OWN TO AIR ALL-NEW JOHN LEGEND HOSTED SPECIAL "REVISITING UNDERGROUND" IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING NETWORK PREMIERE OF "UNDERGROUND ON OWN" JANUARY 5

Special Features All-New Producer and Cast Interviews, Commentary, Behind The Scenes Footage and More

Los Angeles - OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network will air "Revisiting Underground," an all-new half-hour special from Sony Pictures Television, immediately following the previously announced January 5 premiere on OWN of the critically acclaimed historical drama "Underground on OWN" at 9 p.m. ET/PT. The dramatic series acquired from Sony Pictures Television will have a revitalized presentation on OWN, with newly filmed episodic introductions by cast members, never-before-seen behind the scenes footage and more. The premiere episode has been expanded to 90 minutes, with "Revisiting Underground" debuting at 10:30 p.m. ET/PT.

Grounded in this moment of cultural shift, "Revisiting Underground" reminds us of the importance of taking history off of the shelves and bringing it into our daily lives. Executive Producers John Legend, Misha Green and Joe Pokaski, along with the cast and crew, share personal stories, reflect on their time working on the show, and discuss the power of activism and the relevance of the show today.

We'll look at the research everyone did to prepare for their roles, hear their personal stories of challenges and triumphs from their time working on these intense stories, and explore the music of the show. Finally, we'll share how the cast honors the heroes of the Underground with the activism in their daily lives.

"Underground," which aired for two seasons (20 episodes) on WGN America, was co-created by Misha Green ("Lovecraft Country," "Sons of Anarchy," "Heroes") and Joe Pokaski ("Cloak & Dagger," "Heroes," "Daredevil"). They serve as executive producers alongside Emmy(R)-nominated director Anthony Hemingway ("Power," "Red Tails," "Treme"); Academy Award-winning writer Akiva Goldsman ("A Beautiful Mind," "I Am Legend") of Weed Road Pictures; Tory Tunnell ("Spinning Out," "King Arthur") and Joby Harold ("King Arthur," "Edge of Tomorrow") of Safehouse Pictures; and EGOT winner John Legend, Emmy(R) and Tony(R) Award winner Mike Jackson and Emmy(R) winner Ty Stiklorius of Get Lifted Film Co ("Rhythm + Flow", "Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey"); and Mark Taylor ("MadTV"). Additionally, Legend and Get Lifted oversaw the score, soundtrack and all music aspects of the series.

In 1857, a restless slave named Noah (Aldis Hodge) organizes a small team of fellow slaves on the Macon plantation outside Atlanta, and puts together a plan to run for their lives -- 600 dangerous miles North -- to freedom. The odds of success are slim; the path to freedom's terrain is unforgiving, and Tom (Reed Diamond), their politically ambitious owner will surely kill anyone attempting to run. For those who make it off the plantation, the risks and uncertainties multiply. They leave family behind to pay for their sins, as they face danger and death at every turn. They're aided along the way by an abolitionist couple in Ohio, new to running a station on the Underground, unprepared for the havoc it will wreak with their personal lives, while they evade a ruthless slave catcher hell-bent on bringing them back, dead or alive.

"Underground" stars Aldis Hodge ("City on a Hill," "Brian Banks," "Hidden Figures") as Noah, a restless slave who organizes a small team of fellow slaves on the Macon plantation to plan an escape; Jurnee Smollett ("Lovecraft Country," "Birds of Prey: And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn," "True Blood") as Rosalee, a shy house slave with a powerful inner strength and courage; Emmy-nominated actor Christopher Meloni ("Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," "Happy!") as August Pullman, a secretive man who walks a tightrope between morality and survival; Alano Miller ("Cherish The Day," "Jane The Virgin," "Loving") as Cato, a cunning, charismatic man despised and feared by his fellow slaves; and Jessica De Gouw ("Pennyworth," "The Crown," "The Last Tycoon") as Elizabeth Hawkes, a socialite who shares the abolitionist ideals of her husband, John (Marc Blucas, "Knight and Day," "Buffy the Vampire Slayer"), a lawyer whose principles clash with the legislation he's sworn to uphold. The internationally renowned cast includes Adina Porter ("American Horror Story," "True Blood," "The 100,") as Pearly Mae, a strong-willed wife and mother; Mykelti Williamson ("Fences," "Forest Gump") as her husband Moses, a fiery preacher; Amirah Vann ("How to Get Away with Murder," "Star Trek: Picard," "Unsolved: The Murders of Tupac and the Notorious B.I.G") as Ernestine, head house slave and fiercely devoted mother; Johnny Ray Gill ("Rectify") as Sam, Rosalee's half-brother and a talented carpenter; Chris Chalk ("When They See Us," "Perry Mason," "Homeland") as William Still, an abolitionist ally; Reed Diamond ("13 Reasons Why") as Tom Macon, a plantation owner and political candidate; and Jussie Smollett ("Empire"), who joins his sister Smollet in the cast as Josey, a wild-eyed runaway who doesn't trust anyone. In season 2, Legend guest stars as iconic abolitionist, orator and author Frederick Douglass, Aisha Hinds ("9-1-1," "Unsolved: The Murders of Tupac and the Notorious B.I.G," "True Blood") steps into a recurring guest star role as Harriet Tubman; and Sadie Stratton ("Westworld") portrays notorious slave trader Patty Cannon.

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About Get Lifted Film Co.

Get Lifted Film Co. is led by Emmy(R) and Tony(R) Award-winning producer Mike Jackson, EGOT recipient and award-winning producer John Legend, and CEO of the entertainment management and social-impact company Friends At Work, Ty Stiklorius. Get Lifted has developed television projects with major networks including ABC, NBC, FOX, HBO, Showtime, Netflix and MTV. Most recently, Get Lifted produced David E. Talbert's acclaimed holiday film JINGLE JANGLE: A CHRISTMAS JOURNEY for Netflix, the HBO docu-series ATLANTA'S MISSING AND MURDERED: THE LOST CHILDREN, the IFC and AMC comedy series SHERMAN'S SHOWCASE and SHERMAN'S SHOWCASE: BLACK HISTORY MONTH SPECTACULAR, and RHYTHM + FLOW for Netflix. Their other recent projects include the documentary 40 YEARS A PRISONER on HBO Max and the documentary GIVING VOICE, which premiered at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival and is available for streaming on Netflix. Their forthcoming projects include the film MONSTER, which was recently acquired by Netflix, the sports drama SIGNING DAY in partnership with Steph Curry's Unanimous Media for Sony Pictures, a female-fronted film written by Adam Hoff about a modern-day Jerry Maguire, the film adaptation of S.A. Cosby's novel BLACKTOP WASTELAND, and PAPER GODS with Sony Pictures Television for ABC.

About Sony Pictures Television

Sony Pictures Television (SPT) is one of the television industry's leading content providers, producing, distributing and carrying programming worldwide in every genre and for every platform. In addition to managing one of the industry's largest libraries of award-winning feature films, television shows and formats, SPT is home to a thriving global content business, operating a robust portfolio of wholly-owned and joint-venture production companies across the U.S., Europe, Latin America, and Asia Pacific, as well as linear and digital channels around the world. SPT is a Sony Pictures Entertainment Company.