2016 American music drama television series
Star is an American music drama television series created by Lee Daniels and Tom Donaghy for the Fox Broadcasting Company. It revolves around three talented young singers who navigate the music business on their road to success and stars Jude Demorest, Brittany O'Grady and Ryan Destiny. The series, which is set in Atlanta, consists of original music, along with musical fantasy sequences, as dreams of the future. Queen Latifah, Benjamin Bratt, Amiyah Scott and Quincy Brown co-star.
The series premiered on December 14, 2016. With the premiere of the series, Amiyah Scott became the third openly transgender person to play a trans major character in a scripted television drama series in America, after Laverne Cox on "Orange Is the New Black" and Jamie Clayton on "Sense8".
"Star" is a joint production between Lee Daniels Entertainment and 20th Century Fox Television and syndicated by 20th Television. On February 22, 2017, Fox renewed the series for a second season, which premiered on September 27, 2017, and crossed over with other Fox series "Empire".
On May 10, 2018, Fox renewed the series for a third season. Season 3 premiered on September 26, 2018, and aired on Fox Wednesdays at 9:00 PM.
On May 10, 2019, Fox cancelled the series after three seasons.
Plot.
Star Davis, a 18-year-old orphan, leaves her foster home to save her younger sister Simone Davis, who Star has been separated from since their mother's death, from physical and sexual abuse at her foster home. While escaping the tragedy, Star finds muse in a singer/songwriter Alexandra Crane, a New York resident who lives in her celebrity father's shadow. Star offers Alex a proposal to escape and leave town with them to become a singing group. They move to Atlanta, Georgia and seek refuge in a surrogate godmother, Carlotta Brown, who is a close friend and singing partner of Star and Simone's mother. Carlotta made a promise to look after the girls after their mother's death and would protect them. She persuades the girls to work to make ends meet and wasn't enthusiastic about the girls chasing their dreams but rather attend and be active in church. Finding odds to make their endeavors come true, they struggled to find ways to get a record deal and find hope in a music producer Jahil Rivera, who took a chance with them. Within months developing themselves as rising new artist in Atlanta gaining the name of the group "Big Trouble", they face new multiple troubles in their relationships with each other and with their past coming back to haunt them. However they escape the many troubles of their past and starts to become successful in gaining recognition. 'Big Trouble' soon wins notable competitions that led them finances to get a major record deal. The girls eventually sign with a record label, Midtown Sound, as a favor from The Lyon Family of Empire Entertainment and soon begin their journey as professional R&amp;B/Pop artists "TAKE 3". Subsequently, they learn that the music industry is hard to navigate as they sacrifice a lot to stay on top and relevant while they tour with the labels' other artist and find themselves at constant war with each other take 3 end up getting really big.
Cast and characters.
Main.
A tough 18-year-old who spent her childhood in and out of foster homes after the death of her mother Mary. Wanting to pursue a career in music, she forms a girl group, Take 3 (formerly Big Trouble), with her half-sister Simone and friend Alex whom she met online. Though she has a lot of talent, her egotistical nature tends to bother others. At the start of the third season, she is pursuing a career as a solo artist, and dealing with the consequences of an unexpected pregnancy. In the third season mid-finale, Star gave birth to a son named Davis.
Star's biracial 17-year-old half-sister. She is rescued by Star from the abusive foster home in which she was placed five years before. While supportive of her sister's ambitions, Simone has dreams of her own, and will do whatever it takes to achieve them. In Season 2, she ends up in state custody for abusing marijuana. She is then liberated from juvie by Ayanna and ends up marrying Angel in a bid to avoid being recommitted. When he is deported to the Dominican Republic, she leaves Atlanta to be with him.
A wealthy 21-year-old who grew up in New York and is Star's best friend. She is looking to step out of the shadows of her famous father and make it on her own and becomes increasingly involved in political advocacy through her boyfriend Derek. However, she struggles to escape her toxic relationship with her parents, especially her alcoholic mother Rose. This leads her to slowly separate herself from the other girls in order to make a name outside of Take 3, while also dealing with the psychological aftereffects of surviving a plane crash. She and Derek later marry in the season 3 finale.
Carlotta's transgender daughter. She works at her mother's salon and helps the girls kickstart their career. She also has a troubled relationship with Carlotta, as the latter has not accepted her daughter's transition, and is not understanding or fully supportive of the difficulties she faces as a trans woman, although she slowly comes around. After stealing money from her boyfriend Elliot, Cotton is sent to prison, but eventually gets released. She now works with Miss Bruce to manage her mother's salon.
Alex's husband who lives next door to the girls. He is a civil rights activist affiliated with the Black Lives Matter movement and is committed to civil disobedience. After a car accident leaves him paralyzed from the waist down, their relationship becomes strained. Derek and Alex break up after she cheats on him with Noah Brooks. He then pursues a relationship with his physical therapist. However, Derek and Alex eventually get back together and marry in the season 3 finale.
A talent manager who believes Take 3 is his ticket back to the top. However, he is hobbled by both a cocaine addiction and money problems. In Season 2, it is revealed that he faked his death with the help of Carlotta to avoid being framed for Hunter's murder. He ends up forming a new duo with his nephew Angel to compete with Take 3. In the mid-season 2 finale, Angel fires him as manager and he goes on a drug-fueled bender before briefly slipping into a coma. He is later shot in a drive-by shooting while shielding Andy and dies in season 2.
