'Family Reunion': Release date, plot, cast, trailer and all you need to know about Netflix's upcoming comedy
Netflix is ready to drop a brand new family sitcom featuring an ensemble cast and some 'Black family magic'. Tia Mowry (‘Instant Mom’) and Loretta Devine (‘Grey’s Anatomy’) star in ‘Family Reunion’, a multi-generational family comedy series.
Here’s everything you need to know about the new series:
Release date
The show was announced in October 2018. Created by Meg DeLoatch ('Fuller House') and directed by Eric Dean Seaton ('Modern Family'), the show has been given a 20-episode order by the streaming service.
'Family Reunion' debuted on Netflix on July 10, 2019, with 10 episodes initially. A holiday special was released on December 9, 2019, and the nine new episodes from Season 1 will be out on January 20, 2020.
Plot
Netflix has summed up the plot of the show as: "When Cocoa and her former football-playing husband Moz (Anthony Alabi) and their four children travel from their home in the big city to the small town of Columbus, Georgia, for the McKellan Family Reunion, they get to know an extended family they didn’t even realize they were missing."
Cast
Tia Mowry
Mowry is an actress and producer, known for her roles in 'The Hot Chick' (2002), 'The Game' (2006), and 'Sister, Sister' (1994) in which she starred opposite her identical twin sister Tamara. In ‘Family Reunion’, she plays Cocoa McKellan “a free-spirited mother from Seattle.”
Loretta Devine
Devine plays “the loving but strict matriarch of the family, M’Dear. She is an award-winning actress best known for playing Marla Hendricks on ‘Boston Public’. Devine won a Primetime Emmy for her recurring role on ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ as Adele Webber.
Anthony Alabi (Raven’s Home, Insecure) stars as Moz. The McKellan children are: Talia Jackson as 14-year old Jade, Isaiah Russell-Bailey as 12-year old Shaka, Cameron J. “CJ” Wright as 10-year old Mazzi, and Jordyn Raya James as 8-year old Ami.
Creator
Meg DeLoatch
‘Family Reunion’ is created and executive produced by Meg DeLoatch. She is a producer and writer who has worked on shows like ‘Fuller House’, ‘Raven’s Home’, and season 3 of ‘Eve’, for which she served as showrunner. DeLoatch is backed by an all-black writers room for added authenticity. She has described the show as “a true collaboration, with everyone on this production, from the cast and writers, to the directors, staff and crew, contributing personal stories and traditions to help make our family dynamic and relatable.”
Trailer
The first trailer for 'Family Reunion' started with M'Dear (Devine) saying, "Moz, Cocoa, and the kids moving back home, it's black family magic. We're one big happy family under one big happy roof."
That said, all the problems of living with family are front and center in the latest trailer for 'Family Reunion'. Devine’s character plays the part of strict grandmother and overbearing mother-in-law to perfection, insisting that her family should pray, work, eat and dress according to her exacting standards. This obviously leads to some tension with her daughter-in-law Cocoa and her son Moz. But the trailer makes it clear that despite their problems, the McKellans are still one big happy family.
To announce the release of new episodes, a 1.56-minute trailer was released on YouTube and captioned: "The McKellans are sticking it out in the South with even more antics under M'Dear's roof. From a wedding and boyfriend drama to a step showdown and sibling squabbles, the party's just getting started."
Where to watch
You can stream all 11 episodes from the series on Netflix and nine additional episodes once it premieres on January 20, 2020.
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