Who Belongs, Who Doesn’t, And Who Gets To Decide? Welcome To The Wealthy, Nuanced World of OUR KIND OF PEOPLE

By BILL HARRIS

Special to The Lede

“It’s so saucy!” That’s the way star Yaya DaCosta describes the new drama OUR KIND OF PEOPLE, which debuts Tuesday, Sept. 21 at 9 p.m. ET on CTV, CTV.ca, and the CTV app.

DaCosta continued, “we are playing with these serious themes, but we are making them so fun and exciting and, you know, kind of … what is it? What is the word I am looking for? Controversial, you know? Spicy.”

Saucy, controversial, spicy – however DaCosta or anyone else wants to put it, OUR KIND OF PEOPLE definitely takes viewers inside a world where the idea of who belongs, and who gets to decide who belongs, is at the heart of the matter.

Inspired by Lawrence Otis Graham’s critically acclaimed book Our Kind of People: Inside America’s Black Upper Class, and executive produced by Lee Daniels and Karin Gist, the series is set in the privileged world of Oak Bluffs on Martha’s Vineyard, a traditional stronghold in the United States for the rich and powerful Black elite. 

The story follows strong-willed single mom Angela Vaughn, played by DaCosta, as she endeavours to reclaim her family’s name and make an impact in the rich crowd with her innovative hair-care line that highlights the natural beauty of Black women. But Angela soon discovers a dark secret about her own mother’s past that threatens to shake up a community that is not exactly open to sudden change or second chances.

“Karin (Gist) wanted her. I wanted her. Tasha Smith, our director, really wanted her. We all did. So we prayed that she could do it, because she did have many other offers,” said Daniels of DaCosta, who is coming off a six-season run as April Sexton on CHICAGO MED.

While DaCosta’s Angela is technically the main character, OUR KIND OF PEOPLE boasts a big and deep cast, which includes Morris Chestnut, Joe Morton, Nadine Ellis, Lance Gross, Debbi Morgan, Rhyon Nicole Brown, Alana Bright, and Kyle Bary. 

“It’s great to have a bunch of Black people on television in a different type of way outside of EMPIRE,” said Daniels, referencing one of his previous projects. “This is a different type of rich Black person. They are not new money. It’s old money, and it’s nuanced old money. It’s very specific. So I’m excited about having people see this world that nobody has seen before, no one understands. I didn’t even understand.”

Chestnut agreed that OUR KIND OF PEOPLE doesn’t fall into the same stereotypical categories that many other TV and film projects can’t seem to avoid.

“Once I read the script, I felt that this story of affluent, wealthy Black people – who are not playing ball, or in entertainment – was something that the world needed to see,” Chestnut said. “So it was a no-brainer for me to sign onto this show.”

Historical information from the book notwithstanding, when Daniels and Gist were asked if they had any contemporary wealthy families in the backs of their minds, Gist prompted laughter when she blurted to Daniels, “You aren’t going to get me sued!” She then added, “the families that I’ve created in this show are just … it’s the essence of what’s in the book. It’s not necessarily based on any family. It’s the essence of Black excellence.” 

Daniels summed up OUR KIND OF PEOPLE this way: “Look, I’m a DYNASTY fanatic. Soap lives in me. And Karin has created such a very unique world with this piece, in that we are treading the line of what is culturally important, and speaking to the culture right now, and what’s soapy, and at the same time trying to stick to some of the story of what (the book) was really about. So, I believe this is, sort of, a first.”

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