5th Ward The Series

Main

• Mýa as Mina Kennedy – A single mother of three and aspiring singer. Prior to the show, her husband is killed. Mina is a loving, good natured but firm mother who enjoyed singing on her church's choir until it was discover she was dancing in the strip club. The church's congregation voted against her to remove her from the church. With nothing left, she continues to dance in Blue's night club in order to support her family financially.
• Christopher Jefferson as Ray Ray Kennedy –Mina's eldest son and a talented, aspiring singer/rapper. He falls in love with Jazmine much to the dismay of his friend, Bam.
• Cayden Wilson as James Kennedy – Mina's youngest son and Ray Ray's little brother. A talented, gifted artist as well.
• Nephew Tommy as Robert Kennedy – A police officer, Mina's brother in law and Ray Ray's and James' estranged uncle. Robert has a strain relationship as well with his wife Wanda.
• Carl Anthony Payne as Councilman Kendrick Davis – A corrupt elect official with hidden, dark secrets and Blue's little brother.
• Chris O'Neal as Bam – Ray Ray's friend and aspiring rapper. He doesn't approve of Ray Ray's relationship with Jazmine.
• Gary Sturgis as Odell "Blue" Davis – A club owner with a romantic interest in Mina and Kendrick's older brother.
• Allison Nguyen as Jazmine Tran – Huong's and Dat Tran's eldest daughter, My Hahn's older sister, and Ray Ray's love interest. She falls in love with Ray Ray and encourages him to continue to do music whenever he begins to doubt himself. Her friends are Jaylene and Darien.
• Lew Temple as Mayor Bob Coletti– A corrupt elect official with a hidden agenda of his own as well.
• Mandy Carrasco as Allyson Lathan – A local television reporter with a hidden agenda against Councilman Davis.
• Derrick "D-Reck" Dixon as Seth – Fifth Ward's crime boss who owns a chop shop.
• Louis Gusemano as Greg Sones – Robert's second in command in the police department. Sones and Robert decides to organize a truce meeting between Seth's and Carlos' however the truce meeting doesn't go according to plan and Sones is shot.
• Corr Kendricks as Ace – One of Seth's former lackey who betrays Seth during an organized truce meeting against Seth's rivals.

Recurring

• Junie Hoang as Huong Tran – Jazmine's and My Hahn's strict mother.
• Kendrick Smith as Gibson – A crooked police officer working for the mayor.
• Jalene Mack as Wanda Kennedy – A nurse. She is Robert's wife, Mina's sister in law and Ray Ray's and James' aunt. Her and Robert have a strain relationship due to the fact she wants children but he doesn't.
• Brittany "Just Brittany" Bullock as Lexus – Blue's now ex-girlfriend and Mina's colleague. She develops a personal vendetta against Mina because of Blue's interest in her and decides to sets her up to get gang bang at a bachelor's party.
• Leslie Steele as Marcie Wiggins – Councilman Davis' one time office manager and part time lover.
• Neshia Brathwaite Farhangi as Mrs.Jackson – A CPS worker.
• Golden Rice as Dat Tra – Jazmine's and My Hahn's father.
• Savannah Phan as My Hahn Tran – Jazmine's little sister and Huong's and Dat's youngest daughter.
• Tasha Denise as Kiki – Mina's friend and colleague.
• Nayeli Escamillia as Lettie Sones – A lawyer and Sones' wife. Her and Sones met while in college.
• Amelia Jefferies as Loretta Davis – Councilman Davis' wife.
• Justin Mabrie as Tony – Mina's incarcerated boyfriend. Mina and Tony share one child together, Little T.
• Mista Roe as Mike Batts – Seth's cousin who is killed by an unknown assailant.
• Micheal Anthony Jackson as Lavell – Councilman Davis' mysterious and dangerous protege.
• Denisha Hardeman as Jaylene Ward – One of Jazmine's friends. She doesn't care for Jazmine and Ray Ray's relationship.
• Cat Tebo as Darien Mack – One of Jazmine's friends.

Guest stars

• Hawthorne James as John – Mina's father and Ray Ray's and James' grandfather.
• Scarface as OG Jeffrey – an incarcerated inmate.
• Willie D as FBI Bureau Director Brussard.
• Golden Brooks as Jaylene's mother

Development and conception

As a longtime resident of Texas, 5th Ward The Series finds Carter expanding on themes from his first feature film - titled Fifth Ward - which he made 20 years ago. The son of a minister, Carter moved to Houston from Arkansas when he was a child. Although he was only in Fifth Ward a short time, the neighborhood left an impression on Carter. Initially, Carter went to Texas A&M University to study engineering, however he took a detour into drama. After the completion of school, Carter was ready to tell his Fifth Ward story. Fifth Ward, Carter's debut film was featured in the SXSW Film Festival and set Carter on a path writing, directing and producing feature films.^[8]

Over the years, he kept developing a Fifth Ward story. "I wanted to tell a story that was bigger than just one about being black, about being who I am," he commented. Carter's vision was to capture the oft-changing demographic makeup of a neighborhood with a long history dating back to the end of the Civil War, when it was largely settled by freedmen. For the series, Carter wanted to infuse the show with a feeling of authenticity, so he prefaced his episodes with documentary-style interviews with residents, "people who were models in appearance and story to the four main characters on the show," he commented. "I wanted to give it that feeling, 'This is Houston.' "^[8]

Among Carter's storylines are one about a Pakistani family and one about a Vietnamese family. Leading actress Mýa stars in another narrative about a struggling single mother with two sons and aspiring singer. With his series, Carter hopes viewers unfamiliar with the neighborhood's history may find information threaded through the show. For 5th Ward The Series opening credits, Carter combed through archival photos and music, old and new. "If a kid sees it and doesn't know who Mickey Leland is, I hope he'll want to find out," he says of the late congressman. "And the music tells a story, too. I wanted some ragtime in the opening sequence: That feeling of the past going back to Reconstruction and then move it forward to a trap beat like kids would listen to today. I want it to revolve around a vernacular particular to Houston and its culture."^[8]

Music

Director Greg Carter and his Nexus Entertainment has partnered with Melissa Harville-Lebron of E2 Northeast Motorsports, Inc. (NASCAR) and Coutrá Music Group, Inc. to release the free soundtrack Spotify playlist for the show on March 2. Additionally, E2 Northeast Motorsports, Inc. will unveil the 5th Ward- UMC NASCAR vehicle as part of the Camping World Truck Series in Las Vegas on March 2 as well.^[9]