E. Butler’s sci-fi novel Kindred to the small screen in an eight-part series premiering on Hulu December 13.

The series, executive produced by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, revolves around a young, black writer who settles down in Los Angeles and eventually time travels between the present and a pre-Civil War period where she encounters slavery while meeting her ancestors.

Hulu will debut all eight episodes of the series, which stars Mallori Johnson, Micah Stock, Gayle Rankin and Ryan Kwanten.

Jacobs-Jenkins, a two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist who has worked on such television shows as HBO’s Watchmen and Prime Video’s Outer Range, said adopting Butler’s groundbreaking 1979 novel was something he had worked toward for years.

“This was one of the first and only books where I closed it and thought to myself this is about me, my family and my history,” he said. “It’s about coming of age as an American and having to reckon with the legacies of the history that makes up this country’s narrative.”

Kindred debuts during an unprecedented time for content produced by people of color to be seen and experienced on television, according to Jacobs-Jenkins.

“There’s more work for creators of color than at any point in history,” he said. “There are just so many options as viewers, and I feel very lucky to be operating in this moment. I don’t have to feel the pressure about being the only Black content creator interested in this and other material. It’s an embarrassment of riches.”

At the same time, he hopes that Kindred can contribute to the authentic and accurate discussion and media portrayal of slavery in America.

“Nothing has done more damage to the way we think and talk about slavery in this country than TV and film,” he said. “I’m trying really hard to see if we can repair that – how do we refresh our thoughts about the people who lived during this period, the choices that were made and what it takes to survive? Ultimately those lessons are the lessons for how we survive now.” ■ 

MTV Entertainment Studios will partner with Angela Bassett and Courtney B. Vance to develop a docuseries on the history of slavery.

The four-part series, One Thousand Years of Slavery, will air on the Smithsonian Channel and will examine how slavery stained the past, shaped the present, and continues to rewrite our future through powerful stories of notable individuals courageously sharing their deeply personal Black experiences, the network said.

The Bassett Vance Productions-produced series, which will air in 2022, will feature interviews and comments from such distinguished leaders as Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III, U.S. Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and actor David Harewood, according to MTV.

“We are honored to partner with Bassett Vance Productions on this long overdue landmark documentary series that reveals the untold story of human bondage on a global scale,” said Nina L. Diaz, president of content and chief creative officer at MTV Entertainment Group and for unscripted and adult animation at Paramount Plus.

In May MTV, Bassett and Vance announced the development of a limited series based on the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre.

RELATED: MCN Review: WGN America's 'Underground'|MCN Original Video > Content Spotlight: WGN's 'Underground'

Grammy-, Golden Globe- and Oscar-winning singer/songwriter John Legend is looking to hit the right notes on TV, serving as executive producer of WGN America’s antebellum drama series, Underground, which depicts the “Underground Railroad” used by 19th-century African-American slaves to escape the South for the free states and Canada (premiering March 9). He also produced the title song. The 37-year-old Legend discussed his move into television, along with his Get Lifted production company, as well as diversity on the small screen with Multichannel News programming editor R. Thomas Umstead. An edited transcript follows.

MCN:What drew you to theUndergroundproject?

John Legend: We were happy to join a team that was already in place with [show creators] Joe [Pokaski] and Misha [Green] and an amazing cast. We’re just happy to help bring the story to light because that’s what producers do — we collaborate with great creative people. I think it’s such a powerful and riveting show and I want people to see it.

MCN:Did you have any apprehensions about moving into the television arena?

JL: [Get Lifted partner Mike Jackson] convinced me that because of who I am and what I do this would be a great opportunity to have an impact in the business, since I’m already plugged into the creative community and Hollywood. I’m an English major who loves to read and consume great stories, as well as great TV and film, so I can use my influence in the community to help bring great stories to light.

MCN:You also had a big hand in directing the music for the show. Since this is a period piece was it difficult to create and match music to the time in which the story takes place?

JL: We used contemporary music, and while we also used period music, we didn’t want it to feel stuck in that era. We wanted to connect it with current popular culture and make it feel like it was coming off the walls of a museum and feel more present and alive. We all went into it with that vision — we didn’t want it to feel staid and stiff, and feel like you were doing a homework assignment to watch it. We wanted it to feel alive and full of action, suspense and thrills. So the music helped us do that.

MCN:Do you think younger viewers will gravitate to the series given its historical nature?

JL: We’re trying to make this relevant to anybody who’s watching it — black, white, Latino, Asian, young or old. We’ve been removed from slavery now for several generations, and we know a little about it from history books, although I think our history classes don’t do a good enough job of telling the stories. We think the power of the story itself and the characters, as well as the storytelling by the director and the music, will connect it to a younger generation. We didn’t slap in new music just to make it cool for the kids, but we really tried to make the music feel organic to what was happening in a given situation.

MCN:Do you think the increased amount of multicultural-themed shows on television helps the overall appeal and interest in the show?

JL: It’s clear that you’re able to see a lot of people of color on television right now in various roles and time periods, and I think the success of shows like Empire, Black-ish, Scandal and other shows where we’re seeing black people in positions of power doing things behind and in front of the camera shows Hollywood and the powers that be that it’s important to tell diverse stories, and creates a climate where it’s easy for us to get this type of show on the air. We’re really starting to see a diverse range of content — not just black and white, but also Asians, Latinos, people of different eras and different countries. You’re seeing a lot of subcultures that are being explored in great television shows, and this is an important story and time period in American history, and we’re excited to get this story on the air.

MCN:What other projects are you working on?

JL: We’re producers on a movie Southside With You, which premiered at Sundance. We’re also working on a couple of documentary projects, not to mention I’m working on a new album and expecting a baby [with wife Chrissy Teigen].