BET+ ORIGINAL HIT SERIES "FIRST WIVES CLUB" SEASON 1 RETURNS TO LINEAR TELEVISION FOR AN EXCLUSIVE RUN STARTING WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 27 AT 10PM ET/9C ON BET AND BET HER

NEW YORK, NY - January 27, 2021 - BET announces the linear television return of fan-favorite BET+ original series First Wives Club -- the network previously announced that highly anticipated Season 2, currently filming in Atlanta, is set to release in 2021 exclusively on BET+. In the interim, viewers can relive all the drama of Season 1 as episodes will air weekly for a limited time beginning Wednesday, January 27 at 10:00 PM ET/9:00 PM CT on BETand BET Her.

A sitcom reboot of the popular 1996 Paramount Pictures film, First Wives Club is one of the first original series to launch on BET+. The 9-episode half-hour comedy follows Ari, Bree and Hazel; three best friends who reunite after several years alienated from their friendship to see and support each other through a tabloid-ridden divorce, unsatisfying marriage, a cheating husband and other marital woes.

First Wives Club cast includes:

Ryan Michelle Bathe as "Ari"

Actor and producer Ryan Michelle Bathé currently stars in the CBS series All Rise and has a diverse list of credits for roles in popular television titles such as Fox's Empire and NBC's This is Us; Bathé also stars in newly released film on Amazon, Sylvie's Love. In First Wives Club, Ryan plays "Ari" - Driven, beautiful, and motherly. By trade a lawyer, she sets aside her career to run her husband's campaign for New York Senate. Ari is totally selfless and wishes her husband David could be a bit more attentive.

Jill Scott as "Hazel"

Multi-hyphenate Jill Scott is a singer-songwriter, model, poet, and actress. The platinum-selling artist is a three-time Grammy Award winner, notable philanthropist and most recently received a nomination for NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series. In First Wives Club, Jill plays "Hazel" - Creative, tough, and a superstar. Hazel is a Grammy Award-winning singer struggling to succeed in the middle of her career. Hazel brings a grit to the group. Having mixed business and pleasure, Hazel now navigates a looming divorce from her music producer husband, Derek.

Michelle Buteau as "Bree"

Michelle Buteau is an actress, author and comedian. She recently published her first book Survival of the Thickest (Gallery Books) and released her first one-hour comedy special Welcome to Buteaupia (Netflix). She currently hosts The Circle for Netflix, which will return for Season 2 this Spring. This spring she will be seen in the feature film "Marry Me"(Universal). In First Wives Club, Michelle plays "Bree" - Brilliant yet ditzy, outspoken yet insecure. Bree is the wildcard of the group. As an orthopedic surgeon, she is the breadwinner of her family, which causes her husband, Gary, to feel undervalued. Bree's relationship is the most hot and cold, as she is scared of what life will be like if her husband moves on with a younger woman.

Mark Tallman as "David"

Mark Tallman is an actor known for his role in All My Children, Single Ladies, and State of Affairs. In First Wives ClubMark Plays "David" - Determined, stoic, selfish. His time is consumed with running for the New York Senate; David falls short in providing emotionally for his wife Ari.

Malik Yoba as "Derek"

A New York native, Malik got his start on New York Undercover. Since then, he has appeared in many films and television shows, including, Empire, Designated Survivor, and The Last O.G. In First Wives ClubMalik plays Derek - Powerful, arrogant, and manipulative. Derek is the head of the record label to which his wife, Hazel, is signed. When Hazel learns Derek is cheating on her with another artist, he purposefully sabotages her career.

RonReaco Lee as "Gary"

Hailing from Stone Mountain, Georgia, RonReaco is a prolific actor known for his role in BET's Let's Stay Together, STARZ's Survivor's Remorse, and Disney's Sister, Sister. In First Wives Club RonReaco plays "Gary" - Caring, nerdy, and a little of a player, Gary is a schoolteacher and the husband of Bree. Feeling like he doesn't get enough credit for handling most of the parenting, Gary separates from Bree to explore dating other women.

First Wives Club is executive produced and written by Tracy Oliver. Karen Rosenfelt, Scott Rudin, Tony Hernandez also serve as executive producers.

All season one episodes are now streaming on BET+. For more information visit BET.com and follow us @bet across social media platforms (Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Twitter).

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About BET

BET, a subsidiary of ViacomCBS Inc. (NASDAQ: VIACA, VIAC), is the nation's leading provider of quality entertainment, music, news and public affairs television programming for the African-American audience. The primary BET channel is in 90 million households and can be seen in the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, the United Kingdom, sub-Saharan Africa and France. BET is the dominant African-American consumer brand with a diverse group of business extensions including BET.com, a leading Internet destination for Black entertainment, music, culture, and news; BET HER, a 24-hour entertainment network targeting the African-American Woman; BET Music Networks - BET Jams, BET Soul and BET Gospel; BET Home Entertainment; BET Live, BET's growing festival business; BET Mobile, which provides ringtones, games and video content for wireless devices; and BET International, which operates BET around the globe.

About Paramount Television Studios

Paramount Television Studios is a leading studio, developing and financing a wide range of cutting-edge and entertaining television content across all media platforms for distribution worldwide. The studio's robust slate includes "Defending Jacob" (Apple TV+), "Home Before Dark" (Apple TV+), Tom Clancy's "Jack Ryan" (Amazon), "13 Reasons Why" (Netflix), "The Alienist" (TNT), "The Alienist: The Angel of Darkness" (TNT), "The Haunting of Hill House" (Netflix), "The Haunting of Bly Manor" (Netflix), "Shantaram" (Apple TV+), "Made For Love" (HBO Max), Station Eleven (HBO Max), "Catch-22" (Hulu), "First Wives Club" (BET+), "Looking for Alaska" (Hulu), "Boomerang" (BET), "Briarpatch" (USA), and "Paradise Lost" (Spectrum Originals) among others. Paramount Television Studios is part of Paramount Pictures Corporation (PPC), a global producer and distributor of filmed entertainment. PPC is a subsidiary of ViacomCBS (NASDAQ: VIAC; VIACA), a global content company with premier television, film and digital entertainment brands.