Gabrielle Union is bringing “The Sisters Are Alright: Changing the Broken Narrative of Black Women In America” to the small screen. The “L.A.’s Finest” actress’ I’ll Have Another Productions and Katie and Mauricio Mota’s Wise Entertainment have optioned Tamara Winfrey-Harris’ award-winning 2015 nonfiction book to develop as a 30-minute dramedy for TV, Deadline reports.
Winfrey-Harris’ book explores how Black women are pushing back against anti-Black propaganda and stereotypes, and tackles subjects such as motherhood, sexuality, and beauty with real life stories from Black women.
Titled “The Sisters Are Alright,” the series will follow “the real lives of three childhood best friends whose worlds are turned upside down after they agree to be part of a reality series called ‘Sistas In the City.’ The idea is to explore the duality of the women striving to make their dreams come true while surviving the brutal world of reality TV,” the source details.
It’s underdetermined whether Union might appear on-screen in the project.
Sonja Perryman, who previously wrote for Facebook Watch’s “Five Points” and served as a development exec at Wise, is attached to pen the adaptation.
“I have always been a fan of Tamara’s book and Sonja has taken the genius of that book and created a juicy world with such rich, multi-faceted Black women. This is a series that says something loudly but through such a fun lens,” said Union. “This is a world that offers endless story opportunities and we can’t wait to tell them. I’ll Have Another and Wise Entertainment share similar mandates when it comes to their dedication to creating content for underserved and underrepresented audiences. Both are committed to growing creatives of color and developing meaningful stories that connect to today’s audience.”
Perryman added, “After reading Tamera’s book, I was inspired to create a show that examines the suffocating and often dangerous stereotypes that Black women have been up against for centuries, and I thought reality TV would be the perfect metaphor to do so. Our show addresses these issues in a fun and entertaining way, while always centering sisterhood — a powerful refuge for so many Black women, myself included.”
“Do your best to try to hold the door open and hold people responsible,” Union said in a 2019 panel discussing women’s empowerment and inclusivity. “Yeah, I’m asking you to do the impossible … I’m fully aware that job loss is on the table … but if you’re not doing it, nobody is,” she emphasized. “There are a lot of people who are only interested in filling their own plate,” Union continued. “I can’t enjoy my food if everyone else is starving.”
Union has a slew of projects in the pipeline, including a “Cheaper By the Dozen” reboot directed by Gail Lerner and Numa Perrier’s follow-up to “Jezebel,” “The Perfect Find,” a Netflix rom-com about a woman working in beauty journalism. She’s exec producing the former and producing the latter. “Being Mary Jane” and “Bring It On” are among her best known acting credits.
