Fox’s drama Our Kind of People has added Emmy winner Joe Morton to its cast.
The former Scandal star will play a wealthy and ruthless business leader in the drama, which the network ordered straight to series for its fall schedule. Morton joins a cast that also includes Yaya DaCosta, Morris Chestnut, Alana Bright and LeToya Luckett.
Our Kind of People is set in the Oak Bluffs enclave of Martha’s Vineyard — a historical stronghold for a set of elite Black families. The drama, inspired the book Our Kind of People: Inside America’s Black Upper Class by Lawrence Otis Graham, comes from writer and executive producer Karin Gist (Mixed-ish, Fox’s Star) and Lee Daniels (Empire, Star, ABC’s Wonder Years reboot).
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It centers on single mother Angela Vaughn (DaCosta), who comes to Oak Bluffs to reclaim her family name and make an impact with a revolutionary hair-care line — only to discover a dark secret about her mother’s past.
Morton will play Teddy Franklin, Leah’s (Luckett) “smooth as butter, smart as a whip” father. Born into money, Teddy grew his family’s sanitation company into one of the biggest holding companies in the world. When Leah takes him to task for buying out Black-owned properties on the cheap, he reminds her where her privilege and wealth came from. He also has an arcane connection to Angela’s past.
In addition to Scandal, Morton’s recent credits include Zack Snyder’s Justice League, Netflix’s The Politician and CBS’ God Friended Me. He’s repped by Vanguard Management Group, TalentWorks and Del Shaw.
Gist and Daniels executive produce with Marc Velez of Lee Daniels Entertainment; Pam Williams and Claire Brown of The Gist of It Productions; Ben Silverman and Rodney Ferrell of Propagate; and Montrel McKay. Tasha Smith (911, P-Valley) will direct the first episode.
