“Girls Trip” co-writer Tracy Oliver is putting her own stamp on “The First Wives Club.” BET+’s reboot of the 1996 comedy starring Goldie Hawn, Bette Midler, and Diane Keaton is similar to the original “in the sense that it’s three women discovering themselves, their power, their beauty, and why they matter,” Oliver says in a new featurette for the series, on which she’s credited as creator.
The spot introduces the characters at the center of the new “First Wives Club” and the cast who portrays them: Bree (Michelle Buteau), Hazel (Jill Scott), and Ari (Ryan Michelle Bathe).
An enthusiastic Buteau describes how the experience of working on set with “magical bitches” is giving her a “lady boner.” She loves how Bree, a doctor, “will fight for her family … and be there for her friends.” Scott shows admiration for Hazel, a celebrity R&B singer whom she identifies as “unapologetically fabulous.” Bathe describes how Ari, a former lawyer who is running her husband’s political campaign, is the friend who has kept the group together.
“If you want to laugh, you should watch this show. I f you want to cry, you should watch this show. If you want to see three women take back control of their own lives and their own narrative, you’ve got to watch this show,” Bathe emphasizes.
You can catch “The First Wives Club” September 19 on BET+.