''Ambitions'' is an American

drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has been ...

television series created by Jamey Giddens and

Will Packer Will Packer (born April 11, 1974) is an American film producer who founded Will Packer Productions, and Will Packer Media. Packer has produced or executive produced a wide range of movies that have grossed more than $1 billion worldwide at the ...

, and executive produced by

Will Packer Productions Will Packer (born April 11, 1974) is an American film producer who founded Will Packer Productions, and Will Packer Media. Packer has produced or executive produced a wide range of movies that have grossed more than $1 billion worldwide at the ...

and

Lionsgate Television Lionsgate Television is the television division of Lionsgate, which is a Canadian–American entertainment company. History The company was established in July 1997 as Lions Gate Television, Inc. with the establishment of Lionsgate Films. It acq ...

. The series stars

Robin Givens Robin may refer to: Animals * Australasian robins, red-breasted songbirds of the family Petroicidae * Many members of the subfamily Saxicolinae (Old World chats), including: **European robin (''Erithacus rubecula'') ** Bush-robin **Forest ro ...

as the glamorous and powerful Stephanie Carlisle, the wife of Atlanta Mayor Evan Lancaster (

Brian J. White Brian Joseph White (born April 21, 1975) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles in films such as ''The Family Stone'' (2005), '' The Game Plan'' (2007), '' 12 Rounds'' (2009), '' I Can Do Bad All by Myself'' (2009), ''Good Deeds'' ( ...

) and

Essence Atkins Essence Uhura Atkins (born February 7, 1972) is an American actress. She began her career appearing on television sitcoms, before her regular role on the short-lived first African-American prime-time drama '' Under One Roof'' ( CBS, 1995). Atkin ...

as Amara Hughes, a lawyer in the U.S. Attorney's Office, who recently relocated to Atlanta. The series premiered on June 18, 2019 on the

Oprah Winfrey Network Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) is an American multinational basic cable channel jointly owned by Warner Bros. Discovery and Harpo Studios that launched on January 1, 2011, replacing the Discovery Health Channel. The network is led by talk show h ...

. The second half of the first season debuted on OWN, November 12, 2019. In January 2020, OWN canceled the series after one season.

Premise

''Ambitions'' explores the sexy, deceitful machinations of love, power and politics in America's hottest urban mecca,

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

. The action revolves around two intense rivalries. The first has formidable legal eagles Stephanie Carlisle (

) and Amara Hughes (

), former best friends from

Spelman College Spelman College is a private, historically black, women's liberal arts college in Atlanta, Georgia. It is part of the Atlanta University Center academic consortium in Atlanta. Founded in 1881 as the Atlanta Baptist Female Seminary, Spelman re ...

, as adversaries in both their personal and professional lives. At the story's inception, Amara and her husband, Titus Hughes (

Kendrick Cross Kendrick Cross (born May 1, 1971) is an American actor. Early life Cross was born in Louisville, Kentucky and raised in South Carolina. Career He began acting on stage, before appearing on television, in episodes of ''Dawson's Creek'', '' Army W ...

), move to Atlanta for a fresh start. Stephanie, who is married to Evan Lancaster (

), the city mayor, is driven to ruin Amara's marriage over an old conflict over who would become Titus's long-term love interest. The second is between two powerful families—the Carlisles (who own a major law firm) and the Purifoys (who own a large pharmaceutical corporation). The series features themes such as infidelity, blackmail, stalking, murder, gentrification, racism, intra-racial class stratification and the American opioid crisis, which ground the show in contemporary issues. Unforgettable strivers like Mayor Lancaster's sister and round-the-way diner owner Rondell Lancaster (

Brely Evans Brely Evans (born December 9, 1972) is an American actress, singer, songwriter, producer, author and comedian. She co-starred in a number of films, and in 2019 starred in the Oprah Winfrey Network prime time soap opera, '' Ambitions''. Life an ...

) and his mistress Mexican-American fashion designer Bella Tru ( Erica Page) round out the ensemble cast of regulars.

Cast and characters

Main

as Stephanie Carlisle Lancaster, an ambitious attorney and the wife of

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

Mayor Evan Lancaster *

as Amara Hughes, Assistant

United States Attorney United States attorneys are officials of the U.S. Department of Justice who serve as the chief federal law enforcement officers in each of the 94 U.S. federal judicial districts. Each U.S. attorney serves as the United States' chief federal c ...

and former friend-turned-adversary of Stephanie Lancaster *

as Evan Lancaster, Jr., Stephanie's husband and the ambitious Mayor of

as Titus Hughes, Amara's husband *

as Rondell Pauline Lancaster, Evan Lancaster's older sister and owner of Thelma's Place * Erica Page as Bella Tru, a fashion designer. She is one Evan's lovers and mother of his illegitimate son.

