Executive procuer/showrunner Janine Sherman Barrois (Photo by Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images) Matthew A. Cherry, courtesy photo Michelle Listenbee Brown, courtesy photo
Los Angeles โ OWN announced today it has ordered to series โThe Kings of Napa,โ a new drama from acclaimed showrunner/writer/producer Janine Sherman Barrois (โClaws,โ โSelf-Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walkerโ), who will serve as executive producer along with Michelle Listenbee Brown (โLove Is__,โ โReal Husbands of Hollywoodโ) and Oprah Winfrey. The series was created by Sherman Barrois under her exclusive multi-year overall deal with Warner Bros. Television to develop and produce new series. Academy Award-winning director Matthew A. Cherry (โHair Loveโ) is set to direct the first two episodes.
Centered on the power struggle between the wealthy King family siblings in idyllic Napa Valley, the series is produced by Warner Bros. Television and Harpo Films. Production will begin later in 2021 for an early 2022 premiere on OWN.
โWeโve been captivated for years by Janineโs incredible body of work and welcome her into OWNโs family of dynamic drama storytellers,โ said Tina Perry, president of OWN. โJanineโs created compelling characters that hook viewers right from the start, and we canโt wait for her to dive in with this bold and sexy new series.โ
โIโm beyond thrilled to collaborate with OWN on this groundbreaking show,โ said Sherman Barrois, โand to have Academy Award winner Matthew A. Cherryโs brilliant vision bringing it to life is a dream come true.โ
โThe Kings of Napaโ is focused on a gorgeous and picturesque Napa Valley, California, vineyard owned by the Kings, an aspirational African American family whose wealth and status lands them on the pages of design magazines and society pages. The wine business has brought the family success and acclaim, but following the patriarchโs sudden exit from the company, his three children must grapple for the reigns to the kingdom โ to their own power, wealth and legacy.
โThe Kings of Napaโ joins OWNโs robust slate of premium scripted dramas from todayโs visionary storytellers. OWNโs current drama lineup includes Ava DuVernayโs โQueen Sugarโ and โCherish the Day,โ Tarell Alvin McCraneyโs Peabody Award-winning โDavid Makes Man,โ Craig Wrightโs โDelilahโ and Tyler Perryโs long running โThe Haves and the Have Nots.โ
โThe Kings of Napaโ is executive produced by Janine Sherman Barrois, Michelle Listenbee Brown and Oprah Winfrey. The series is produced by Warner Bros. Television and Harpo Films.
About Janine Sherman Barrois
Writer/producer Janine Sherman Barrois executive produced and served as showrunner of the hit TNT series โClaws,โ and executive produced the acclaimed Netflix limited series โSelf-Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker,โ starring Octavia Spencer. Her additional credits include serving as executive producer of longtime hit series โCriminal Mindsโ for CBS and groundbreaking Emmy award-winning โERโ for NBC. Prior to that, she spent five seasons on NBCโs โThird Watch,โ rising from story editor to co-executive producer. Sherman Barrois got her start on โLush Life,โ where she was enlisted after participating in the Warner Bros. Television Writersโ Workshop. She has been honored with multiple NAACP Image Awards and was nominated for the prestigious Humanitas Prize for her writing. Sherman Barrois is an active member of the Writers Guild of America, where she serves in the organizationโs mentoring program as a judge for the Writersโ Access Project, and on the selection committee of its Showrunner Training Program.
About Matthew A. Cherry
Cherry began his entertainment career in 2007, after playing wide receiver in the National Football League. He worked as a production assistant on more than 40 commercials, and then earned his first directorial credit in 2008 on a music video featuring R&B artist Terry Dexter. He went on to direct more than 20 music videos for a wide variety of celebrated artists, including Tweet, Jazmine Sullivan, Chloe x Halle, Kindred the Family Soul, Michelle Williams featuring Beyoncรฉ and Kelly Rowland, Snoop Dogg, and many others. He has directed numerous live action shorts and full-length feature films. His first indie feature, โThe Last Fall,โ was loosely based on the difficulties Cherry experienced after he retired from pro football. The film made its world premiere at SXSW in 2012 and received critical acclaim. His follow-up feature film, the innovative โ9 Rides,โ was shot entirely with an iPhone 6s and premiered at SXSW in 2016.
Cherry previously wrote, produced, and directed the critically acclaimed โHair Love,โ an animated short film about an African American father attempting to do his daughterโs hair for the first time. Released in 2019, โHair Loveโ won the Oscar for Best Animated Short Film at the 92nd Academy Awards ceremony in 2020. Cherryโs accompanying picture book of the same name (illustrated by Vashti Harrison) is a New York Times Best Seller. And he is now executive producing โYoung Love,โ an animated television series from Sony Pictures Animation based on the characters from โHair Love,โ for HBO Max. Cherryโs television directing work includes โThe Last O.G.,โ Warner Bros. Televisionโs โThe Red Lineโ and โWhiskey Cavalier,โ โBlack-ish,โ โMixed-ish,โ and the new โSaved by the Bell,โ among others. He also wrote and directed the web series โAlmost 30โ and โAlmost Home.โ Cherry recently signed a first-look deal with Warner Bros Television and is set to direct the upcoming comedy heist film โThe Come Upโ for New Line Cinema.
About Michelle Listenbee Brown
Listenbee Brown recently served as co-executive producer on the BET+ series โBigger,โ the Warner Bros. Television and Harpo Films drama series โLove Is__,โ and BETโs hit comedy series โReal Husbands of Hollywood,โ starring Kevin Hart, which earned her an NAACP Image Award. Listenbee Brown started her career as a staff writer on UPNโs hit comedy series โThe Parkers,โ rising from staff writer to producer, before going on to co-create and executive produce โSecond Time Aroundโ for UPN. Other credits include Disneyโs โThe Proud Family.โ She recently wrote an ensemble, female-driven feature comedy for Sony Pictures with State Street Producing, and is currently in development on a made for television motion picture for Warner Bros.