On Jan. 1, 2011, Oprah Winfrey’s OWN network made its debut, and over the last six years, the network has been able to debut series such as Queen Sugar and Greenleaf that uniquely capture the lives and stories that may not be told elsewhere.
When you look at the series on OWN, you can tell that Winfrey has had a hand in the storytelling. And it’s that storytelling that makes each series unique.
“As a storyteller, I think the ability to create a narrative that people can relate to, feel a part of and feel connected to is the dream of everybody who uses words to allow people to see and feel their own humanity. I’m trying to nourish the spirit and the soul of anybody who turns on the channel and wants to be entertained,” Winfrey stated.
In the series Greenleaf, Winfrey and fellow Executive Producer Clement Virgo capture the essence of storytelling in a thoughtful way while dealing with the delicate issues of religion and the black family.
In the series’ second season, the Greenleaf family tree will split at the root as Jacob (Lamman Rucker, Why Did I Get Married?) leaves his family’s ministry behind and moves on to longtime rival church Triumph Ministries and seemingly abandons his family.
“The themes that we’re trying to use as real-life depictions of what goes on in people’s lives are effective. I think people grappling with where they stand with religion versus spirituality. ... Your husband having an affair. Should you divorce or not?” Winfrey says about storytelling. “It feels like we did that, with a really thoughtful way, that entertained. As well as seeing the best of themselves.”
The first eight episodes of Greenleaf’s second season will debut on Wednesday, March 15, at 10 p.m. ET/PT. The remaining eight episodes of the series’ second season will air this summer.