Recurring

* Christina Kirkman as Lori Purifoy, smart and challenging daughter of Hunter Purifoy who works in PR *

Steven Williams Steven Williams (born January 7, 1949) is an American actor in films and television. He is known for his roles as Captain Adam Fuller on ''21 Jump Street'', Lt. Jefferson Burnett on '' The Equalizer'', Det. August Brooks on '' L.A. Heat'', X on ...

as Stephen Carlisle, a powerful attorney and father of Stephanie *

Brian Bosworth Brian Keith Bosworth (born March 9, 1965), nicknamed "The Boz," is an American former football linebacker and actor who played in the National Football League (NFL) for three seasons with the Seattle Seahawks. A two-time Dick Butkus Award win ...

as Hunter Purifoy, a savvy pharmaceutical magnate, who is in the throes of a combating a class action suit brought by the powerful Carlisle law firm family *

Deena Dill Deena Dill is an American actress and television executive producer best known for her recurring roles on Nickelodeon's hit show '' iCarly'', ABC's television series ''Suburgatory'', and The CW's sci-fi series ''Star-Crossed'', as well as bein ...

as Juniper Purifoy, Hunter's wife *

Gino Anthony Pesi Gino Anthony Pesi (born November 3, 1980) is an American actor, producer, and writer. He is best known for his role as James Nava in the NBC series ''Shades of Blue''. Early life Pesi was born on November 3, 1980 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania a ...

as Greg Peters, an aggressive, self-confident real estate developer who's trying to Rondell to sell him the family restaurant so he can use the block in an upcoming development plan *Alexander Mulzac as Damian Collins *Kayla Smith as Carly Lancaster, Stephanie and Evan's smart and determined daughter; a theatre major at

Donna Biscoe Donna Biscoe (born September 30, 1955) is an American actress. Early years Biscoe was born in Fort Benning, Georgia, the daughter of Mildred Skillern, a retired Carver High School English teacher. Biscoe attended Carver, then graduated from Ke ...

as Irene Perkins-Carlisle, Stephanie's mother *Tony Vaughn as Evan "Senior" Lancaster, Sr., Evan and Rondell's father who founded Thelma's Place *Lana Young as Inez Trujillo, Bella's mother who works at Thelma's Place *Brianne Cordaro as Daphne Manning, a member of Evan Lancaster's city administration and mistress *Andrew Rush as Alix, Evan Lancaster personal security detail. *

Felisha Terrell Felisha Terrell (born March 16, 1979) is an American film and television actress. Background Terrell grew up in Chicago, Illinois. She was born to a European American mother and African American father. Terrell obtained her degree from the Univer ...

as Marylin Barnes, Stephanie and Amara's sorority sister, a philanthropist * E. Roger Mitchell as Marvin Barnes, Marilyn's husband and owner of Beta New Electric *Maria Legarda as Perla, Bella's jealous friend

Episodes

Production

Development

On April 17, 2018, it was announced that

ordered straight-to-series new scripted drama ''Ambitions'' from producer

and

. The series was created by Jamey Giddens. Kevin Arkadie later joined as showrunner and

Benny Boom Benny Douglas (born July 22, 1971), professionally known as Benny Boom, is an American director who has worked in music, television, and film. His most commercially successful film was the 2017 Tupac Shakur biopic ''All Eyez on Me''. Career Do ...

directed the pilot episode. On January 23, 2020, the series was canceled after one season.

Casting

On November 13, 2018, it was announced that Givens will play the leading role, along with Atkins, White, Cross, Evans and Page. On December 4, 2018,

and Christina Kirkman have joined the cast. In January 2019,

and Kayla Smith were cast in recurring roles for the first season.

References

External links

Official website
{{Oprah Winfrey Network programs 2019 American television series debuts 2019 American television series endings American television soap operas English-language television shows Oprah Winfrey Network original programming Serial drama television series Television series by Lionsgate Television Television shows filmed in Georgia (U.S. state) Television shows set in Atlanta Will Packer Productions television shows