Oprah Winfrey’s (The Butler, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks) OWN has ordered new drama series Delilah from Greenleaf creator Craig Wright (Dirty Sexy Money), via Deadline. Set for a 2021 premiere, the series will be executive produced by Charles Randolph-Wright (South of Nowhere, Mama I Want to Sing) and Winfrey, along with Warner Bros. Television and Harpo Films. Randolph-Wright and Cheryl Dunye (David Makes Man, All Rise) will direct.
“On the heels of the incredible success story of Greenleaf, we are thrilled to continue our partnership with Craig on this compelling new drama,” OWN president Tina Perry said, via Deadline. “Our viewers are going to deeply relate to this story that focuses on powerful woman committed to her family and her community,” Perry said according to Deadline.
The series will star Maahra Hill (black-ish, The L Word: Generation Q) as Delilah Connolly, a lawyer in Charlotte, North Carolina who opens her own practice after a decade-long tenure with a corporate law firm. According to Deadline, Delilah will seek cases overlooked by larger firms, representing the underdog. In addition to her career, she balances raising her two children and nephew, and a complicated relationship with her ex-husband.
According to Deadline, the cast includes Jill Marie Jones (Girlfriends, Sleepy Hollow) as Delilah’s best friend Tamara Grayson. Tamara and Delilah’s friendship will be tested as they find themselves on opposite sides of the courtroom. Susan Heyward (Powers, Orange Is the New Black) is Demetria Barnes, Delilah’s newly-hired associate. And Ozioma Akagha (Marvel’s Runaways, Superior Donuts) will be Harper Conant, Delilah’s good-natured secretary.
Wright’s Greenleaf just wrapped it’s fifth and final season this month, via Deadline. The family drama followed the trials and tribulations of Grace Greenleaf, the prodigal daughter, and reluctant heir to a megachurch dynasty. Starring Merle Dandridge (The Night Shift, Sons of Anarchy), Keith David (Barbershop, The Princess & the Frog), and Lynn Whitfield (Eve’s Bayou, Nappily Ever After), the show has a spinoff series in the works.
Delilah had been in development before the pandemic, according to Deadline. There is no set date for production plans. However, OWN’s New Orleans-based drama Queen Sugar set 2021 to begin production on its fifth season.