‘Queen Sugar’ renewed for sixth season, announces season five airdate

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Not only is Queen Sugar, the OWN TV show that details the lives of the Bordelon family returning for its fifth season, but it was also announced today that they’ve been renewed for a sixth season.

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That’s good news for fans of the show who have enjoyed the loves, dramas, and travails of the Louisiana family based on the 2014 book by Natalie Baszile. The show follows siblings Ralph Angel Bordelon (Kofi Siriboe), Nova Bordelon (Rutina Wesley), and Charley Bordelon (Dawn Lyen Gardner) along with their aunt Vi (Tina Lifford) as they navigate their familial relationships as well as their family-owned farm and mill, Queen Sugar, in the fictional Louisiana town of St. Josephine.

Created by Ava DuVernay, the show has also broken ground behind the camera as DuVernay committed to using female directors for each episode, ultimately using 37 in total, with 34 making their television debuts.

The show’s season five will debut on OWN on Tuesday, February 16 at 8 p.m. This year’s production was reworked in light of both the COVID-19 production shutdown as well as the events of the summer when demonstrators worldwide protested the deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbrery, and Breonna Taylor. The season was reconceived in order to incorporate the racial reckoning and the pandemic into the storylines.

“When Ava came to us with the idea to revamp the storyline for the new season after production was halted due to the pandemic, we knew it was the right decision to give our viewers her unique perspective on the very real issues impacting their daily lives and the effect the demand for racial equality has had on the Black community and our society as a whole,” said Tina Perry, OWN’s president said in a statement.

“We are proud to announce today the pickup of the show’s sixth season which will air later this year enabling us to further explore the compelling story of the Bordelon family. We are grateful to Ava, her creative team, the incredible cast and tireless crew for all the hard work they have put into the show.”

DuVernay worked alongside showrunner Anthony Sparks and supervising producer Norman Vance to write a new version of the fifth season. When we last left the Bordelon’s at the end of season four, they were working to save their land and mill from the Landry/Boudreaux clan, who were vying for control of neighboring Bordelon land. Weaving all of this into the fifth season had to be a challenge so it will be interesting to see how it goes.

“The way Ava creates space to allow these characters to embody real-world experiences is television at its finest and we are proud to continue this ground-breaking series,” Oprah Winfrey, OWN’s CEO, said.  “I hear from so many people that they see themselves in the Bordelon family, and my hope is that through this kind of storytelling the hearts and minds of people are opened for a deeper understanding and empathy of one another.”

The show’s sixth season will air later in 2021. The cast is rounded out by recurring characters Micah West (Nicholas Ashe), Darla (Bianca Lawson), Hollywood Desonier (Omar Dorsey), Blue Bordelon (Ethan Hutchinson), Keke (Tanyell Waivers), Calvin (Greg Vaughn), Davis West (Timon Kyle Durrett) and Prosper Denton (Henry G. Sanders).

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“What a joy and an honor to continue the stories of Queen Sugar with our partners at OWN and Warner Bros.,” said DuVernay. “On behalf of every producer, editor, costumer, grip, writer, cast member, and all departments involved in making this series, we’re delighted to delve into a sixth season and to bring our beautiful audience more of the Bordelon family.”

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