Entertainment

Jill Scott Is Heartbroken & Hilarious In BET's 'First Wives Club'

by Jennifer Still
BET

It feels like we've been waiting for The First Wives Club reboot for a million years. In reality, it's been about 23 years since the release of the now-classic film starring Goldie Hawn, Bette Midler, and Diane Keaton. BET's reimagining will switch things up a bit, with all-new characters including Jill Scott as one of The First Wives Club.

While each of the women will face their own difficulties throughout the series, it's Scott's character Hazel who's in the midst of a catastrophic situation. It's Hazel who accepts the help of her old friends Bree (Michelle Buteau) and Ari (Ryan Michelle Bathe) when she finds herself in the midst of a huge cheating scandal, and of course, hilarity ensues. Her character is a musician trying to make a comeback, similar to Goldie Hawn's Elise in the original, complete with outlandish furs and an out of touch attitude.

Considering that The First Wives' Club's tagline is "Don't get mad, get everything," it's pretty much guaranteed that we're in store for some pretty incredible scenes of female bonding and empowerment, as well as plenty of guys getting their comeuppance after treating the women in their lives poorly.

The series is being headed up by Girls Trip writer Tracy Oliver, who purposely created a diverse writing team consisting of a gay black man, two white women, and two black women to ensure the stories she's bringing to the screen are as inclusive as possible.

"I wanted fresh voices, new ideas, and people to speak up because that’s something I experienced a lot in writers’ rooms—being shut down and spoken over by men, things that led to a negative work environment," Oliver explained in an interview with Marie Claire. "I wanted my writers’ room to be a safe space."

However, Oliver insisted that she wasn't trying to reinvent the wheel of storytelling when it came to female friendship because it would be totally unnecessary. "At the core of this one, it was just all about women and women finding their voice and their place," she told Entertainment Weekly. "That’s something that’s timeless and something we could definitely use in 2019."

While the TV show will definitely differ from the 1996 movie, Oliver promises that there will be plenty of easter eggs there for eagle-eyed fans of the original in addition to the previously-promised rendition of the "You Don't Owe Me" scene. "If you’re a real fan of the movie, you’ll catch every single reference in there," she promised.

Oliver has also said that while The First Wives Club will "talk about tough scenarios in a comedic way," the series will ultimately be lighthearted and enjoyable to watch.

"I wanted a show that you can watch when you come home from work, that’s relaxing and reminds you of people you know. It’s not challenging to watch," she said. "You don’t have to overthink it, but it’s smart at the same time. It should make women feel good."

With 10 episodes of the series being released to BET+, BET's new streaming service, on September 19th, we won't have to wait long to find out what happens with Hazel, Bree, and Ari, and how they cope with the dissolution of their marriages. Something tells me it's their friendship with one another that will get them through.