Oprah Winfrey’s OWN cable network announced its upcoming slate of projects today at its upfront presentation for advertisers. They include its first made-for-TV film, a two-night miniseries and Master Class episode with Justin Timberlake.
My Name is Love: The Darlene Love Story will be OWN’s first TV film and is set to star Toni Braxton as the beloved 1960’s singer. Winfrey and Twenty Feet From Stardom filmmaker Morgan Neville will executive produce the project. Love herself gained some extra notoriety recently when she sang at the Oscars when Twenty Feet won Best Documentary Feature.
My Name is Love will premiere in December.
Up next is Tulsa, the working title for a miniseries that will air over two nights. Oscar winning The Help actress Octavia Spencer will star as a journalist who investigates the Tulsa race riot, in which 300 people are believed to have been murdered. Nancy Miller, Valerie Woods and Dayna North are executive producing and no premiere date has been set.
Another TV event announced was Belief, which will start next year. The seven-part series will take viewers into the history of what we believe.
Oprah’s Master Class returns on May 11 with a new episode starring Timberlake. Other upcoming episodes will feature Whoopi Goldberg, Tim McGraw, Robin Roberts, Lionel Richie, Barbara Walters, Vanessa Williams, Billy Bob Thornton and Sharon Stone.
Tyler Perry’s The Haves and Have Nots will be back on May 27 and has earned 20 more episodes. The filmmaker’s Single Moms Club series will debut in the fall.