Greenleaf is a Netflix Original series whose executive producer is Oprah Winfrey alongside Lionsgate Television. It is created by Craig Wright, who is also known to have written episodes for shows like Lost, Six Feet Under and Brothers & Sisters shows among others. The show which began airing in June 2016 is about a family that leads a Mega church named Calvary Fellowship in Memphis. In the show, you meet a family that leads a lifestyle full of corruption, dark secrets, hypocrisy, adultery, fornication, and lies despite professing their Christian faith. A lot of underground dirt that goes on behind the scenes of some Mega churches is exposed in this show.

Due to the current events, I have been indoors mostly and I discovered the Greenleaf series when I was scrolling through Netflix in search of something to watch. While initially I only wanted to watch an episode, I found myself binge-watching season one to season four as I counted the days to the release of the final season, season five. The show has drama that’s captivating and addicting making it easy for one to get hooked to it. The series has sixty episodes spread over five seasons.

It was so easy to get pulled into the lives of the characters and even develop an interest in everything that happens at Calvary Fellowship. I did like how relatable the characters were. The relationship between Bishop James Greenleaf (Keith David) and Lady Mae (Lynn Whitfield) was very believable. The rest of the cast did an awesome job portraying their characters. My favourite character was Pastor Greenleaf who was string and sensitive at the same time. I loved his comments and his facial expressions and I can say he was a competent head of the household and church.

In season three, I become fully hooked as the struggles of each family member become real. The season saw some dreams of becoming parents being shattered, questionable choices being made by adults and teens, loss of faith, and many more. The pain of the cast was palpable and I admit that I shed a few tears at the loss and disappointment of some of the characters. I couldn’t wait to get to season 4.

Watching this show reminded me that no human is exempt from temptations, we are all vulnerable regardless of our position in church or outside church. What I did like about it was the fact that it showed us that we are all human, none of us is perfect and the issue of salvation is personal and it’s up to an individual to work on it.

Even though I enjoyed watching this show, I have to state that it’s not for everyone. An individual who just joined the Christian faith will feel conflicted since some of the things portrayed in the show are far-fetched and are possibly a mockery of Christianity and the church. Just like the majority of the TV shows, the events in this series should not be taken to be a true reflection of the church.

I loved the way Greenleaf ended with season five, I am crossing my fingers for a spin-off.