Queen Latifah Brings Black Drama Back to TV with 'Single Ladies'

Black sitcoms have found a new home on cable TV, but now it seems the black drama is making a comeback as well. And the power of hip hop royalty is making it happen.

Along with VH1, Queen Latifah will be executive producing both a TV Movie and one hour comedic drama series called Single Ladies. With its focus on the friendships between black women and the varied states of their love lives, industry insiders are calling it a 'cross between Girlfriends and The Game.'

The two-hour Single Ladies TV movie will introduce audiences to three young, black and fabulous Atlanta-based BFFs who have completely different views on love, sex and relationships. And the movie will then launch the weekly one hour drama series, Single Ladies that will star Stacy Dash as Val, a fashion mogul looking for a life partner, LisaRaye McCoy as Keisha, a former video dancer on the continuous hunt for a rich man and Charity Shea as April, a married woman not living in complete wedded bliss. The Queen herself will be making regular guest appearances on the series.

And the former Living Single star seems just as excited about her role behind the camera as she is with her upcoming cameo returns to the small screen. “My [producing] partner Shakim [Compere] and I are excited to collaborate with VH1, as they have a similar vision on how to bring this show to life.  I think Single Ladies will really fill a hole in what is needed on television today,” Queen Latifah said in a statement.

Single Ladies, the TV movie and series is scheduled to air on VH1 in July 2011.—Ronke Idowu Reeves