BET has landed the TV series First Wives Club, according to Deadline.
The series based on the 1996 film of the same name and starring Ryan Michelle Bathe, Jill Scott and Michelle Buteau was originally set to debut in January on Paramount Network as part of its new Thursday dramedy night. However, the network has since shifted its course and is now reevaluating its planned Thursday night lineup, along with the future of Younger and Emily in Paris.
Per the report, Paramount Network remains committed to scripted series based programming, and continued to develop a number of projects. Moving First Wives Club to BET is just the latest in a number of moves the Viacom network has made to its programming in the wake of the January 2017 Viacom realignment. American Woman, Heathers, Nobodies and Younger jumped from TV Land to Paramount Network. Hit the Floor and The Breaks moved from VH1 to BET. And The Shannara Chronicles made the leap from MTV to Paramount Network predecessor Spike.
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“We are thrilled that Tracy Oliver and Paramount Television’s First Wives Club will be coming to BET Networks,” the company said in a statement. “We have been big fans of Tracy, the project and its incredible cast all along. The concept she has for the series fits perfectly with our programming strategy of character-driven content anchored in the Black experience, and it aligns seamlessly with our core audience. We are currently working closely with Paramount Television on Boomerang and are excited to continue working with them on this project.”
The First Wives Club was a comedy film based on Olivia Goldsmith’s bestselling novel of the same name which starred award-winning actresses Diane Keaton (Annie Hall), Goldie Hawn (Cactus Flower, Private Benjamin), and Bette Midler (For the Boys, Gypsy). The film follows the story of three friends who have lost in touch with one another but reconnected afters so many years due to the sudden death of their friend Cynthia played by Tony Award winning actress Stockard Channing.
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The series like the film will also be based in New York City which will follow the story of three women: Ari (Bathe), a stylish and confident type-A attorney who sidestepped her career to support her husband’s political ambitions; Bree (Buteau), a music superstar who has faded from the limelight; and Hazel (Scott) a overwhelmed mom and doctor who hasn’t let loose in years. They will band together after their marriages fall apart while finding strength in their sisterhood and of course a little revenge.
Tallman is set to play the role of Ari’s husband, David who is a very driven politician whose ambition and ego often come before his wife and Family. Lee will be Bree’s college-sweetheart husband Gary whose infidelity will prove to be a challenge for their marriage while Yoba will portray the Derrick, Hazel’s unfaithful music-mogul husband.
The First Wives Club reboot is a 10-episode series executive produced by Girls’ Trip co-writer Tracy Oliver and Paramount Television. Oliver is also set to write for the series. Karen Rosenfelt and Tony Hernandez of JAX Media along with Scott Rudin ,who was the producer on the First Wives Club film, are the show’s executive producers.
The series will start filming in New York City this fall and is slated for a January 2019 release.
