Page 30 - ARUBA TODAY

A30 PEOPLE & ARTS
Tuesday 14 March 2017

TV drama ‘Greenleaf’ helps get Oprah Winfrey’s TV mojo back

JONATHAN LANDRUM Jr. the most-watched debut
Associated Press in the six-year history of her
ATLANTA (AP) — Oprah network and has given the
Winfrey had long been media mogul a boost of
looking for something that confidence.
would keep OWN view- “It helped me trust my in-
ers from switching to other stincts, because for the first
channels. The answer to couple of years of OWN, I
her prayers turned out to lost a sense of what would
be a juicy drama series set work or not,” Winfrey said.
in a house of worship. “We were trying to do
“Greenleaf,” which co- so many different things.
stars Winfrey in a recurring Trying, trying and trying
role, premiered last year as things all the time. When

In this June 15, 2016 file photo, Oprah Winfrey arrives at the season one premiere of “Greenleaf”
in West Hollywood, Calif.
Associated Press

this worked, I thought ‘OK, through the summer and “Greenleaf.”
I now see that when you seeing how social media Winfrey said the show
move and operate spe- critiqued it, people re- brought new energy to her
cifically from the core of ally loved and craved the network.
what you believe is right, it story. It shows her instincts “In the past, we couldn’t
works.’” were right. But it goes back get Tyler’s audience to
“Greenleaf “ delves into a to the honestly of show. stay for anything,” she said.
story about the troubled People are really relating to “They would just come in
first family of a sprawl- the core of our characters and then they go. So to be
ing Memphis, Tennessee, and the situations that are able to get a great per-
megachurch where adul- setup.” centage of his audience,
tery and domestic abuse Winfrey believed she had I think around 70 percent,
causes disorder. The sec- a compelling story on her to stay tuned for something
ond season of the show hands with “Greenleaf,” else other than a Tyler-pro-
premieres Wednesday at knowing the show was duced show, it was a new
10 p.m. EDT on OWN. “meaningful, juicy and feat for us. It was a new ac-
The show stars Merle Dan- soapy” enough to draw complishment for us.”
dridge as Grace “Gigi” consistent viewers but won- Some originally thought
Greenleaf, the estranged dered if the numbers would “Greenleaf” would be an
daughter who returns home ultimately back that up. attack on black churches.
after 20 years and is trying Her worries were short lived But that wasn’t how the
to investigate her family’s after she saw the first sea- show was received by
past crimes. Her character son’s overall ratings. churchgoers who watched
has been thrust into the pul- The show also pulled in an the series, said Dandridge.
pit as a pastor at her fam- average of more than 3.2 “They really embraced it,”
ily’s megachurch business, million viewers, only sec- said the actor, acknowl-
which is ran by her parents, ond behind Tyler Perry’s hit edging that her family who
Bishop James (Keith David) show “The Haves and Have attends black churches
and Lady Mae (Lynn Whit- Nots,” which averaged supports the show’s con-
field). Winfrey plays the role 3.7 million, according to tent. “It’s powerfully mean-
of bar owner Mavis Mc- Nielsen. ingful to me. I think for some
Cready, the sister of Lady The results caused Winfrey people, they are like voy-
Mae. to breathe a sigh of relief, eurs of what happens be-
Whitfield said she’s always especially since there was hind those walls.”
trusted Winfrey’s vision, but no huge marketing bud- With the success of “Green-
she initially wondered how get behind “Greenleaf.” leaf,” it opened the door
viewers would perceive the The network tried to use the for another hit show on
show, which Winfrey is co- leverage of Perry’s strong OWN: “Queen Sugar.”
executive producer. fan base through his shows “With both shows, we’re
“We didn’t know what on the network to launch trying to hit the nerve of
it was going to be like,” a new series, but struggled reality that resides in every
Whitfield said. “But going for years fill the void until person,” Winfrey said.q