“Black-ish” might be coming to an end but Marsai Martin’s career behind the scenes is just beginning as she’s already prepared to move on. The Disney Channel has just agreed to a season order to Martin’s executive produced comedy “Saturdays” through her Genius Entertainment production company about a young Black girl and her competitive roller-skating crew. Disney originally agreed to a pilot but decided to move forward with a guaranteed first season.
Danielle Jalade has been cast in the lead role as “Paris” in the series and veteran actors Omar Gooding and Golden Brooks will play her parents.
“‘Saturdays’ follows Paris, who, since the age of four, has been honing her skills on the cool parquet floor of Saturdays, a local skating rink owned and operated by a former ’90s hip-hop backup dancer. 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 disease, and when it flares up, it’ll take every ounce of determination to prove her doubters wrong, including her concerned family,” the show’s synopsis reads.
“Saturdays” was written by Norman Vance Jr., who’ll also serve as one of the executive producers along with Nicole Dow and Joshua and Carol Martin, Marsai’s parents. Production is slated to begin in May 2022 for the premiere on Disney Channel.
“We’re thrilled to be in business with Marsai, Norman, Nicole, Joshua, and Carol in bringing this adventure to our viewers. We know that audiences will fall in love with Paris, her friends, and her family as they share in the love, laughter, and music in this fun-filled world of roller skating,” Ayo Davis, president, Disney Branded Television, told Deadline.
With “Saturdays” set to begin a new trek for Marsai Martin, she’ll be returning with Anthony Anderson, Miles Brown and Tracee Ellis Ross and the rest of the “Black-ish” crew when their eighth and final season kicks off on Jan. 4.
