Queen Sugar

***Queen Sugar*** is an American drama television series created and executive produced by Ava DuVernay, with Oprah Winfrey also serving as executive producer, and based on the novel of the same name by Natalia Baszile. It aired for seven seasons on the Oprah Winfrey Network from September 6, 2016 to November 29, 2022.

## Plot

The series follows the lives of three siblings living in rural Louisiana: Nova Bordelon, a formidable journalist and activist from New Orleans; Charley Bordelon, a working wife and mother in Los Angeles; and their brother, Ralph Angel Bordelon, a single parent struggling with unemployment and raising his son alone. Their father has recently died and unexpectedly bequeathed an 800-acre sugarcane farm in equal proportion to each of his three children in Louisiana. Recently divorced, Charley, whose husband is caught up in a scandalous affair, takes her teenage son Michael and moves to the heart of rural Louisiana to operate the farm. The mainstream themes of the series often accompany episodes centered on racial profiling, the long reach of chattel slavery in American history, and the inequities in the criminal justice system, and other issues related to African Americans.

## Cast and characters

* Rutina Wesley as Nova Bordelon, the eldest Bordelon child. She is a journalist, activist and healer in New Orleans.
* Dawn-Lyen Gardner as Charlotte "Charley" Bordelon West, the second Bordelon child. She was convinced their father Ernest moved west and married a white woman. She is the biracial half sibling to Nova and Ralph Angel, sports manager, mother of Micah and ex-wife of Davis West.
* Kofi Siriboe as Ralph Angel Bordelon, the youngest Bordelon child. He is looking to better himself after recently being released from prison. He is tied strongly to his family and land.
* Nicholas L. Ashe as Micah West, Charley and Davis' teenage son.
* Omar Dorsey as Hollingsworth "Hollywood" Desonier, a much younger oil rigger, husband to Violet, and friend of the Bordelon family.
* Dondre Whitfield as Remy Newell, an irrigation specialist who was a friend and confidant to Ernest. He soon tries to help Ernest's grown children and soon becomes Charley's love interest (seasons 1-3, guest season 4).
* Timon Kyle Durrett as Davis West, a charismatic star basketball player, ex-husband of Charley, and father of Micah. His involvement in a sex scandal resulted in the end of their marriage, though they eventually reconcile and remarry (seasons 1-2, recurring seasons 3-6).
* Greg Vaughan as Calvin Gaston, a married police officer and Nova's longtime secret lover (season 1; guest season 2; recurring seasons 4-5, and 7).
* Ethan Hutchison as Blue Bordelon, Ralph Angel's and Darla's nine-year-old son. (Seasons 1-5; guest season 6; recurring season 7)
* Marycarmen Lopez as Reyna Velez, Blue's elementary school teacher and Ralph Angel's love interest (season 1).
* Tina Lifford as Violet Bordelon, the younger sister of Ernest Bordelon. She acts as the matriarch of the family and lives with her husband, Hollywood.
* Bianca Lawson as Darla Bordelon (nee Sutton), Ralph Angel's wife and Blue and Tru's mother, seeking to reconnect with them both as she is in recovery from a drug addiction.
* Henry G. Sanders as Prosper Denton, a lifelong friend to Ernest and fellow farmer (seasons 3-7; recurring seasons 1-2).
* Walter Perez as Romero Rodriguez, a doctor and love interest to Charley (season 4; recurring season 3).
* Tammy Townsend as Billie, Prosper's estranged daughter (seasons 6-7).

## Episodes

Main article: *List of Queen Sugar episodes*

## Reception

*Queen Sugar* has received positive reviews from critics, who praised the racially progressive show for its storylines that tackle universal issues such as culture, class, and gender, while highlighting elements that address specific concerns for African-American society as expressed by its predominantly black cast.