The owner of an Atlanta beauty salon, who worked with Mary Davis in the R&amp;B duo, Mixed Harmony back in the 1990s. She becomes a surrogate mother to the three girls, even though she doesn't approve of their musical dreams. At the end of Season 1, she takes over as manager from Jahil. Her attempts to make Take 3 a success prove largely ineffective as the girls struggle with their own problems, and in the mid-season 2 finale, her salon is burned down. In the episode "Mrs. Rivera," it is revealed that Carlotta and Jahil were secretly married. She is eventually promoted to a senior position within Midtown by Ayanna, and eventually gets named as head of newly formed Gravity Records by Mateo.
A gay and genderfluid hairdresser who works at Carlotta's salon, taking over as owner when Carlotta commits to managing Take 3.
A formerly top-selling R&amp;B artist at Midtown Sound looking to make a much-needed comeback after his career collapsed due to alcoholism. He is a charming, sweet talker with an ambitious streak, and strikes up a relationship with Alex, Star and Gigi, at first for promotion, but it gradually evolves into an affair. By the third season, he seems to have largely conquered his addictions after a suicide attempt and is working to take more control over his career. In the mid-season finale, it is revealed he is the father of Star's baby son, Davis.
The unsympathetic president and CEO of Midtown Sound, the record label that signed Take 3. She forms a maternal bond with Simone, even becoming her legal guardian, but also enables her to maintain her addiction to prescription drugs. At the mid-season 2 finale, she is disgraced and removed as president of Midtown after being caught trying to buy the label out from under her father. She is later restored to her former position after getting him fired for sexual harassment of a Midtown artist. However, she then becomes pregnant with Jahil's child, and decides to sell Midtown to Mateo Ferrara.
Star's long lost biological father who re-emerges as the girls get their first taste of fame but turns out to have an agenda concerning Hunter's death. Upon discovering the abuse Hunter inflicted on Star, however, he leaves town after murdering Hunter's mother, Arlene. He is electrocuted to death by Arlene's twin sister, Charlene in revenge.
A&amp;R at Midtown Records. He helps Carlotta navigate the treacherous currents of the company and his boss, Ayanna, but their relationship is destroyed when she catches him kissing his old girlfriend, Natalie. Maurice then sets his sights on persuading Star to leave Take 3 for a shot at a solo career. He later leaves Midtown when Ayanna sells the company and launches his own label with Cassie.
An aspiring musician who became involved romantically with Star. It was originally believed that he was the father of her baby, but later turned out to be Noah.
Carlotta's younger sister, who is deeply involved in organized crime. She and Andy strike up a relationship, but after he steals money from her, she tries to have him murdered, only to kill Jahil by accident. Andy later reveals her involvement to Carlotta out of guilt after accidentally shooting Ayanna while trying to forge a check in her name. After arguing with Carlotta, Cassie forms a partnership with Maurice to start their own competing label.
A wealthy Miami media mogul who buys Midtown Sound from Ayanna and renames it Gravity Media, with plans to shut down the company's music division and turn it into a fashion-and-gossip brand.
Production.
Development and casting.
In August 2015, Fox announced it had ordered a pilot for a potential new musical drama series titled "Star" from "Empire"-creator Lee Daniels about three girls forming a girl group. In October that same year, casting for the series began. It was revealed that the series would feature a transgender character. On December 7, 2015, it was announced that Queen Latifah had joined the cast as Carlotta, Jude Demorest as Star, Brittany O'Grady as Simone and Ryan Destiny as Alexandra and Amiyah Scott as Cotton. On December 11, 2015, it was confirmed that Benjamin Bratt has joined the cast as Jahil, a talent manager. On December 14, 2015, Darius McCrary joined the series as the abusive foster father of Simone (O’Grady). Production for the pilot began in December 2015. The series was picked up, with a 12-episode order, on April 27, 2016. On October 9, 2017, FOX ordered an additional five episodes for the second season, bringing the season total to 18 episodes. On September 11, 2018, it was announced that Terrence J and Lyndie Greenwood are set to recur in season 3.
Filming.
On May 4, 2016, it was announced that Charles Murray would serve as showrunner during its first season. On September 13, 2016, it was announced that Charles Pratt Jr. would replace Murray as the series' showrunner, following his decision to depart the series, due to creative differences.
Following the conclusion of the show's first season, Pratt stepped down as showrunner and was subsequently replaced by Karin Gist.
Cancellation and possible revival.
After the series was canceled by Fox in May 2019, fans began a #SAVESTAR campaign on social media platforms. Multiple petitions were created on websites such as change.org to save the show from cancellation, and these petitions have collectively gained over 100,000 signatures. On May 29, show creator Lee Daniels made an Instagram post saying "Fighting guys! Will know this week... or top of next!" "The Hollywood Reporter" reported that cable networks BET and OWN were possible contenders for picking up the show. However, on May 31, Daniels made another Instagram post stating that despite his efforts, he was not able to find another home for the show.
In July 2019, Lee Daniels posted on his Instagram account that "Star" will receive