If you're not planning on tuning in to Queen Sugar when it premieres on OWN, you're making a big mistake. But don't take our word for it. Allow the Queen of All Media, Oprah Winfrey herself, to explain why the gorgeous drama debuting on her network and which she co-created alongside Ava DuVernay is a must-see.
"[A] really deep connected feeling about the values that we all share as human beings, no matter what race or what background we come from," Winfrey told E! News' Zuri Hall at series' big premiere when asked what she hoped viewers took away from the show. "That you can be Southern, you can be L.A. chic, you can be rich, you can be poor, but the feeling and heart that you feel in this series is about connection. And it's about values that everybody watching also shares or has shared at some point in their families."
Queen Sugar, adapted from the book of the same name by Natalie Baszile, tells the story of the Bordelon siblings of Saint Josephine, LA as they struggle to adapt to life's new circumstances following the death of their beloved patriarch. True Blood's Rutina Wesley stars as Nova Bordelon, an investigative journalist and activist living in New Orleans, not far from her brother Ralph Angel (Kofi Siriboe), an ex-con making strides to rebuild his life with his young son. Their estranged sister Charley (Dawn-Lyen Gardner), the wife of a professional basketball player, returns home after their father's passing (and a scandal involving her husband makes living in Los Angeles untenable), forcing all three to work together to deal with their father's legacy: An 800-acre sugar cane farm.
"See, it's a very character-driven series. So much so that what happens isn't as important as who it's happening to," Winfrey told us. "What I love, too, about them is that they're just real people. They're just regular, real people that represent the people who are watching...They're just regular people trying to make their way through life, getting by, doing the best they can every day with the best choices and decisions."
And who can't relate to that?
For more from Winfrey, as well as to hear from DuVernay, Wesley and Siriboe, be sure to press play on the video above.
Queen Sugar's two-part premiere airs Tuesday, Sept. 6 and Wednesday, Sept. 7 at 10 p.m. on OWN.