'Greenleaf' cast reunites in one hour special after the series finale

Tuesday night August 11, will be the grand finale for the OWN series Greenleaf. The final episode airs at 9:00 PM EST and is sure to garner the biggest ratings ever. Episode 7 which aired on Tuesday, August 4 drew 2.1 million viewers. After the season finale, viewers will probably be in tears, but should not turn off their television sets because there is a treat in store. At 10:00 PM there will be a cast reunion that includes five of the main characters which are: Merle Dandridge, (Grace), Lynn whitfield, (Mae), Kieth David,(James), Lamman Rucker, (Jacob), and Deborah Joy Winans, (Charity).

These cast members will be sharing their favorite moments from the 5 year series and answering questions from the viewers. Nothing has been said as to how the fans will ask their questions. It could be through the Internet or questions that have already been presented for answering. There more than likely will not be a studio audience due to COVID-19 restrictions. It also is not known whether or not they will be addressing the spin-off show. Greenleaf was fortunate to complete the filming of season 5 just before COVID-19 shut down everything. Daytime soap operas went on hiatus in March and have only now been able to resume taping. There have been numerous changes to the manner in which the afternoon drama shows must now operate.

These are safety measures in place and any new series more than likely will have to follow suit. OWN studios are in California just as the four remaining soap operas are and will have to concede to the same regulations. Here are a few that have been announced. There must be a representative from the COVID center on the set at all times and social distancing must be practiced. Everyone including the crew must wear masks and hand sanitizer is to be kept on hand at all times. Mannequins or the significant others of the actors will fill in during love scenes and camera angles give the impressi0n that the characters are closer than they really are. This causes everyone in a scene to take up more space on the television screen. Brad Bell, executive producer of The Bold and the Beautiful says all the changes are quite expensive, so OWN will need to take all of this into consideration when filming the spin-off.

During its 5 year run, Greenleaf has received ten NAACP Image Award nominations. The show won for Outstanding Drama Series in 2020, and in both 2019 and 2020, Lynn Whitfield took home the award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series. Greenleaf has also been recognized by the Black Reel Awards for Television and the Alliance for Women in Media’s Gracie Allen Awards. The fans are loyal and discuss the show every day on various social media platforms. They will be excited to know about the television special and find out any news that is pertinent.

Viewers were left with a cliffhanger last week when the Bishop had a medical emergency and passed out, or died. A lot will be riding on whether or not he survives as this will chart the course for his family's future. Rochelle Cross got exactly what she wanted which was James Greenleaf admitting his faults to the church. Perhaps all of this was just too much for Bishop Greenlea and led to his situation. There is also the fact that he has been pretty forgetful lately. The end of a beloved series is never easy, especially when the viewers come to love the characters and think of them as family.

Fans will he eager to find out what questions are answered on the series finale and what to expect from the new series. There may be questions that are never answered and taping the spin off will be determined by COVID regulations. On the daytime soaps the actors must have regular temperature checks and the crew must work from behind plexiglass. Once these things along with other necesssry changes are in place. the the spin-off should be good to go. Be sure you tune in Tuesday night to see the final episode of Greenleaf and the follow up program. Stick around to find out what the cast has to say when the reunite afterward. If you missed any episodes or would just enjoy watching the series again, Netflix has the first four available and will probably soon announce season five is available for viewing.