The series tells the story of four African-American families who start out living in urban Detroit, and after finding success, move to suburban Birmingham, Mich.

Throughout the series the families face tragedy, betrayal and other tribulations while behind the white picket fences of suburbia.

“This isn’t ‘The Cosby Show,’” casting director and MSU alumnus Shaun Whitehead said. “It differs because it doesn’t just show the positives of a successful black family, it shows the struggle that the family had to go through.”

Whitehead, who graduated from MSU in 2011 with a political theory and constitutional democracy degree, said the series is based on the W.E.B. Du Bois’ 1903 theory The Talented Tenth, which states that the most prestigious upper 10 percent of the race must guide the mass, or lower 90 percent, toward social and economic prosperity.

“To take it now in 2014, more than 100 years later and implement it in a Detroit-made drama that exemplifies his story from over a century ago, is kind of remarkable,” Whitehead said.

Executive producer and writer Barika Pace, who graduated from MSU with a degree in international relations in 1997, said when casting for the play they sought out the best talent in Michigan, and plenty happened to be from MSU.

“We wanted talented folks that would really breathe life into these fictional characters,” Pace said. “People who were truthful, that people could easily identify with, who are sincere and could bring the sincerity of the characters to the screen.”

Pace, who wrote 15 episodes for the series, said Emerald Sky Performance Arts is looking to bring the show to network television in the summer of 2014.

In the past week, Whitehead said the series debut, which has almost sold out at the 500-person Royal Oak, Mich. venue, will be something he expects people will really enjoy because it’s a story that has never been told.

“It shows that it’s not easy to be successful,” Whitehead said. “People expect things from you, you go through things, it’s a struggle. If you look at any other positive African-American TV show, none of them do that.”

Although the drama follows four African-American families, Pace said she wants viewers to understand it’s meant to exemplify all Americans seeking the American dream and hopes the audience will be able to see it in that light.

“It’s told in a way where people grasp the dichotomies there between American individualism and the pressures people face to really contribute back to their communities,” Pace said.

Actress Delaney Baynham II, who attended MSU and plays Nia Landon in the pilot, the wife of sports talk show host David Landon, said she was able to easily fall into her character because she was relatable — as is the rest of the series.

“It’s going to be natural for people to watch,” Baynham said. “The series shows a struggle you normally wouldn’t get to see that some will be able to relate to, while others will be sympathetic for even if they can’t relate.”