Oprah Winfrey’s Network Announces A ‘Greenleaf’ Spinoff Is In The Works Following Its Final Season

Fans of Oprah Winfrey’s Greenleaf won’t have to say goodbye to some of its characters right away.

Earlier this month, OWN announced the church drama will be ending after five seasons on the network. The news upset its longtime supporters with the abrupt ending. While the series may be airing its final season starting on June 23, The Hollywood Reporter shared that OWN is developing a spinoff series that will continue to follow some members of the Greenleaf family.

The announcement was also made on Greenleaf’s Instagram page. In a short video, the final season was announced, as well as a confirmation that a spinoff would be taking place. According to the outlet, Greenleaf creator Craig Wright will remain on board for the new series.

In addition to her many roles, Winfrey is also the executive producer of the series. She and Wright always knew Greenleaf would end after five seasons based on the stories both of them wanted to tell. However, Wright shared that he always thought the show could have a spinoff in the future. After seeing how fans responded to the idea of Greenleaf being over, he committed to creating another chapter to the story.

While Wright has shared his plans for another series in the Greenleaf realm, the plot for the new show has yet to be announced. Wright also neglected to share who will be added to the spinoff’s cast. The current show follows the Greenleaf family as they run a megachurch in Memphis, Tennessee. Although they’re the church’s first family, the characters all have their fair share of scandals, lies, and betrayals. Current stars of the show include Merle Dandridge, Keith David, Lynn Whitfield, Kim Hawthorne, Lamman Rucker, and Deborah Joy Winans. Winfrey also appeared as the sister of Whitfield’s character in several episodes.

Greenleaf premiered on OWN on June 21, 2016. The series had the biggest premiere on the network to date, bringing in 3 million viewers in its first airing. Before the show aired for the first time, Winfrey spoke to Variety and shared the importance of authentically making a series about the black church experience. She shared that many of the scenes from the show happened to her in real life. Winfrey also said some of the writers who work on the show also frequently attend church in their personal lives.

“The whole scene where Kerissa (Hawthorne) is attacking Grace (Dandridge) at the table about, ‘Are you spiritual, or religious?’… I’ve had that,” Winfrey revealed, referring to the series premiere. “I’ve also had that moment where Grace is saying out loud, ‘I swear to God.’ I was a little girl once and I said that. And my father said, ‘Not in my house you won’t.'”