In my Storied Charlotte blog, I celebrate stories that have Charlotte connections. I generally write about stories that are published in books, but this week’s blog post is about Delilah, the new television series that premiered last week on Oprah Winfrey’s OWN network. Filmed in Charlotte during the fall of 2020, Delilah makes extensive use of Charlotte locations. Delilah is not the first television series to be filmed in Charlotte. Several seasons of both Homeland and Banshee were filmed in the Charlotte area, but in these previous series Charlotte was used as a stand-in for other locations. In Homeland, for example, Charlotte stood in for Washington, D.C. Delilah, however, is a scripted television series that actually takes place in present-day Charlotte. For more information about Delilah, please click on the following link: https://www.oprah.com/app/delilah.html
Several major law firms are based in Charlotte, and Delilah deals extensively with this aspect of Charlotte. Delilah Connolly, played by Maahra Hill, is the central character in the series. She is an African American lawyer who stepped away from her successful career as a corporate lawyer in order to start her own solo practice and to spend more time with her children. She is best friends with Tamara Grayson, played by Jill Marie Jones, who is an attorney with a powerful Charlotte law firm. The friendship between Delilah and Tamara is tested when they find themselves on opposing sides of a thorny and controversial case.
Viewers who live in Charlotte will recognize many of the locations used in the series. The opening shot features Charlotte’s skyline. The Fourth Ward, one of Charlotte’s urban neighborhoods, figures prominently in the series since Delilah lives in a townhouse in this neighborhood. A pivotal scene was shot at the Northwest School of the Arts. Other scenes were shot in west Charlotte as well as in the Ballantyne neighborhood.
Several people from Charlotte participated in the production of the series. Charlotte City Council member Braxton Winston worked as a member of the production crew. Kelly Jacobs, a Charlotte native and talented violinist, plays the role of Delilah’s teenage daughter. Martin Damien Wilkins, also a Charlotte native and graduate of Charlotte Latin School, assisted director and executive producer Charles Randolph-Wright throughout the production. Recent UNC Charlotte theatre alumna Kyra Hubert (’20) serves as a production assistant for the show. Theatre Department Adjunct Professor Jill Bloede was a featured actor (Caseworker) and Professor Bruce Auerbach was an extra in the series premiere.
For Charles Randolph-Wright, the opportunity to produce and direct Delilah was a homecoming of sorts. He was born in York, South Carolina, but he often visited Charlotte throughout his growing-up years. He now lives in New York, but he still identifies with Charlotte. In speaking about his connections to Charlotte, he recently told a reporter from The Charlotte Observer, “I am so proud of from whence I came. There’s a beauty and joy here that I really needed right now…. I spoke to City Council and was amazed to see how many people of color were in that room. When I grew up, I don’t know, there may have been one or two. People talk about diversity. But to be in this city and see it—what a great thing.” He sees Delilah as a “celebration” of being Black in Charlotte.
As the first scripted television series that is both filmed and set in Charlotte, Delilah has already earned a place of honor in the history of Storied Charlotte.