‘Tyler Perry’s Zatima’: Zac & Fatima-Centered ‘Sistas’ Spinoff Starring Devale Ellis & Crystal Renee Hayslett Gets BET+ Series Order

Alexandra Del Rosario
·2 min read
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BET is expanding its Tyler Perry originals slate with the greenlight of Zatima, a spinoff series of Sistas, on BET+. The 10-episode hour-long series comes from Tyler Perry Studios and will see Devale Ellis and Crystal Renee Hayslett reprise their roles as Zac and Fatima, respectively.

Zatima will follow the two Sistas characters as they navigate the ups and downs of their relationship. The upcoming series marks the second spinoff from a Perry linear BET series to get a green light by BET+ following The Oval‘s offshoot Ruthless. Perry will executive produce, direct and write the series, which started production at Tyler Perry Studios this week and is slated for a 2022 premiere on BET+.

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“We are continuing to strengthen our investment in quality programming, and our partnership with Tyler Perry has a proven track record of super-serving our audience,” said BET’s President and CEO, Scott Mills. “We look forward to unlocking crossover viewership opportunities between our linear platform and our streaming service one of our strongest series, ‘Sistas.’ With ‘Zatima’ joining our expanding roster of BET+ originals, BET is committed to giving viewers more of the compelling content they love and expect across our platforms.”

News of Zatima comes just weeks before the Season 3 finale of Sistas, which will air on Dec. 22.

2020-21 BET+ Pilots & Series Orders

Ellis is a former NFL player turned actor, who first joined the Sistas scene in 2019 as a series regular. He will next be seen in The Perfect Find alongside Gabrielle Union, and will recur in AMC’s 61st Street. He recently shot the male lead role on Lifetime’s, Single Black Female and has appeared on CBS’s The Equalizer and NCIS. Additional television credits are It’s Bruno, Power and Gotham.

Hayslett was first introduced as Fatima in 2019 as a recurring guest star and has since been elevated to series regular on Sistas. Prior to joining the cast she served as a costume designer on a number of titles including Boo! A Madea Halloween and its sequel; Too Close to Home, The Paynes and A Madea Family Funeral. She made her acting debut in Matthew Cherry’s short film This Time in 2011.

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