“Black-ish” star Marsai Martin announced in March that her new series, “Saturdays,” was picked up by The Disney Channel. Martin is executive producer of the comedy through her Genius Entertainment production company, which is about a young Black girl and her competitive roller-skating crew. Danielle Jalade has been cast in the lead role as “Paris,” and veteran actors Omar Gooding and Golden Brooks will play her parents.
Martin recently discussed the new series with Pure Wow and how important it is to have diverse storytelling in Hollywood.
“You don’t really get to see shows like that often, especially where our leads are beautiful Black kids and Black girls. There’s not really an outlet for us to truly play characters that have fun and that are very exciting. You don’t see that often,” the 16-year-old actress explained. “It’s one of those things where, if you don’t see it, then how do you know you can be it?”
“Saturdays” will also tackle sickle cell anemia disease, which affects the African American community at high rates. The series will follow Paris, who since the age of 4, has been honing her skills at a local skating rink. Paris is the leader of a skate crew and is determined to take them all the way to the top. However, she has sickle cell anemia, and when it flares up, it’ll take every ounce of determination to prove her doubters wrong, including her concerned family, according to a synopsis of the show.
“It touches on sickle cell, which our main character has [and] which is also very big in the Black community. It hasn’t been said often in the entertainment industry. But at the end of the day, our main character Paris is still a very vibrant, exciting and fun girl. She doesn’t let anything like sickle cell stop her from doing what she loves, and that is our main point in the show,” Martin told Pure Wow.
Martin previously starred in and was executive producer for the 2019 film Little, which also featured Regina Hall and Issa Rae.
