Ava DuVernay is taking her talents to NBC with a new series Home Sweet Home.
The award-winning When They See Us director and Queen Sugar showrunner will helm the series described as a social experiment that sounds a little like the long-running Wife Swap, with a twist.
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“The idea for ‘Home Sweet Home’ came to me during the strange and important times we’re all experiencing. The premise is that we are farther apart than ever, yet bound by what we have in common – concerns with health, safety, justice and community.
These notions manifest in each of us in different ways, but nowhere more striking than in the privacy of our own homes. I’m thrilled that NBC and Warner Horizon embraced the challenge of this moment to celebrate the specificity of our differences as we discover the many beautiful things that we have in common,” DuVernay said in a statement.
Here’s the official description:
Each episode of Home Sweet Home taps two families who lead very different lives for a life-changing experience through this full-immersion cultural experiment. The show chronicles the fierce curiosity and sense of adventure it takes to walk a mile in another person’s shoes by challenging racial, religious, economic, geographic, gender and identity assumptions as participants exchange homes for a week and experience the life of someone unlike them in intimate and dynamic ways.
“We are honored to partner with Ava for the first time to bring ‘Home Sweet Home’ to life at NBC,” said Meredith Ahr, President, Alternative and Reality Group, NBC Entertainment. “Led by Ava’s powerful and hopeful creative vision, these stories will reveal genuine moments of change that we hope will spark thought-provoking conversations and encourage compassion, empathy and understanding.”
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Despite the production standstill due to the coronavirus pandemic, DuVernay is continuing to book big projects. She and Colin Kaepernick announced they would be doing a Netflix docuseries based on the NFL quarterback’s formative high school years.
DuVernay has also used her platform to amplify other social justice issues. In June, her company ARRAY announced LEAP, the Law Enforcement Accountability Project that will identify, fund, and generate films from African Americans and women that tell the stories of police violence.
Home Sweet Home is produced by Warner Horizon Unscripted Television in association with ARRAY Filmworks. DuVernay is billed as the series creator and executive producer, along with ARRAY’s Sarah Bremner and Paul Garnes.
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