Okay, you might think I’m jumping the gun, but I will say right now Fox is debuting two new mid-season shows, “Star” and “24: Legacy” that are bound to be big hits. Although the storylines are not new, the telling of the stories are.
From fresh new faces and hot music, to action-packed moves that boggle your mind, “Star” and “24: Legacy” will most assuredly follow in the footsteps of Fox’s “Empire,” the unexpected drama that challenged the networks and their programming practices and reflected a higher visibility of Black performers and Black-themed productions.
It should come as no surprise that the creator, and director of Fox’s “Star” is none other than Lee Daniels (“Monster’s Ball,” “Precious,” and “The Butler”). But Daniels says don’t look for “Empire’” characters to reflect the “Star” characters. As a matter of fact, in a recent interview with Variety, Daniels has dubbed it the anti-“Empire”: “If ‘Dynasty’ was my go-to when Danny (Danny Strong co-producer of “Empire”) and I were making ‘Empire,’” he says, “’Good Times,’ ‘Maude,’ and Archie Bunker were my go-to when I was making this.”
The story follows three talented singers, desperate for a new start and with ambitions of stardom, as they navigate the cut-throat music business on their road to success. Meet “Star” (Jude Demorest), a tough-as-nails young woman, who came up in the fostercare system and decides one day to take control of her destiny. Star tracks down her sister, Simone (Brittany O’Grady), and her Instagram bestie, Alexandra (Ryan Destiny), and together, the trio journeys to Atlanta to become music superstars.
Award winner Queen Latifah (“Bessie,” “Bringing Down the House”) plays Carlotta, a surrogate mother to the young crew. Emmy Award nominee Benjamin Bratt (“24: Live Another Day,” “Law and Order”) rounds out the cast as Jahil, a down-on-his-luck talent agent looking to revitalize his career, who’s taken a certain shining to Star. The series will also feature guest star and Grammy Award winner Lenny Kravitz (“Lee Daniels’ The Butler,” and “The Hunger Games”).
Reality soon dawns on the girls’ fantasies, and they start to learn that ambition often comes at a cost. And sometimes that cost is too high.
“Star” premieres Wednesday, Dec. 2014 at 9/8c on Fox.
The 13-aweek series features a soundtrack of original music and stunning music performances. For more on “STAR” visit the website for a breakdown at http://www.fox.com/star/article/about-the-show.
“24: Legacy” is coming in February. This action-packed thriller is a new take on the franchise that features an all-new cast of characters and is structured in the same style of the original series.
The story revolves around a military hero, Eric Carter (Corey Hawkins “Straight Outta Compton,” “The Walking Dead”), a strong and smart former Army Ranger finds himself pulled back into action as his past comes looking for him. He eventually turns to a CTU (counter terrorist unit) for help saving his life and stopping what potentially could be one of the largest-scale terror attacks on American soil.
Miranda Otto, Jimmy Smits and Dan Bucatinsky co-star in the drama.
“24: Legacy,” will premiere on Sunday, Feb. 5, after the network’s broadcast of Super Bowl LI.
For more information, visit the Fox website at http://www.fox.com/24-legacy/article/about-the-show.
