Greenleaf

In the season premiere, directed by executive producer Clement Virgo (“The Book of Negroes”), Grace and her teenage daughter Sophia (Desiree Ross, “Falling Skies”) are warmly welcomed home by Grace’s father, Bishop Greenleaf. Sparked by Grace’s return to Memphis, tensions quickly rise. At a family dinner in the Greenleaf mansion, Grace’s mother is cold and hostile. Her sister-in-law Kerissa (Kim Hawthorne, “Rake”) questions her about her faith and sister Charity (Deborah Joy Winans, “Whitney”) erupts with jealousy at the suggestion that Grace might start preaching at Calvary. Later, Grace’s Aunt Mavis (Oprah Winfrey, “Selma”) discusses with her the circumstances of Faith’s death and reveals some shocking information about Grace’s Uncle “Mac” (Gregory Alan Williams, “Terminator Genisys”). Mavis is still estranged from the Greenleaf family and it becomes evident that she intends to use Grace to sow the seeds of its destruction.

Grace finds herself on an uncomfortable date. Jacob and Kerissa see their marriage for what it has become. Meanwhile, Senator Banks turns up the heat in his inquiry into the church’s finances.

When members of the church reach out for prayers for their terminally ill child, Grace (Merle Dandridge, "The Night Shift") and the Bishop (Keith David, "Community") find themselves with opposing views on the value of hope and the responsibilities of a pastor. Lady Mae (Lynn Whitfield, "The Josephine Baker Story") devises a plan to mend fences between the Bishop and Deacon Sykes (Jen Harper, "Kill the Messenger") while Kerissa (Kim Hawthorne, "Rake"), pushed to her limit with Jacob's (Lamman Rucker, "Meet the Browns") infidelities, takes explosive action without a plan -- with unintended consequences for both she and Jacob's careers. Kevin (Tye White, "The People v. OJ Simpson: American Crime Story") takes another step toward exploring his sexuality in the face of news about Charity's (Deborah Joy Winans, "Whitney") pregnancy.

The Bishop, despite protestations from both Grace and Lady Mae, appoints Grace to preach on Sunday in his absence, forcing Grace to deal with her conflicted feelings about returning to the pulpit and forcing Lady Mae to admit that the Bishop blames her for Faith's death. Jacob's plans to score a television deal to broadcast Calvary services in an attempt to get reinstated take an unexpected turn when the television executive takes a liking to Kerissa. Meanwhile, Kevin's flippant advice to Charity on how to hire a new music director backfires, bringing up Kevin's deep-seated issues.

Three months later, the Greenleaf family is still reeling from the effects of Mac's release from jail. With charges against the Bishop looming, Lady Mae resorts to desperate measures. Grace, meanwhile, has to deal with dwindling donations at the church, the cause of which turns out to be more complex than she imagined. Mac attempts to reconcile with Lady Mae, but finds himself quickly rebuffed. Charity prepares to give birth. At the groundbreaking for Triumph's new community center, Basie makes a surprising announcement that drives a wedge between the Bishop and Jacob. Meanwhile, an untethered Mavis hurtles down a path of self- destruction, setting her on a collision course with the rest of the Greenleaf family.

As Grace rockets down the road, bent on confronting Mac, a deer flies in front of her, causing her car to careen into a ditch. Uninjured, but emotionally fragile, she calls Darius, who comes to her aid. Bishop and Lady Mae comfort their daughter, and urge Grace to give up her obsession with Mac, as does Sophia. Rattled, Grace agrees. Meanwhile, Mac's relationship with Lorraine is on shaky ground when Michaela contacts him again. Things get worse for Mac when he gets a call from Skip Leonard who tells him to forget about getting a new job with the city. Charity gets an offer from Jabari to do a spur-of-the-moment recording session in Nashville and allows Kevin to stay at the mansion while she's gone in order to watch Nathan. Later on, a good-natured conversation between Aaron and Kevin quickly morphs into a charged moment. Isaiah invites Zora over to the studio to watch him record, but when she offers a less-than-enthusiastic opinion on one of his takes, the session takes a dark turn. Over at Triumph, Jacob presents Basie with a deal for Triumph II. Grace and Darius's dinner with Sophia takes an unexpected turn, putting Grace on a collision course with Mac.