The Family Business: New Orleans has crime, Louisiana culture, and a lot of Duncan family drama.
The BET+ spinoff from creator, writer and executive producer Carl Weber centers on the New Orleans side of the Duncan family from The Family Business.
In the new show, family matriarch Shirley Duncan (played by Lela Rochon) runs the family business in The Big Easy.
Shirley owns the popular Midnight Blues casino and nightclub, but a deadly incident involving the brother of a ruthless drug dealer (played by David Banner) threatens to destroy what she’s built.
With help from her son Marquis Duncan (Brandon T. Jackson), her brother Floyd (Pooch Hall), and her cousin Monique (Yvette Nicole Brown), Shirley plots to silence snitches and protect the family business.
Related: ‘The Family Business: New Orleans’ Will Have Fans ‘Hooked’ Pooch Hall Says
In an interview with Urban Hollywood 411, Weber, Jackson and Hall shared details about the journey to bringing the spinoff to TV.
“I knew I was coming in for a wild ride,” said Jackson. “I knew it was going to be something that was interesting and have so many great storylines.”
Weber revealed “about 30 percent” of the show was filmed in Louisiana.
“We would film the exteriors in New Orleans, and then we would come back to Los Angeles and film the interiors. So it’s got a real authentic feel to it,” he said.
Despite the wildfires in Los Angeles, Weber said L.A. will continue to be a production hub for his BET+ shows.
As for The Family Business: New Orleans, crime is a big part of the show. As bodies pile up, the swamps around New Orleans play a key role.
“All of my research, it’s always been a nice place to put a body,” Weber said with a smile.
Hall’s character Floyd is the family muscle, i.e., the enforcer.
“Floyd is the answer to any of the family problems,” said Hall.
The actor noted that there are similarities between Floyd and Daryll, the role he played for seven seasons on Showtime’s Ray Donovan.
“Uncle Floyd, like my character Daryll on Ray Donovan, there’s nothing we won’t do for family … When you love your family, there isn’t anything you wouldn’t do for them,” he said.
Jackson said he developed a close bond with Hall and Rochon will filming the series.
“We wanted to make sure that Carl’s story gets put out there in a way where it’s taken very like, we want to bring it… So we worked very cohesively together, all three of us,” he explained.
Ben Stephens, Quincy Brown and Orlando Jones also have roles on the show, which was introduced on a crossover episode of The Family Business.
Weber says fans can expect more crossover appearances between the two shows.
“They’ve got a very, very outstanding cast in the New Orleans spinoff,” he explained. “But every once in a while, we’re going to spice some things up and bring some people down, when it fits.”
The Family Business: New Orleans begins streaming Thursday, Jan. 23 on BET+. One new episode will debut weekly, with the finale premiering on Thursday, March 6.
Watch the interviews with Carl Weber and Pooch Hall above:
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