Hulu has confirmed the release date for the upcoming drama series “Black Cake.” The show is set to premiere on Wednesday, November 1, 2023, with the first three episodes becoming available on that date. Following the premiere, new episodes will be released on a weekly basis every Wednesday until December 6, 2023.
Based on the best-selling novel by Charmaine Wilkerson, “Black Cake” is a family drama intertwined with a murder mystery. The cast includes Mia Isaac, Adrienne Warren, Chipo Chung, Ashley Thomas, Lashay Anderson, Faith Alabi, and Glynn Turman in series regular roles.
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Black Cake is developed by Marissa Jo Cerar and produced by Harpo Films and Kapital Entertainment. The storyline is spread across various locations, including Jamaica, Italy, Scotland, England, and Southern California.
Marissa Jo Cerar, who also serves as the showrunner, has adapted the narrative that spans several decades. The story begins with the disappearance of a bride named Covey (Isaac) in the late 1960s, who is presumed drowned or on the run for her husband’s murder. In present-day California, a widow named Eleanor Bennett loses her battle to cancer. When she passes she leaves behind to her two estranged children, Byron (Thomas) and Benny (Warren) a flash drive containing untold stories of her journey from the Caribbean to America. These stories, narrated by Eleanor, challenge her estranged children’s understanding of their family’s history.
Isaac’s Covey is a fierce biracial teenager, growing up in Jamaica in the late 1960’s. As the star swimmer of her community, Covey plans to use her talents to swim around the world–until her dreams are threatened by her overprotective father, who begins to meddle in her personal life. As a result, Covey is put in a position where she must choose between her family and herself, and she spends the rest of her life facing the consequences.
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Thomas’ Byron Bennett is a brilliant ocean scientist, whose formidable work ethic has made him a leader in his field and a popular social media influencer. His professional success comes second only to his relationship with his mother. In the wake of her death, Byron is tasked with carrying out her final wish – a task that forces a reunion with his estranged sister, Benny and brings to light harrowing secrets.
Turman will play Charles Mitch, a successful lawyer in Newport Beach, Calif. whose top priority is to honor the final wishes of his dear friend and client Eleanor Bennett after she loses her battle to cancer. As Charles works with Eleanor’s family to complete her requests, he is persistent to keep the family together while simultaneously working through his own private grief.
Chung will play Eleanor Bennett, who leaves behind a series of recordings after losing her battle with cancer. Her stories chronicle her journey from the Caribbean to America that shock her surviving children, and challenge everything they thought they knew about the woman who raised them.
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Anderson will play Bunny Pringle, a fiery teenager and talented swimmer who struggles to fit in with her peers in 1960’s Jamaica. She and her best friend Covey have big plans to become world-famous swimmers, but when Covey disappears under mysterious circumstances, Bunny is forced to reckon with unforeseen consequences in her own life.
Alabi will portray Pearl Thomas, a stoic and genuine, loveable caretaker for the Lyncook household at a time when things are increasingly dangerous and uncertain. Through it all, she remains unwavering in her devotion to Covey – a gesture that’s rooted in a secret pact she made with the child’s estranged mother, Mathilda, who vanished six years ago.
Recurring guest stars on Black Cake include Ahmed Elhaj, Simon Wan, Anthony Mark Barrow, and Sonita Henry.
Barrow will recur as Clarence “Little Man” Henry, the head of a powerful family in Jamaica in the 1960s who is feared and respected by the Island community.
Henry will recur as Mabel Martin, a well renowned food expert, who enjoys a successful and quiet life with her son and her beloved parents. When her world is upended by a shattering revelation, she’ll be forced to question everything she has believed about her family, sending her down a path that ultimately cracks open the pandora’s box of her own secrets.
Elhaj will recur as Gibbs Grant. After meeting and falling hard for Covey, Gibbs’ bright future is thrown into disarray. As the two encounter countless obstacles, Gibbs’ love for Covey is put to the ultimate test.
The series, consisting of eight episodes, is executive produced by Oprah Winfrey, Aaron Kaplan, Carla Gardini, Brian Morewitz, Charmaine Wilkerson, and Michael Lohmann. Zetna Fuentes will direct the pilot episode and two additional episodes. Natalia Leite, Tara Nicole Weyr, and Mario Van Peebles will also direct. “Black Cake” is a collaborative production by Two Drifters, Harpo Films, and Kapital Entertainment.
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