‘Our Kind Of People’: Melissa De Sousa & McKinley Freeman Join Fox Drama As Recurring

EXCLUSIVE: Melissa De Sousa (The Best Man franchise) and McKinley Freeman (Titans, Queen Sugar) are set for recurring roles opposite Morris Chestnut and Yaya DaCosta in Fox drama series Our Kind of People, from writer/executive producer Karin Gist and executive producer Lee Daniels. The role reunites De Sousa with Chestnut, with whom she stars in The Best Man franchise. Joe Morton also stars in the series.

Inspired by Lawrence Otis Graham’s book Our Kind of People: Inside America’s Black Upper Class, the series written by Gist takes place in the aspirational world of Oak Bluffs on Martha’s Vineyard, a historical stronghold where the rich and powerful Black elite have come to play for more than 50 years. Our Kind of People follows strong-willed single mom Angela Vaughn (DaCosta) as she sets out to reclaim her family’s name and make an impact with her revolutionary haircare line that highlights the innate, natural beauty of Black women. But she soon discovers a dark secret about her mother’s past that will turn her world upside-down and shake up this community forever.

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De Sousa will play Alex Rivera. Attractive and savvy, Alex Rivera is an accomplished financial reporter and Raymond’s (Chestnut’s) ex-wife.

Nate is Nikki’s (Alana Bright’s) father. It’s been 17 years since he last went away to prison and is surprised to see Angela (DaCosta) pay him a visit.

A co-production between 20th Television and Fox Entertainment, Our Kind of People is executive produced by Gist and Claire Brown via The Gist of It Productions; Daniels and Marc Velez via Lee Daniels Entertainment; Pam Williams; Ben Silverman, Howard T. Owens and Rodney Ferrell via Propagate; and Montrel McKay.

De Sousa, best known for for her performance as the infamous Shelby in the Universal franchise The Best Man and The Best Man Holiday, will next star opposite Chestnut in the Peacock limited series The Best Man: The Final Chapter. She most recently recurred as Chief Ana Lopez on the CW’s Black Lightning and as the pill-popping journalist Mirta Herrera on Showtime’s On Becoming A God In Central Florida opposite Kirsten Dunst. She’s repped by A3 Artists Agency and Meyer & Downs.

Freeman, most recently seen in recurring roles on Titans and Queen Sugar, is repped by Gersh, Luber Roklin and Goodman, Genow, Schenkman, Smelkinson & Christopher.

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