The Quiet Brilliance of Ava DuVernay’s Queen Sugar

In September 2016, a marvelous thing happened–two television shows, both created and produced by Black people and showcasing contemporary Black life in the South, premiered on cable networks the very same night. One of them, Atlanta, would go on to receive critical acclaim and be nominated for (and win) Golden Globes. The other, Queen Sugar, would attract some notice at its premiere but then quietly settle in and fly under the radar for the rest of its first season. Created and produced by Ava DuVernay and based on the novel of the same name by Natalie Baszile, this languidly paced drama is as solid as the soil beneath its feet. The show follows the Bordelon family as three siblings struggle to put their patriarch to rest and restore the troubled sugarcane farm he has left them as his legacy. Set in rural Louisiana, the scenery provides a lush, saturated backdrop for standout performances by a gorgeous and talented cast. Dawn-Lyen Gardner plays Charley, the eldest child, who returns to the family farm with her teenage son amidst a scandal on her husband’s Los Angeles basketball team. Conflict flares immediately between wealthy, type-A Charley and her younger sister Nova, a newspaper journalist and activist played by True Blood’s Rutina Wesley. Kofi Siriboe turns in a disquietingly intense performance as Ralph Angel, the baby brother trying to keep his nose clean and care for his young son Blue after a recent stint in prison. Anchoring this family is warm, gregarious Aunt Vio…