‘Cherish The Day’: Richard Roundtree & Terri J. Vaughn Join Season 2 Of OWN Anthology Drama Series

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EXCLUSIVE: Richard Roundtree (Family Reunion) and Terri J. Vaughn (The Steve Harvey Show) have been tapped for recurring roles opposite Henry Simmons and Joy Bryant in season 2 of OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network’s and Ava DuVernay’s anthology drama series Cherish the Day. Additionally, Angel Kristi Williams (Really Love), Sheldon Candis (Baltimore Boys) and Merawi Gerima (Residue) will direct episodes this season.

(L-R) Angel Kristi Williams, Sheldon Candis and Merawi Gerima - Credit: OWN
(L-R) Angel Kristi Williams, Sheldon Candis and Merawi Gerima - Credit: OWN

OWN

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Cherish the Day, from DuVernay, ARRAY Filmworks and Warner Bros. Television, is an anthology series that chronicles the relationship of one couple, with each episode spanning a single day. In season two, the rekindling of a romance is told — the love story of Ellis Moran (Simmons) and Sunday St. James (Bryant), who fell in love in high school but find themselves reunited in beautiful New Orleans. Ellis is a former basketball player who is now a single father of two, and Sunday is a vegetarian celebrity chef on the cusp of fame. Each episode of the season-long narrative unfolds in a single day to reveal significant moments in a relationship that compel us to hold true to the ones we love, from the extraordinary to the everyday.

Roundtree will play Mandeville “MV” St. James a proud, loving, wry-humored former judge and widowed father of Sunday (Bryant).

Vaughn will recur as Anastasia, Ellis’ (Simmons) soon-to-be ex-wife and the mother of their children.

The first season of Cherish the Day, which debuted in February 2020, starred Xosha Roquemore, Alano Miller, and Cicely Tyson. On average during its seven-week run, the series ranked #1 in its time period across all of cable with Black women, households, and total viewers.

The DuVernay-led series achieved full gender parity with a production crew of more than 50% women, including 18 female department heads, an initiative DuVernay is continuing in season two.

Created and produced by DuVernay, Cherish the Day is produced for OWN by ARRAY Filmworks and Harpo Films in association with Warner Bros. Television. DuVernay, Paul Garnes, NAACP Image Award winner Raynelle Swilling, Teri Schaffer, and Oprah Winfrey serve as executive producers. Swilling and Schaffer are co-showrunners of season two.

Roundtree, known for his role of John Shaft in the iconic Shaft movie franchise, can currently be seen in the Netflix series Family Reunion. His other previous TV credits include Fox sitcom Roc and Being Mary Jane.

Multi-hyphenate director, producer and actor Vaughn is known for her portrayal of Lovita Alizé Jenkins in the long-running series The Steve Harvey Show. She most recently directed an episode of BET’s Tales and recurred in season four of Issa Rae’s HBO comedy Insecure. Additional television acting credits include First Wives Club, Mann and Wife, Greenleaf, Meet the Browns, All of Us and Soul Food. She is repped by Innovative Artists, Kronicle Media and Nancy C. Prager at Prager Law.

Williams’ feature directorial debut Really Love was selected to play in narrative competition at SXSW and won the Special Jury Recognition for Acting for co-stars Kofi Siriboe and Yootha Wong-Loi-Sing. Most recently, Williams directed an episode of Colin in Black & White, the upcoming Netflix limited series from DuVernay and Colin Kaepernick.

Candis’ feature directorial debut LUV was an official selection in the 2012 Sundance Film Festival Dramatic Competition. Candis directed the feature length documentary Baltimore Boys for the ESPN Films banner. Candis has also directed Who Will Survive America for the AMC/Sundance Now Doc Club original series Take 5: Justice in America. Most recently, Sheldon directed an episode of Colin in Black & White, the upcoming Netflix limited series from DuVernay and Colin Kaepernick.

Gerima’s first feature Residue world premiered at the Slamdance Film Festival, and was honored with the festival’s Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature and the Acting Award for star Obinna Nwachukwu. The film was also awarded Special Mention at the 77th Venice International Film Festival’s Giornate degli Autori and won the John Cassavetes Award at the 2021 Film Independent Spirit Awards. DuVernay’s ARRAY also acquired the film under their ARRAY Releasing banner. Gerima is the son of celebrated Ethiopian filmmaker Haile Gerima, a legendary figure in the L.A. Rebellion film movement.

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