BET is getting the saved and sanctified treatment as Kevin Frederick’s Churchy is set to make its debut on the streaming service, BET+, on Feb. 15.
The series follows Corey Carr Jr. (Kevin Fredericks), whose “life takes an unexpected turn when he’s bypassed for leadership of his father’s mega-church. Determined to prove his worth, Corey packs up his dreams and heads to middle-of-nowhere Lubbock, Texas, with lofty ambitions to build his own ministry from the ground up. However, after quickly stumbling upon the realization that small-town church life is an entirely different ball game, Corey slowly accepts that the path to spiritual leadership might just be funnier and more profound than any sermon could ever teach,” reads the official description.
In addition to Fredericks, the cast features Anthony Elfoniza, Lexi Allen, London Solomon, Mark J. P. Hood, and Shani Shockley.
The brainchild of Fredericks, “Churchy” started as a series the comedian launched on social media and was later expanded with the help of SpringHill thanks to Frederick’s longtime relationship with LeBron James’ production banner.
“You dream to make TV shows, to ‘make it in the industry,’ but you can’t possibly imagine how it feels when it actually happens,” said Fredericks. “BET is a network I grew up watching. LeBron James is a person I grew up rooting for. So, I would have been happy anyway, but to be partnered with SpringHill and have the show airing on BET, that’s just way more than I bargained for.”
“I can’t think of a platform that has more of a people who are looking for this content than BET. It’s just a match made in heaven,” he adds.
Having been in the same orbit as Jamal Henderson, SpringHill’s chief content officer, and Lezlie Wills, SpringHill’s head of scripted TV, for several years, the partnership wound up coming to fruition as the culmination of divine timing and the opportunity to “stay creative” with their approach as Wills puts it.
After launching “The Crossover” (which Fredericks also starred in), the company was in the market to try something new. The comedian’s faith-based comedy was a new genre that Wills and the SpringHill team were eager to explore and as the dual Hollywood strikes halted productions, the opportunity to jump on a scripted project that was mostly assembled with several episodes already in the can was a big push.
“We really were blessed with perfect timing and a relationship that we really wanted to grow,” said Wills. “‘Churchy’ stood out so clearly to us for a few reasons. One, this is a lane that Kevin and Melissa’s brand is so perfectly aligned for. That is their background as individuals, so it was just very authentic for him to step into this space too.”
The second factor that really made the project such a no-brainer for the company, Wills explains, is the light-hearted nature of the show. “it’s a ton of fun and we’re having a ton of fun at SpringHill,” she said.
Kevin, Melissa, and Jason Fredericks executive produce the series for KevOnStage Studios alongside LeBron James, Maverick Carter, Jamal Henderson and Lezlie Wills for The SpringHill Company.
