First Look: Fran Drescher Adopts a Southern Drawl and Twisted Secrets Surface in Lifetime's 'V.C. Andrews' Dawn'

The first installment of the limited series premieres Saturday, July 8 at 8 p.m. ET on Lifetime

A new set of V.C. Andrews books are coming to life!

After the success of Flowers in the Attic and its prequel series Flowers in the Attic: The Origin, Lifetime is giving the first look at the newest chapter of the V.C.-verse with V.C. Andrews' Dawn.

Each part of the new four-chapter limited series focuses on one of Andrews' Dawn Cutler novels, which include Dawn, Secrets of the Morning, Twilight's Child and Midnight Whispers.

Ahed of Dawn's premiere this July, PEOPLE can exclusively reveal the first trailer, which follows Dawn Longchamp (Brec Bassinger) after she "is thrust into a new family" after discovering "the shocking truth about the people who raised her."

In the trailer, an officer tells Dawn, "Your parents kidnapped you. You have a brother named Phillip and a sister named Clara Jean."

Related:Joey McIntyre, Donna Mills and Fran Drescher to Star in Lifetime's Latest V.C. Andrews Tale: Dawn

Viewers are then given a glimpse of her relationship with Phillip (Dane Schioler) as he is seen telling her, "You're the girl I fell for back at school" Attempting to give her a kiss, he asks, "Couldn't this just be our secret?"

Struggling to fight him off, she tells him, "You're my brother!"

Related:Flowers in the Attic: The Origin Trailer Shows Backstory to Woman Locking Grandkids in Attic

Jimmy Longchamp (Khobe Clarke), the brother figure Dawn grew up with before her revelation, also grapples with his feelings about their bond when he realizes they're not blood-related.

"You were my sister, and now you're not," he tells Dawn. "I've been lookin' at you differently," before the two share a kiss.

For her part, Dawn's newfound sister Clara Jean (Elyse Maloway) is unsettled by what's happening with Jimmy, saying, "I know he's not actually your brother, but still...."

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Fran Drescher also makes an appearance in the trailer with a thick Southern drawl as Agnes Morris. "You know that I am accountable to your grandmother," she says as she walks down a staircase.

According to a synopsis for the first installment, viewers will also see Dawn struggle to fit in with her new family, and how her wicked grandmother Lilian Cutler (Donna Mills) inflicts cruel punishments when Dawn does not follow her strict orders.

"When Dawn finds herself entrenched in the mysteries surrounding the family, it becomes clear that a dark and inescapable curse looms over the Cutlers," the synopsis adds.

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Jesse Metcalfe and Joey McIntyre are also set to star in the series, with Metcalfe playing Ormand Longchamp and McIntyre as Michael Sutton.

Additional cast members include Jason Cermak as Dawn's father Randolph Cutler; Miranda Frigon as Dawn's mother Laura Jean Cutler; Megan Best as Dawn's teenage daughter Christie; Corey Woods as Dawn's boarding school roommate Tricia, and Helena Marie as Dawn's adoptive mother Sally Longchamp.

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V.C. Andrews' Dawn premieres July 8 at 8 p.m. ET on Lifetime, with more movies from Andrews' Dawn saga set to debut every Saturday evening through July 29.

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