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Robin Givens to Headline OWN's Upcoming Drama Ambitions
Robin Givens is booked and very busy. In addition to her role on The CW's juicy drama Riverdale (Mayor McCoy) and recurring on The Bold and the Beautiful (Dr. Phillips), Givens has signed on as the lead in OWN's upcoming drama Ambitions. The series is produced by Will Packer Media in association with Lionsgate and Lionsgate-owned distributor Debmar-Mercury.
Created by executive producer/writer and Daytime Confidential's Jamey Giddens (The Rich and The Ruthless) from an original idea by Will Packer, Ambitions will debut on OWN in 2019. The pilot episode will be directed by the legendary Benny Boom (All Eyez on Me, Black Lightning).
Today, OWN announced the start of production in Atlanta. The multigenerational family saga is centered around one woman who, having recently relocated and intent on revitalizing her marriage, finds herself going head to head with some of the most powerful and deceitful players in the city.
Givens will play Stephanie Carlisle, the wife of Atlanta Mayor Evan Lancaster (Brian White), whose true loyalty is to her own family's prestigious law firm, where she is the latest in a long line of distinguished lawyers. Stephanie desperately wants to be in charge of the Carlisle family law firm and quietly fumes about her father Stephen's condescending assertion that she's simply not ready yet. Meanwhile, Evan’s political ambitions seem to cloud his judgement as he is willing to do anything to get to the next level in his career.
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Essence Atkins (Half and Half, Marlon) joins Givens in the role of Amara, a lawyer in U.S. Attorney's Office, who has newly arrived in Atlanta with her husband, Titus (Kendrick Cross). Originally from Texas, she is quickly gaining attention from the U.S. Attorney’s Office as a diligent prosecutor, but disappoints her supervisor by turning down the offer to run point on a major local case. Titus has been hired as in-house counsel for a big pharma company run by Hunter Purifoy, who is fighting a class action suit brought by the powerful Carlisle family.
Rounding out the cast is Brely Evans, who plays the role of Rondell, Evan Lancaster’s sister, who runs a not-quite-profitable restaurant called Thelma's Place. Erica Page is Bella, a fashion designer in Atlanta who designs all of Stephanie Carlisle's dresses.
The award-winning writing staff includes Giddens, Susan Dansby (As The World Turns, The Young and The Restless), Michele Val Jean (General Hospital, The Bold and the Beautiful), Trey Anthony (da Kink in my Hair, How Black Mothers Say I Love You) and Jazmen Darnell Brown (The Citizen, Saints & Sinners).
