After seven seasons and nearly 90 episodes, the acclaimed drama series “Queen Sugar” is coming to an end.
Oprah Winfrey Network announced the final season will kick off on September 6 at 8 p.m. ET, Deadline reported.
It will be the beginning of the end of the story about the Bordelon siblings as they manage their family’s 800-acre sugar cane farm in Louisiana following the death of their father.
Created and executive produced by Ava DuVernay, “Queen Sugar” has been one of the longest-running, hour-long Black family dramas on television. The series served as a model for hiring more women and people of color in directorial and crew roles.
“Queen Sugar” has employed 42 women directors — 39 of them making their U.S. directorial debut in scripted TV — since premiering in 2016, with each new director moving on to other opportunities in the entertainment industry, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
To commemorate the show that has opened doors for so many aspiring filmmakers, DuVernay was presented with a key to the city of New Orleans on July 20. Mayor LaToya Cantrell declared that date will be celebrated henceforth as Queen Sugar Day, per The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate.
“This is in celebration of the hit television series that not only honors the city of New Orleans but has again revolutionized the television industry,” Cantrell said, standing before the show’s cast and crew on-set where the show was being filmed.
Accepting the honor, DuVernay thanked the “incredible” crew of mostly local New Orleans residents for welcoming the Los Angeles-based production group and cast with open arms and treating them like family.
“It’s the crew members that are the closest to my heart,” she said, according to the local newspaper.
“Queen Sugar” has earned several accolades during its six-year run, including multiple NAACP Image Awards honors.
The show, based on Natalie Baszile’ 2014 novel, stars Dawn-Lyen Gardner (Charley), Rutina Wesley (Nova) and Kofi Siriboe (Ralph Angel) as the Bordelon siblings. Tina Lifford, Nicholas L. Ashe, Omar Dorsey, Timon Kyle Durrett, Bianca Lawson, Ethan Hutchinson and Amirah Vann play other key characters in the series.
“New Orleans has been a home to me, it’s been a home to all of us,” Dorsey told the cast and crew at the inaugural Queen Sugar Day ceremony, the Times-Picayune reported. “You have taken us in. You have made us sons and daughters.”
“Thank you for lifting us up while we were able to tell this amazing story,” Wesley added. “I can’t believe it’s ending, but I’m proud of the work we’ve done.”
Fans can stream previous seasons of “Queen Sugar” on Hulu.
theGrio’s Tonya Pendleton contributed to this report.
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