5th Ward The Series


5th Ward The Series is an American television drama series written, produced, and created by director Greg Carter and premiered on Urban Movie Channel on March 2, 2018. The series is based on director Greg Carter's first movie Fifth Ward. It is centered around the life of Mina, a single mother of two struggling to make ends meet; as well as several additional locals and town officials residing in the historical district of Houston's Fifth Ward and serves as a prequel with season one consisting of six episodes airing weekly. It stars Carl Anthony Payne and Mýa with a feature ensemble cast of Brittany Bullock, Corr Kendricks, Nephew Tommy, Christopher Jefferson, Chris O'Neal, Gary Sturgis and Lew Temple. 5th Ward The Series along with other UMC's original series had a preview screening at the 26th Annual Pan African Film Festival on February 10, 2018. The series was renewed for a second season which will consist of six episodes and air early 2020. Season 2 is set to begin streaming July 30, 2020.

Background

Fifth Ward was indie director Greg Carter's first feature film which he wrote, produced, edited, and shot on 35mm. It won awards at a number of festivals, but had a mixed reception when selected into the SXSW Film Festival. The movie was later distributed by York/Maverick Entertainment and released nationwide in March 2000 to Blockbuster and Hollywood Video.

Synopsis

"In Houston's historically black neighborhood known as the "5th Ward," long-time resident, Mina, has been struggling to make ends meet – especially since the death of her husband two years ago. Now a single mother of two sons, James and older brother Ray Ray, Mina fears for their safety after an argument at a local convenience store leaves a young girl dead. When James is taken away from her following a police raid on her home that results in the arrest of her new boyfriend, Mina battles with the idealism of remaining on the straight and narrow and the reality of what difficult decisions her circumstances will require her to make."

Cast and characters

Main

Season 1 (2018)

Season 2 (2020)

Production

Development and conception

As a longtime resident of Texas, 5th Ward The Series finds Carter expanding on themes from his first feature film – titled Fifth Ward – which he made 20 years ago. The son of a minister, Carter moved to Houston from Arkansas when he was a child. Although he was only in Fifth Ward a short time, the neighborhood left an impression on Carter. Initially, Carter went to Texas A&M University to study engineering, however he took a detour into drama. After the completion of school, Carter was ready to tell his Fifth Ward story. Fifth Ward, Carter's debut film was featured in the SXSW Film Festival and set Carter on a path writing, directing and producing feature films.
Over the years, he kept developing a Fifth Ward story. "I wanted to tell a story that was bigger than just one about being black, about being who I am," he commented. Carter's vision was to capture the oft-changing demographic makeup of a neighborhood with a long history dating back to the end of the Civil War, when it was largely settled by freedmen. For the series, Carter wanted to infuse the show with a feeling of authenticity, so he prefaced his episodes with documentary-style interviews with residents, "people who were models in appearance and story to the four main characters on the show," he commented. "I wanted to give it that feeling, 'This is Houston.' "
Among Carter's storylines are one about a Pakistani family and one about a Vietnamese family. Leading actress Mýa stars in another narrative about a struggling single mother with two sons and aspiring singer. With his series, Carter hopes viewers unfamiliar with the neighborhood's history may find information threaded through the show. For 5th Ward The Series opening credits, Carter combed through archival photos and music, old and new. "If a kid sees it and doesn't know who Mickey Leland is, I hope he'll want to find out," he says of the late congressman. "And the music tells a story, too. I wanted some ragtime in the opening sequence: That feeling of the past going back to Reconstruction and then move it forward to a trap beat like kids would listen to today. I want it to revolve around a vernacular particular to Houston and its culture."

Music

Director Greg Carter and his Nexus Entertainment partnered with Melissa Harville-Lebron of E2 Northeast Motorsports, Inc. and Coutrá Music Group, Inc. to release the free soundtrack Spotify playlist for the show on March 2. Additionally, E2 Northeast Motorsports, Inc. unveiled the 5th Ward- UMC NASCAR vehicle as part of the Camping World Truck Series in Las Vegas on March 2 as well. Charlie Mac created the theme song and took on the role as music supervisor. Additional music was contributed by Mac A Million Dollar Man Musick, Mýa, Just Brittany, Christopher Jefferson, Chris O' Neal, Corr Kendricks, Cierra Denise Carter, Mista Roe, J. Marie, Jamie Sparks, and more. Scott Szabo is the composer for the series and contributed to the soundtrack as well.

Track listing

Release history