Plot Synopsis

GREENLEAF is a one-hour drama series that centers on the journey of estranged daughter and disillusioned preacher Grace Greenleaf who has returned home after 20 years on the occasion of the mysterious death of her sister, Faith. As she reenters the world of Calvary Fellowship World Ministries, the Memphis megachurch run by her powerful parents Bishop James Greenleaf and Lady Mae Greenleaf, it becomes evident that things are not as virtuous as they seem and that the family's outward display of faith hides sin and misdeeds. Like so many megachurches, the Greenleaf's church is more than just a house of worship. It's a home. It's the center of the community for the thousands of predominantly African-American members who attend services there. But beneath its steeple lies a den of iniquity -- greed, adultery, sibling rivalry and conflicting values -- a multigenerational matrix of deception that involves the church's founding family. The series opens with Grace and her teenage daughter Sophia being warmly welcomed home by Grace's father, but tensions quickly rise soon thereafter at a family dinner in the Greenleaf mansion. Grace's mother is cold and hostile; her sister-in-law Kerissa questions her about her faith; and sister Charity (erupts with jealousy at the suggestion that Grace might preach at Calvary. Later, blues club owner and Grace's aunt Mavis -- played by Oprah Winfrey in a recurring role --- discuss the circumstances of Faith's death and Mavis reveals some shocking information about Grace's uncle "Mac." Mavis is still estranged from the Greenleaf family and it starts to become evident that she intends to use Grace to sow the seeds of its destruction. GREENLEAF had a two-night premiere event on Tuesday, June 21, 2016 at 10pm ET/PT and Wednesday, June 22 at 9pm and 10pm, before settling into its regular timeslot: Wednesdays at 10pm.

OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network premiered the first eight episodes of Season 2 on Wednesday, March 15, 2017 at 10pm ET/PT, with the remaining eight episodes of the series' second season scheduled to debut in summer 2017. In the series' second season, the Greenleaf family tree will split at the root as Jacob ventures off to begin his new career with long-time rival church Triumph Ministries, breaking faith with his father, Bishop James Greenleaf, while his mother, Lady Mae Greenleaf, struggles with Jacob's decision to abandon the family. Meanwhile, after exposing her Uncle Mac's crimes, but failing to bring him to justice, Grace 'Gigi' Greenleaf finds herself intrigued with someone new, Darius Nash (guest star Rick Fox), a local journalist who's been closely following the ongoing threats plaguing the Greenleaf empire. Oprah Winfrey also returns in her guest starring role as Mavis McCready, the sister of Lady Mae Greenleaf and a close confidante to Grace Greenleaf. In the season opener, "A House Divided," the Greenleaf family reels from the aftermath of Mac's release. Triumph Pastor Basie Skanks' announcement opens a rift between the Bishop and Jacob. Lady Mae makes a last-ditch attempt to save the Bishop.

Season 3 premiered Tuesday, August 28, 2018 at 10pm ET/PT on OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network. In Season 3, all the turbulent forces that Grace's return to Memphis unleashed threaten to destroy not just the church her family built, but the family itself. Fallout from last season's shocking revelation of Bishop's infidelities with Lady Mae's sister, as well as reverberations from his current dalliance with that insidious Jezebel, Rochelle Cross, lead to all-out war in the Greenleaf home, setting the Bishop and Lady Mae on a collision course that, unless God or Grace intervenes, can only end one way: divorce. In the wake of the marital mayhem, Lady Mae rushes to reconnect with Maxine Patterson, an old friend and now a world-famous Christian motivational speaker, in an attempt to reclaim her forsaken call to preach and thus do what no First Lady has done before -- survive as the sole head pastor of a megachurch after a major rift between its founding couple. Grace, meanwhile, works undercover in the company of Rochelle, hoping to discover Rochelle's motives and true identity before the Bishop is swept away on a raging river of vanity and desire. Across town at Triumph, Jacob and Kerissa try not to make the same mistakes Bishop and Lady Mae made as they work to build their own evangelical empire and manage parenting their teenage daughter Zora, but the roots of sin delve deep and old habits die hard. Sophia's faith is tested when an unforeseen medical issue arises; Charity struggles to make peace with Kevin and find her place in the world; and Grace works to keep an abused woman from death row for the crime of defending her own life. Meanwhile, Darius finds himself in conflict due to being entangled in an increasingly strained relationship with Grace.

Season 4 premiered on Tuesday, September 3, 2019 at 10pm ET/PT on OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network. The Greenleafs attempt to maintain a united front in the face of losing their church to Bob Whitmore and Harmony & Hope Ministries, but secrets past and present create what could be fatal fractures in the family's fragile foundation. Lady Mae and Grace form an uneasy alliance as they endeavor to reclaim the church from H&H, Grace from within the church, where she's operating as Interim Head Pastor, Lady Mae from without. But Grace's mission becomes complicated when a mysterious phone call sets in motion a chain of events that threatens to reveal her biggest secret yet. The Bishop continues working to mend his rift with Lady Mae while, day by day, Harmony & Hope's grip on Calvary tightens. In the season opener, "Original Sin," the Greenleaf family's united front shatters on the very first Sunday after Harmony & Hope's installation at Calvary. Grace attempts to lead the church's loyalties gently back toward the Greenleafs, but a call from Noah brings a long-kept secret of Grace's to light, the revelation of which could destroy the Greenleafs' hold on the church more completely than anything that's been revealed before.

GREENLEAF's fifth and final season premiered on Tuesday, June 23, 2020 at 9pm ET/PT on OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network. In Season 5, the Greenleafs attempt to maintain a united front in the face of losing their church to Bob Whitmore and Harmony and Hope Ministries, but secrets past and present create what could be fatal fractures in the family's fragile foundation. The Bishop continues working to mend his rift with Lady Mae while, day by day, Harmony and Hope's grip on Calvary tightens. In the season opener, "The First Day," faced with Calvary's imminent demolition in just under a week, Lady Mae and Bishop seek a sign from God. Charity faces the fallout, heartbroken and on the outs with her family. Jacob digs into the family mansion's past and instead has a revelation about his own. Meanwhile, Grace reignites an old flame and learns the real reason Bob Whitmore is so invested in keeping the Calvary congregation under his wing.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On Tuesday, August 11, 2020 at 9pm ET/PT, OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network premiered "Behold," the series finale of GREENLEAF, immediately followed by a one-hour farewell special (10pm):

"Behold" (9pm): In the series finale episode, Grace and the Greenleaf family must lay the past to rest once and for all as God's plans for the future unfold.

"The Homegoing Celebration" (10pm): In this one-hour special, the cast, writer/executive producer Craig Wright, and executive producers Clement Virgo, Kriss Turner Towner & Oprah Winfrey take an look back at the series. Cast members Merle Dandridge, Keith David, Lynn Whitfield, Lamman Rucker, and Deborah Joy Winans share their favorite moments from the past five seasons and answer questions from the devoted fans.

A GREENLEAF spinoff, currently in development with Lionsgate, was announced in May 2020.