Fun
Frisky
Nostalgic
Intense
Adventurous
Choked Up
Curious
Romantic
Weird
One of the greatest successes of the 2016 TV season was also one of its most unheralded. Queen Sugar debuted last September to record-high ratings for OWN and finished its 13-episode first season as one of TV’s most under-the-radar best shows. Helmed by director Ava DuVernay and adapted from Natalie Baszile’s novel, the show follows the Bordelon family of Louisiana as they attempt to deal with the death of their patriarch and inheriting the family sugarcane farm. Queen Sugar is a high-quality dynastic family soap that is as grounded and well-made as any of TV’s lauded prestige dramas, and when it returns with its second season on June 20th, you should hop on.
The first season of Queen Sugar is currently streaming on Hulu, and it is a remarkably quick binge. Don’t mistake referring to the show as a soap for a slight. When done right, a soapy family drama dealing in relationships, betrayals, infidelity, politics, and romance can be as top-notch as any crime saga. But don’t expect an Empire-style celebration of excess. Queen Sugar is grounded in its dramatics, though it churns up enough interest in its characters that you might end up watching it with a full bowl of popcorn, throwing handfuls at your least favorite characters and cheering for your faves anyway.
Before season 2 kicks off on June 20th, here are five reasons you need to catch up on Queen Sugar ASAP:
These Are Stories We’re Not Seeing Elsewhere on TV: Following the lives of a southern black family in a way that’s more domestic than the cops-and-crime genre that’s so prevalent elsewhere on TV feels like a radical act. The Bordelons live in the real world, where black communities are still over-policed, where the economy still threatens to swallow people up, but the main drama of Queen Sugar is decidedly family focused. The central trio — siblings Nova (Rutina Wesley), Charley (Dawn-Lyen Gardner), and Ralph Angel (Kofi Siriboe) — have a fascinating familial dynamic. Nova is the oldest, most forceful, but also fiercely independent of her family. She’s a reporter and an activist and has no time for … well, any of it. Charley moves back from Los Angeles after her father’s death and amid a twadry sex scandal with her pro-athlete husband. She’s got money of her own, which sets her up for conflict with her siblings. Ralph Angel is the youngest and most troubled. Just by his name you can tell he was doted on from a young age, but he’s the most consistent fuck-up of the three. At times the conflicts between the siblings feels biblical, or at least Shakespearean. Also central to the story are Charley’s teen son, Ralph Angel’s grade-schooler son, and the siblings’ aunt Vi (Tina Lifford), who is the best of everyone. Representation on TV matters, and in this age of peak TV, a quality drama about a black family that feels this plugged into reality is so essential.
The Acting Will Take You Back: Parenthood fans will know Lifford from her role as Jasmine’s meddling mom, but she really gets to shine here as Vi, who as I have mentioned before is the best. Gardner and Siriboe are similarly putting in fantastic performances. But get ready to be all the way here for Rutina Wesley, who occasionally had chances to show her stuff on True Blood, but is in a whole different ballgame here. Nova is a dream of a character, righteous and flawed, torn between her family and her work, bisexual and honestly super hot about it. She’s an all-star character, and Wesley gives her every bit of charm and fire that she deserves.
The Women Behind the Camera: If you heard about Queen Sugar last year, odds are it was because Ava DuVernay made headlines by hiring women to direct all 13 episodes of season 1. The talent they’re getting to display is formidable. From Tina Mabry to Neema Barnette to Salli Richardson-Whitfield, So Yong Kim, Victoria Mahoney, and Kat Candler, it’s an all-star team of directorial talent that deserves a leg up. Along with the recently cancelled American Crime, Queen Sugar is leading the way when it comes to correcting Hollywood’s directing imbalance.
It’s Quietly Spiritual: This shouldn’t come as such a surprise considering producer Oprah Winfrey is so famously spiritual herself, but there is a strong undercurrent of tradition and faith in this show, depicted in a way that feels neither forceful nor judgmental. It’s there as the family makes plans for their father’s funeral services, and when Nova says a quiet prayer for a battered teenager in the hospital. Seeing spirituality treated this way on TV is another rarity, and it’s another reason why Queen Sugar is bringing it in a way you’re not getting elsewhere.
Season 2 Looks Breathtaking:
Stream Queen Sugar on Hulu and watch new episodes starting with the two-night season premiere on OWN, June 20th and 21st.
