Peacock will develop the new family drama series Fruits of Thy Labor, written by Emmy-winner Billy Porter (Pose) and playwright Dan McCabe (The Purists), according to Variety. Greg Berlanti (The Flight Attendant) is on board to produce via Berlanti Productions.
Fruits of Thy Labor is described as “a family drama that follows three generations of an African-American showbiz dynasty navigating their way through life, love, politics and career,” according to Variety.
The script development deal with the NBCU streamer has Porter tapped as a writer, but he is not attached to star in the series, according to Variety. Sarah Schechter (Kung Fu) and David Madden (Superman and Lois) join Berlanti as executive producers.
Porter won an Emmy Award in 2019 for his role as Pray Tell in the FX’s series Pose. He is set to make his directorial feature debut with the upcoming film What If? Porter won a Tony Award for his performance in the Broadway musical Kinky Boots.
Berlanti is a writer, director and producer known for television series and films that span a wide range of genres, from teen dramas (Dawson’s Creek, Love, Simon) to comic book adaptations (Supergirl, Arrow). According to Variety, Berlanti is working with Peacock on an adaptation of the Providence novels by Caroline Kepnes.
Variety notes that Berlanti and Porter teamed up together before — Porter appeared in the 2000 film The Broken Hearts Club, which Berlanti wrote and directed. They are also collaborating on the upcoming musical remake of Little Shop of Horrors, directed by Berlanti and featuring Porter as the voice of Audrey II.