(L to R) Aunjanue Ellis as Dr. Mattie Moss Clark, Kierra Sheard as Karen,Β Angela Birchett as Jacky, Raven Goodwin as Denise,Β Christina Bell as Twinkie and ShelΓ©a Frazier as Dorinda. Photo credit: Lifetime
April 14, 2020Β β Hallelujah! TheΒ LifetimeΒ Original MovieΒ The Clark Sisters: First Ladies of GospelΒ hit a high note on Saturday night, delivering 2.7 million Total Viewers in L+SD, according to Nielsen Media Research, making it Lifetime’s highest-rated movie since 2016 and the strongest original movie on all of television for 2020 across key demos, including both broadcast and cable. Additionally,Β The Clark SistersΒ was the best ad-supported cable original movie since 2018 in key demos, with 1.1 million Adults 25-54, 905,000 Adults 18-49 and 813,000 Women 25-54. With the success ofΒ The Clark Sisters, Lifetime now claims the top three original movies on ad-supported cable in 2020 in key demos, along withΒ Stolen By My Mother: The Kamiyah Mobley StoryΒ andΒ Chris Watts: Confessions of a Killer.
On social media,Β #TheClarkSistersΒ ranked #1 across all TV on April 11 with over 700,000 interactions, according to Nielsen Social. #TheClarkSisters was the top social Lifetime movie over the last year.
Hailing from executive producersΒ Queen Latifah,Β Mary J. BligeΒ andΒ Missy Elliott,Β The Clark Sisters: First Ladies of GospelΒ recounts the story of the legendary pioneers of contemporary gospel music and their trailblazing mother, Mattie Moss Clark (Aunjanue Ellis). Credited with bringing Gospel music to the mainstream, the five Clark sisters (Christina BellΒ as βTwinkie,βΒ Kierra SheardΒ as βKaren,βΒ Raven GoodwinΒ as βDenise,βΒ ShelΓ©a FrazierΒ as βDorinda,βΒ Angela BirchettΒ as βJackyβ) overcame humble beginnings in Detroit, enduring abuse, loss, rejection, betrayal, and sibling rivalries to achieve international fame as icons of the Gospel music industry. Grammy-winner, songwriter and gospel record producer and artistΒ Donald LawrenceΒ produced all the re-recorded Clark Sister hits for the movie.Β Christine SwansonΒ (Chicago P.D.) directed, based on a script written byΒ Sylvia L. JonesΒ andΒ Camille Tucker. In addition to Latifah, Blige, and Elliott, executive producers also includeΒ Holly CarterΒ who also executive produces for RelevΓ© Entertainment and Shakim Compere executive produces for Flavor Unit.Β Loretha Jonesalso executive produced.Β