The Oprah Winfrey Network announced today that the critically acclaimed drama from Ava DuVernay, Queen Sugar, will be returning for a sixth season.
According to a press release sent to The Root, season five, set to premiere February 16, was completely revamped by DuVernay during the COVID-19 production hiatus. Wanting to reflect the very real and important issues facing our country, DuVernay, along with showrunner Anthony Sparks and supervising producer Norman Vance, reworked the entire season’s premise, tackling major issues such as the coronavirus pandemic, the Black Lives Matter protest movement, political corruption, police brutality, addiction and recovery, systemic racism, and more.
“The way Ava creates space to allow these characters to embody real-world experiences is television at its finest and we are proud to continue this groundbreaking series,” said Oprah Winfrey. “I hear from so many people that they see themselves in the Bordelon family, and my hope is that through this kind of storytelling the hearts and minds of people are opened for a deeper understanding and empathy of one another.”
President and CEO of OWN Tina Perry expressed similar sentiments, saying:
When Ava came to us with the idea to revamp the storyline for the new season after production was halted due to the pandemic, we knew it was the right decision to give our viewers her unique perspective on the very real issues impacting their daily lives and the affect the demand for racial equality has had on the Black community and our society as a whole. We are proud to announce today the pickup of the show’s sixth season which will air later this year enabling us to further explore the compelling story of the Bordelon family. We are grateful to Ava, her creative team, the incredible cast and tireless crew for all the hard work they have put into the show.
Season five of Queen Sugar follows Charley as she continues in her battle with the Landry family while also dealing with son Micah as he begins his freshman year at Xavier University. At the same time, Nova launches her new website to support the community all while moving out of the Ninth Ward to focus on her new relationship with boyfriend Calvin. Meanwhile, Ralph Angel has to learn how to balance both fatherhood to young son Blue and his relationship with girlfriend Darla amidst serious threats to his land and home.
Queen Sugar stars Dawn-Lyen Gardner, Rutina Wesley, Nicholas Ashe, Kofi Siriboe, Tina Lifford, Omar J. Dorsey, Bianca Lawson, and Ethan Hutchison.