Following the success of scripted comedy series, Bounce TV — the nation’s first and only broadcast television network designed for African-American (AA) audiences and TV’s fastest-growing AA network — is expanding into hour-long drama with Saints & Sinners, which will center around the pursuit of power, intertwined with deceit, greed, corruption and murder – all set against the backdrop of a large southern church.
Bounce TV today announced the leading cast of the series and that the eight-episode first season of Saints & Sinners will be seen Sunday nights at 9:00 p.m. (ET) starting March 6. The show is currently in production in and around Atlanta, GA.
Greater Hope Baptist Church is the heartbeat of Cypress, GA a southern town outside Atlanta which evolved into a city over the years. The church began as a 10-member congregation when the Civil Rights Movement was at its height and being young, black and alone at night was a hazard of circumstance. As times changed, the congregation grew and so did its influence in Cypress. When a violent murder rocks the community, the church that holds the secrets of the entire town is at risk of imploding. For it seems at Greater Hope, only God and the Devil can tell the difference between a saint and a sinner.
Saints & Sinners cast announced today:
- Vanessa Bell Calloway (Shameless, Coming to America) as Lady Ella, a beauty queen with a business mind and the power behind the throne as Pastor Evan Johnson’s wife.
- Clifton Powell (Ray, Murder in the First) plays Rex Fisher, a ruthless local loan shark with his hand in many of the dealings in town.
- Gloria Reuben ( Robot, ER) as the Mayor of Cypress Pamela Clayborne, a hard-nosed former prosecutor whose secrets are catching up to her.
- Keith Robinson (Dreamgirls, Are We There Yet?) portrays Miles Calloway, a former R&B star, one hit wonder, now serving as the minister of music at Greater Hope.
- Christian Keyes (Mistresses, Let’s Stay Together) as Levi, the prodigal son who returns to his hometown after a successful run on Wall Street.
- Richard Lawson (Numb3rs, Wag the Dog) plays the beloved Pastor Evan Johnson who is harboring many dark doings from his faithful believers.
- Jasmine Burke (The Vampire Diaries, Army Wives) as Dr. Christie Johnson, the daughter and only living child of Pastor and Mrs. Johnson, who tends to local patients but has her own private issues.
- JD Williams (The Wire, The Good Wife) portrays Jabari, Levi’s cousin who also works for Rex and is torn between family and business.
- Afemo Omilami (Hunger Games: Catching Fire, Forrest Gump) as Detective St. Charles.
Saints & Sinners is being produced in partnership with Swirl Film’s Eric Tomosunas (Undershepard, 35 and Ticking).
Bounce TV is the only emerging broadcast network, also known as a “multicast” network, producing original scripted series. The network’s three originally-produced sitcoms Mann & Wife (First Season), In The Cut (First Season) and Family Time (Third Season) all set network records for viewership in 2015.
Bounce TV is the fastest-growing African-American (AA) network on television and airs on the broadcast signals of local television stations and corresponding cable carriage. The network features a programming mix of original and off-network series, theatrical motion pictures, specials, live sports and more. Bounce TV has grown to be available in more than 93.5 million homes across the United States and 93% of all African American television homes, including all of the top AA television markets. Among the founders of Bounce TV are iconic American figures Martin Luther King, III and Ambassador Andrew Young.
