Lena Waithe just dropped the trailer for her latest television project, “Twenties.” The series is BET’s first show to center a queer role.
“Twenties” is about Hattie, an aspiring TV writer in Los Angeles. Played by Jonica “JoJo” T. Gibbs, Hattie is a lesbian who always finds herself falling for straight women (relatable!). The plot is loosely based on Lena Waithe’s own life. Other members of the cast include Christina Elmore, Gabrielle Graham, Jenifer Lewis, Vanessa Williams, Rick Fox, and Big Sean.
Waithe became the first black woman to win an Emmy for television comedy writing for co-writing the “Thanksgiving” episode of “Master of None.” In addition to her television work, she just debuted her first feature film “Queen and Slim” in November.
Long before Waithe became an award-winning writer, she was already hard at work on “Twenties.” The script was her very first screenwriting effort in Hollywood. It was initially developed as a web series; parts of the pilot are still available on YouTube. The project went to BET, then to TBS, and now back to BET, where it’s finally coming fully to life.
While BET has featured other LGBTQ characters in shows, this is the first time that a scripted series will center a queer character as the main protagonist.
“Twenties” will air on BET in early 2020.
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