'Greenleaf' Season 5: Meet the cast returning as the scandalous titular church family one last time
Since its 2016 debut, 'Greenleaf, the OWN show co-produced by Oprah Winfrey, has reached magnanimous heights of popularity. And even with its last season, the fourth of the series, not doing as well as its previous ones, it still garnered a 0.22 rating in the 18-49 demographic and 1.07 million viewers, which is still one of the most stellar numbers for shows on the network. Soon after its September premiere, naturally, the show was greenlit for a fifth season, but with a heavy heart, fans had to make do with the fact that this is the last time they'll be meeting the titular family on screen.
Avid churchgoers, the Greenleafs have been touted for their scandalous, chaotic, and often questionable lives as drama tenses and the plot thickens with twists and shockers alike. The show has also been lauded for its LGBTQ portrayal within the church community, so it will be a difficult goodbye, to say the least. But before we deep dive into the family one last time, here are some of the familiar faces who are to return for sure.
Keith David as Bishop James Greenleaf
From popular animated productions to mainstream live-action and even voice narration, David's talent and face both are famous in the industry. With Emmy awards for narration and films like 'The Princess and the Frog', 'Coraline', 'Crash', 'Barbershop', 'Agent Cody Banks', and 'Requiem for a Dream' in his credits, David stars as the leader of Calvary Fellowship World Ministries, and the family patriarch on the OWN show.
Lynn Whitfield as Lady Mae Greenleaf
After appearing in hit TV shows like 'Hill Street Blues', and 'For Colored Girls', Whitfield made her feature debut with 1983's 'Doctor Detroit'. Soon she was in every popular movie, from 'Silverado' (1985) and 'The Slugger's Wife' (1985) to 'Jaws: The Revenge' (1987), and 'Dead Aim' (1987). TV was always her strongest ally though, with dramas like 'The George McKenna Story' (1986) co-starring Denzel Washington, 'Johnnie Mae Gibson: FBI' (1986), and 'The Women of Brewster Place' (1989). It was, however, her titular performance in the HBO biopic 'The Josephine Baker Story' (1991) that won her an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie and also a Golden Globe nomination. She plays the First Lady of Calvary Fellowship and the family matriarch on 'Greenleaf'.
Merle Dandridge as Grace Greenleaf
The celebrated theatre artiste of Korean-Japanese and African-American descent is a familiar face for all fans of Broadway. From starring as The Lady of the Lake in the Mike Nichols-directed 'Spamalot' and as Aida in 'Aida' to Kala in 'Tarzan', and also 'Jesus Christ Superstar', Dandrige's fame is rampant on both sides of the Atlantic. She plays James and Mae's first child Grace aka Gigi, who is often slammed for her choice to desert the family for 20 years when she had escaped from them. She is now a pastor with the family church.
Desiree Ross as Sophia Greenleaf
Ross's talent is unmissable, having acted in short films before she was cast in the Lifetime movie 'A Country Christmas Story' opposite Dolly Parton, Mary Kay Place and Megyn Price. The face of Mira from the TNT post-apocalyptic drama 'Falling Skies' plays Grace's teenage daughter in the OWN show; the character shares her mother's charms and her arc sees her deep, religious faith challenged.
Lamman Rucker as Jacob Greenleaf
A familiar face from daytime soap operas like 'As the World Turns' and 'All My Children', Ross became the star of Tyler Perry's films 'Why Did I Get Married?', 'Why Did I Get Married Too?', and Meet the Browns' both film, and TV adaptation. In 2016, he became the face of Jacob, the second-born child and only son of the Bishop. Initially interested in professional baseball, Jacob resents her older sister Grace for abandoning the family, thus forcing him to carry on the ministry legacy.
Kim Hawthorne as Kerissa Greenleaf
The Broadway-turned-daytime soap operas-turned-primetime television actress was a regular cast member of the CBC cop-drama 'Da Vinci's Inquest', from 2000 to 2005. She has been playing Kerissa for four years now, as Jacob's ambitious and controlling wife and headmistress of Excellence Academy.
Deborah Joy Winans as Charity Greenleaf-Satterlee
From 'Fragile World' to playing her own aunt CeCe Winans in Angela Bassett's Lifetime biopic 'Whitney', Winans' career has been incredible. In the OWN show, she plays the youngest Greenleaf sibling, furious with her family for being left out, especially with Grace for abandoning them thus forcing her to stick to the family church.
'Greenleaf' Season 5 premiers this June 23 at 9 pm only on OWN.