Our Kind of People, a new drama from writer-executive producer Karin Gist (Mixed-ish, House of Lies) and executive producer Lee Daniels (Precious, The Butler), has been given a script-to-series order by Fox, according to Deadline. The series marks the first new series from Fox to come out of their expedited series production model and new writers’ room, which Gist leads, according to Variety.
The series, inspired by Lawrence Otis Graham’s critical darling of a book, Our Kind of People: Inside America’s Black Upper Class, “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 over 50 years,” according to the logline. The series follows Angela Vaughn, single mother and business owner who attempts “to reclaim her family’s name and make an impact,” according to the Fox press release.
Michael Thorn, Fox’s head of entertainment, said Gist and Daniels are the best people for the project.
“Our Kind of People is a soapy, thrilling exploration of race and class in America and an unapologetic celebration of black resilience and achievement – all daringly told by a team we’ve been eager to get back in business with,” Thorn said, according to the press release. “There are no better storytellers than Karin Gist and Lee Daniels to bring Lawrence Otis Graham’s seminal work to life.”
Our Kind of People is Daniels’ third series for Fox’s primetime slot, having previously worked on Empire, as well as Star, a series on which Gist also worked.
The series is executive produced by Gist and Claire Brown through The Gist of It Productions, Daniels and Marc Velez through Daniel’s own Lee Daniels Entertainment, Pam Williams, Ben Silverman, Howard T. Owens and Rodney Ferrell through Propagate. Montrel McKay also executive produces.