By Jessica L. Dupree
TV series producer Devon Franklin says ‘We all have access to God’s love and we are all loved by him, so the show really displays that’
In an all-star ensemble that includes American Gospel singer Yolanda Adams, legendary actor Michael Beach, and actor, director and martial artist Michael Jai White – many stars stood under the spotlight in Hollywood, California on the red carpet for the premiere of Devon Franklin produced TV series “Kingdom Business.” Since its release last Thursday on BET+ the powerful storytelling has impacted lives both within and without the traditional church.
The premiere episode, titled One Moment from Glory opened with Denita Jordan [played by Yolanda Adams] on stage at First Kingdom Church singing Jesus Will Work It Out. With a 9.1 rating on IMDb, one of the world’s most popular and authoritative sources for movie, TV, and celebrity content – the series lives up to the great expectations that both viewers and film critics alike share. In a recent IG post, one fan wrote “I’m ready for the second season,” while another fan explained “You know a show is good when you fall in love with the couple. Love, love the characters Taj and Rebel.”
A story with many layers, Denita Jordan is the Queen of Gospel Music at First Kingdom Church and Kingdom Records based out of Atlanta. As the storyline progresses, fans of the new series are blown away by the undeniable, unparalleled talent line-up while being captivated by the on-screen dramatic, entertaining and suspenseful storytelling that has viewers binge-watching the show back-to-back.
Jordan, whose music has been heard around the world, is determined at any cost to guard her family and its many secrets at all costs. Her husband Calvin Jordan [played by Michael Beach] may be the Bishop at First Kingdom, but Denita exerts herself as the true leader and has a low tolerance for insurrection among both her family and employees. After a powerful, breathtaking performance that goes viral on social media – all eyes are on a young exotic dancer, Rebel, whose talent and pedigree may bring Jordan closer to God and gold than she ever imagined.
Devon Franklin who describes himself as a tv and film producer who’s very committed to lifting the human spirit and inspiration tells Heart & Soul “This show, the entertainment value – the drama, the music, the character, the storyline. There’s a murder mystery as well. I think people when they watch it, they are blown away and surprised at the quality of the writing and the storytelling so it’s going to be your new favorite show.” Gospel legend Yolanda Adams added, “You’ve got to watch the series because you can find yourself or someone you know in every character.”
Franklin, who lost his father at the tender age of nine cites entertainment for helping him navigate where he was to where he wanted to be and he wants his latest project Kingdom Business to have a similar impact on men and women who feel judged and rejected. “God is not a respecter of persons. To me this means sometimes as people we play favorites depending on who somebody is and who we think someone may or may not be. And when you look at that, that’s not how God operates, we’re all God’s children. We all have access to his love and we are all loved by him so the show really displays that,” he says.
“Sometimes we think that because somebody does a certain thing that they’re not in favor with God – it’s just not true. And we want to show that there is a powerful voice even in someone who you may not think there is. And then it begs the question, especially in the show, “Who’s qualified to sing Gospel?” You know we really get into that and we talk about that as a way to challenge the viewer to not be so judgmental,” Franklin added.
Michael Jai White, who plays Julius Ceasar Jones in the series, runs a rival Gospel Record Label and describes his role as being an adversary to Yolanda Adams who plays Danita Jones while adding that the two have an interesting history. “It’s the best TV series! The writing, the believability, the authenticity and we have real people. Nobody can out sing this cast – that’s just it. There are so many levels to this series. You’re going to learn about this industry and business but it’s actually -it isn’t soft. t’s really gritty, hard storytelling and it’s got everything. That’s what it is, it’s got everything,” White says.
Recognizing the film’s power to touch all lives, White adds “You listening to this, you are represented in this series. We go from, we got folks from the grime of the streets all the way to the most prestige. You know it’s just – everything is incorporated in here and the storytelling is very, very authentic. So I have never seen or of course, never been a part of anything like this. You’re never going see anything like this until you see this.”
The 8-episode series of Kingdom Business is currently streaming on BET+.
