Burning Playwright Thomas Bradshaw to Team Up With Oprah on New HBO Family Drama

Playwright Thomas Bradshaw will pen an untitled hour-long drama series for Oprah Winfrey’s Harpo Films, according to The Hollywood Reporter. HBO has signed on to develop the new series. Bradshaw will co-executive produce alongside Winfrey and Kate Forte of Harpo. No premiere date or casting have been announced.

The new series will tell the story of a wealthy academic who becomes the first black president of a liberal arts college. When he and his family make national headlines, they must keep up the facade of being a happy family. But under the surface, they engage in dark obsessions and personal struggles.

Bradshaw’s plays include Burning, The Bereaved, Southern Promises, Dawn and Job. He is the recipient of the 2009 Guggenheim fellowship. Past Harpo Films productions include The Great Debaters, Beloved, Precious, Tuesdays With Morrie and Amy & Isabelle.