MadameNoire
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As recently announced, Tasha Smith is set to direct the pilot and second episode of a new show written by Karin Gist and executively produced by the latter and Lee Daniels. Inspired by the book Our Kind of People: Inside America’s Black Upper Class by the late author and attorney Lawrence Otis Graham, the show will be released via 20th Television and Fox Entertainment.
According to Deadline, Our Kind of People is said to be a drama series that “takes place in the aspirational world of Oak Bluffs on Martha’s Vineyard, a historical stronghold where the rich and powerful black elite have come to play for more than 50 years.” Describing the main character Angela Vaughn as a “strong-willed, single mom,” Deadline reports that in the show “she sets out to reclaim her family’s name and make an impact with her revolutionary haircare line that highlights the innate, natural beauty of Black women but soon discovers a dark secret about her mother’s past that will turn her world upside-down and shake up this community forever.”
In her statement about the new series, Smith shared, “Magic is something you create, and showrunner Karin Gist has given new life to the special story that is Our Kind of People. I am honored and thrilled to bring her work to life alongside executive producer Lee Daniels, who is a wonderful producer and mentor to me.”
If you recall, this will be Smith’s return to Fox. She previously held the role of Cookie’s sister Carol Hardaway on the network’s hit series Empire. As per Deadline, she also “directed two episodes of the network and studio’s Star” — which the outlet noted was co-created by Daniels and also executive produced by Gist and 20th TV.
As an actress who’s starred in things such as Why Did I Get Married? and For Better or Worse, Smith also runs an acting school through which she’s worked Mary J. Blige for the singer’s Oscar-nominated performance in the film Mudbound, and Andra Day for her Golden Globe-winning performance as the lead in Hulu’s The United States vs. Billie Holiday.
Regarding her directing background, the outlet listed Smith’s impressive director credits for “Starz’s P-Valley, ABC’s Big Sky, Fox’s Star and 9-1-1 and CW’s Black Lightning.” According to them, she’ll also be an executive producer in addition to the director of the pilot and a few episodes of Starz’s upcoming series Black Mafia Family.
Will you be watching Our Kind of People when it premieres?
