The Family Business Season 3 Release Date, Cast, And Plot - What We Know So Far
Carl Weber's "The Family Business" has managed to etch itself out as a fan-favorite show for BET. The crime drama, which is based on a book series from Weber, initially started out as a limited series in 2018. However, the show proved to be strong enough for BET to renew it for a 12-episode second season for its streaming service BET+. Given the show's premise, it's easy to see why "The Family Business" is a bit of a standout.
The series centers on the Duncan family, who appear to the public as normal but very well-off thanks to their exotic car dealership Duncan Motors. Yet this is just a front, as the family has plenty of secrets and dealings in the criminal underworld. At the head of this is family patriarch L.C. Duncan (Ernie Hudson), who initially has his eyes on passing on leadership to someone else, as he wants to enjoy the rest of his life with his wife Charlotte (Valarie Pettiford) and their grandchildren. Of course, Duncan's plan doesn't exactly go off without a hitch, and the family finds itself often dealing with drug dealers, crooked politicians, and the Mafia.
The Duncans have been through so much so far, but things are only going to become more intense for them in the next season. Here's everything we know about "The Family Business" Season 3.
Updated November 3, 2021: This article has been updated to reflect that Season 3 has premiered.
When's the release date for The Family Business Season 3?
"The Family Business" Season 1 premiered in November 2018 on BET and ended at the beginning of 2019. The second season of the series was picked up by BET+ and premiered in the summer of 2020. However, it went on a brief hiatus after airing six episodes. The remaining six episodes of the second season dropped on the streaming service in December 2020. We had to endure an extended hiatus while waiting for the third season, thanks to — you guessed it — the ongoing ravages of the COVID-19 pandemic. Thankfully for fans the world over, "The Family Business" managed to get down to business, and had the third season in production in 2021.
The third season premiered on October 14, 2021, and is currently airing new episodes.
Who's in the cast for The Family Business Season 3?
"The Family Business" Season 3 will see a mostly returning cast. As another Deadline story highlighted, the main returning cast will still feature Ernie Hudson as L.C. Duncan, Valarie Pettiford as Charlotte Duncan, Darrin DeWitt Henson as Orlando Duncan, Javicia Leslie as Paris Duncan, Sean Ringgold as Junior Duncan, Tami Roman as London Duncan-Grant, and Miguel A. Núñez Jr. as Harris Grant. KJ Smith, who played as L.C.'s hitwoman niece Sasha, will return in Season 3, now as a member of the main cast.
Season 3 will feature a lot of recurring cast members returning from previous seasons. One notable example is music legend Shelia E., who played Maude, the spa owner who's actually running a money-laundering scam. On the production side of the series, there hasn't been any official mention of changes. So, Season 3 of "The Family Business" will probably still feature Nikaya D. Brown Jones and series creator and original novel author Carl Weber as the series' showrunners. Trey Hayley should also return this season as director and co-executive producer.
What's the plot for The Family Business Season 3?
Creator Carl Weber has stated that the current season is the "best work" he's written so far, so expectations are high. Season 3 will definitely follow from the fallout of Season 2. For much of that season, the Duncans were busy operating their drug business with a substance known as Heat, which made them the target of rival gang factions. This included the Duncans going to war against the Brotherhood.
The Duncans also had to deal with the extremely dangerous Brother Xavier (Anthony "Treach" Criss), who got a deadly upper hand in one of the final scenes of Season 2. While the Duncan family sent people to search for Brother Xavier and even placed a bounty on his head, he was able to evade them and take out a member of their family. Disguised as a deliveryman, Brother Xavier snuck in and killed Charlotte's sister. In Season 3, it's safe to bet that the Duncans will deal with this death and seek revenge. Keep tuning in to find out how it all plays out.