Queen Sugar

"Queen Sugar" examines the intricate dynamic of familial relationships, race, culture and heritage. If you're interested in another predictable array of characters and plot twists, then you will likely be disappointed. Should your soul require retouching, or should the transcendence of blackness be something you dare allow handle you, then Ava DuVernay and Oprah Winfrey's collaboration is well worth your attention.

The highly praised director of 2014's "Selma" is yet breaking ground as one of the elite visionaries of our time. Equipped with a diverse crew under all-women directors, "Queen Sugar" takes you to the mountaintop with intimate aesthetics and actors whose commitments will leave you at the edge of your seat. You will also journey through the valley as siblings Nova, a natural healer, journalist and activist, sister Charley, a scholar, business manager and NBA wife, and their brother, the previously incarcerated single-father, Ralph Angel, are further bound in the wake of their father's failing health. This may sound a little like George Tillman Jr.'s 1997 film "Soul Food," and while the resemblance is uncanny, the setup is real. Unfortunate as it is, life tends to bring families together on few occasions—mainly weddings and funerals. It's painful, and beautiful. It's infuriating, and righteous. It's a feeling of undisputed connectedness that empties your belly and puts weight in your toes. And in the midst of America's current socio climate pervaded by the Black Lives Matter movement, rest assured that "Queen Sugar" is both aware and intentional. You will be moved and forced to confront some difficult scenarios should you choose to tune in. "Queen Sugar" is certainly more than entertainment, but make no mistake, it's still damn good TV. If that doesn't convince you, the opening scene of episode one featuring Nova played by Rutine Wesley ("True Blood") in little more than sweat and shadows to accompany her luscious locs and exquisitely defined sable physique should provide more motivation, if not #workoutgoals. And get ready to upgrade your playlist as neo-soul artist Meshell Ndegeocello's musical direction offers the perfect underlay to what already promises to be a phenomenal project.

The contemporary drama is adapted from a novel of the same name written by Natalie Baszile. Leading roles are portrayed by: Rutine Wesley (Nova), Dawn-Lyen Garner (Charley), and Kofi Siriboe (Ralph Angel).

Whom ever decided this was a good thing to keep in a story line is a dumb a@@

When I first heard of the showings for this series, I was kind of skeptical to watch, since it was initially stated it would be a short series, so I recorded the first two so that I could make sense of it. I'm glad I decided to. The series is GREAT and quite believable. I can never wait until the next showing as it leaves you on the edge of your seat and waiting for the next. This, as with all great series, will be very upsetting to me once it ends. I totally love it am glad that OWN is there and Oprah allows the African American shows to be aired on her network and am sure that other networks will not even give it a second thought. The plot is very intriguing and edgy. The writer is brilliant and the cast are excellent actors/actresses and I love each one of them and everything they bring to the show. Other viewers whom rate as bad and just another black show are confused and of course they are entitles to their own opinion but I highly advise others to view for themselves before looking at other reviews and their negative opinions and decide to watch and get into it. Once again OWN, thanks for the excellent and mind-intriguing shows!!

I would have rated it a 9, but what happened with season 6? Did the writers go missing? It feels forced and fake. The only storyline that's worth following is Violet and Hollywood. Luckily they're my favorite characters, but still, the season feels like they just phoned it in, like someone said, ok, what are the most generic stories in the news and we'll go with those. I really hope the final season redeems itself after such a dismal season. It would be such a shame for a great show, great characters, to end as they did. It's like everyone (except the actors) just gave up.

I have enjoyed this new series so far and plan to watch the remaining episodes because I'm now hooked. The new faces peeked my interest and did not disappoint in their delivery of the real life complicated humans that we are. I can relate to their perspectives on what is happening to them and I love the New Orleans agriculture background being included as its own character. Even actors I have seen before, like Dondre Whitfield and Tina Lifford, bring new dimensions to the type of characters they are playing so their acting evolution is noticeable. The eye candy of men/women on this show is drool worthy and certainly keeps me engaged with the story line. Hopefully this first series will inspire a continual story line for other seasons to come.