New Show “Sisters In Law” Sets A Classy Tone For Black Women On Reality TV
Don’t Call Them Bougie! New Show “Sisters In Law” Sets A Classy Tone For Black Women On Reality TV
Houston Lawyers Star In New WE Show “Sisters In Law”
A new unscripted show featuring African American female lawyers is trying to set the bar higher when it comes to black women on reality TV.
“Sisters In Law” follows a group of successful Houston attorneys as they juggle their family, the legal system and their “sisterhood” with one another. The show portrays the cast in a more upscale light than other reality shows about black women, something show creator and star Juanita Jackson said was no accident.
“It’s not about who they married, it’s not about who they slept with, or who their baby daddy is,” Jackson told BOSSIP at the show’s launch party Wednesday in NYC. “I understand that young ladies are drawn to the glamour and the glitz, but we need some substance out there on television.”
Even the conflict is classy: In the show’s premiere episode, we see civil attorney Rhonda Wills clash with criminal defense lawyer Jolanda Jones over hosting a fundraiser for her campaign for the local school board. Later at the fundraiser, Wills gets into it with a Republican commentator over their differing political views.
“Some critics say this is another show about women arguing, but it’s really our lives,” Jackson said. “We have differences and we disagree, but the things we argue about are things that matter. We’re not going to argue over, ‘Oh you looked at my man, or I didn’t like what you had on.’ We’re arguing over our social political views and issues that are apart of our lives.”
Co-star Rhonda Wills gets called out for being “bougie” by the group for living in a mansion, driving a Bentley and bragging about her multimillion dollar cases. But she said if she has to be tarred with the bougie brush, so be it.
“My definition of bougie is someone who enjoys the finer things in life, and if that’s someone’s definition of bougie, then yeah, I’m bougie,” Wills said. “And I don’t have a problem with wearing that banner, because I didn’t marry money, I didn’t grow up with money and I didn’t inherit money. The money I have is because I worked hard.”
Wills said “Sisters In Law” is filling a need in the reality TV world for positive programming.
“There really aren’t any shows about professional women who are self made,” Wills told BOSSIP. “We all have doctorate degrees. We are all successful – not because we married well, not because we were born with a silver spoon in our mouths, and not because we inherited wealth, but because we worked really, really hard to get to where we are.”
“Sisters In Law” premieres tonight at 10 p.m./9 p.m. Central on WE TV.
