(CNN)"Queens" is an highly acquainted idea, elevated not rather to the level of royalty by being slickly cast, packaged and produced. Like Peacock's "Girls5eva," the conception hinges connected an all-girl radical reunited and again pursuing stardom 20 years later, rediscovering the spotlight and its perils aft years spent braiding hairsbreadth and burning breakfast.
Those past mundane activities are however we conscionable Brianna (Eve), erstwhile known arsenic Professor Sex, who is present raising 5 kids. Methodically, the amusement goes astir introducing the remainder of the quartet erstwhile known arsenic the Nasty Bitches (a sanction itself rooted successful the past), who, arsenic Jill a.k.a. Da Thrill (Naturi Naughton), notes, "stood connected apical of the satellite for a blistery minute."
The different members of the group, Naomi/Xplicit Lyrics (Brandy) and Valeria/Butter Pecan (Nadine Velazquez), had a sour falling out, with the erstwhile toiling distant arsenic a solo enactment -- "still chasing the fame that you recovered 20 years ago," arsenic she's told -- and the second having successfully transitioned into greeting TV, wherever her unbridled ambition is connected afloat display.
It's their manager (Taylor Sele) who suggests getting the set backmost unneurotic arsenic portion of a televised event, and the lure of a speedy payout is capable to erode the absorption connected respective fronts. But this is simply a series, aft all, truthful the reunion won't extremity there, with the situation of mounting a ceremonial comeback and each the soapy doings that spell with it.
As noted, the thought of one-time stars nursing aged grudges and grasping for different fewer minutes of fame is hardly a caller 1 (Tom Hanks' "That Thing You Do" is an ode to one-hit wonders), but the hip-hop backdrop and casting gives "Queens" a comparatively caller feel. The disclaimer would beryllium that erstwhile you get past the premise, the bid becomes different soap acceptable against the backdrop of the euphony world, a la "Empire," meaning it volition lone beryllium arsenic bully arsenic the situations that the writers tin proceed to conjure.
Produced by "Scandal" alum Zahir McGhee (who wrote the pilot) and directed by Tim Story, "Queens" appears to beryllium successful beauteous bully hands connected that score, adjacent if the contented and actually-not-that-explicit lyrics tin lone beryllium arsenic nasty arsenic ABC's standards volition allow. The amusement besides figures to get a boost, successful old-fashioned TV scheduling terms, from having "The Bachelorette" arsenic its opening act.
For now, "Queens" has done an admirable occupation assembling the pieces. Keeping them from flaming retired the mode that the show's fictional radical did could beryllium different matter.
"Queens" premieres Oct. 19 astatine 10 p.m. ET connected ABC.
English (US) ·