ABC has announced a pilot order of Queens, a drama series co-starring Nadine Velazquez (Major Crimes, My Name Is Earl).
Queens revolves around four ex-members of a defunct ‘90s hip-hop female band who reunite for a chance to recapture their fame and regain the swagger. As Nasty Bitches they became legends of the music genre but today the 40-something-old women are estranged and out of touch.
Co-starring along with Velazquez are singers/actresses Eve Jihan Cooper (Barbershop franchise), Brandy Norwood (Brandy) and Naturi Naughton (Power, Barbershop franchise), all of whom have singular nicknames like Butter Pecan, Professor Sex, Xplicit Lyrics and Da Thrill, respectively.
The series is exec produced by Zahir McGhee, Sabrina Wind and Tim Story and produced by ABC Signature, a part of Disney Television Studios. The pilot episode was written also by McGhee and directed by Story.
Chicago-born Velazquez may be best known for her roles as Catalina Aruca on the Primetime Emmy-winning comedy series My Name Is Earl and Sofia Ruxin on the comedy series The League. The first series won the Puerto Rican actress four nominations to the Alma Award in the Best Supporting Actress category. Her credits also include the TV series Six and the feature films Flight opposite two-time Oscar winner Denzel Washington and Snitch opposite Dwayne Johnson.
Featured Photo: Nadine Velazquez (Credit: Joel Maisonet)