Exclusive: Showrunner and Executive Producer Marissa Jo Cerar talks Hulu's Black Cake
Now playing on Hulu is its Original drama series "Black Cake," based on The New York Times best-selling novel by Charmaine Wilkerson. The series premiered with three episodes on November 1, and new episodes stream Wednesdays on Hulu.
The series stars Mia Isaac, Adrienne Warren, Chipo Chung, Ashley Thomas, Lashay Anderson, Faith Alabi and Glynn Turman, as well as recurring guest stars Ahmed Eljah, Simon Wan, and Sonita Henry.
Based on The New York Times-bestselling book by Charmaine Wilkerson, “Black Cake” is a family drama wrapped in a murder mystery with a diverse cast of characters and a global setting. The story takes place in Jamaica, Italy, Scotland, England and Southern California. In the late 1960s, a runaway bride named Covey disappears into the surf off the coast of Jamaica and is feared drowned or a fugitive on the run for her husband’s murder. In present day California, a widow named Eleanor Bennett, loses her battle with cancer, leaving her two estranged children, Byron and Benny, a flash drive that holds previously untold stories of her journey from the Caribbean to America. These stories, narrated by Eleanor, shock her children and challenge everything they thought they knew about their family’s origin.
From Charmaine Wilkerson’s best-selling novel “Black Cake,” Marissa Jo Cerar serves as showrunner and executive producer. The series is executive produced by Oprah Winfrey, Aaron Kaplan, Carla Gardini, Brian Morewitz, Charmaine Wilkerson, and Michael Lohmann. “Black Cake” is a Two Drifters, Harpo Films, ABC Signature, and Kapital Entertainment production.
Cerar was recently involved in ABC’s Emmett Till limited series Women of the Movement, which she created, executive produced and showran. Her TV credits also include Hulu’s The Handmaid’s Tale, sharing in the series’ Outstanding Drama Series Emmy nomination and Drama Series WGA Award nomination. She also worked on Netflix’s popular original series 13 Reasons Why, Freeform’s The Fosters and Fox’s Shots Fired.