‘V.C. Andrews’ Dawn’: Premiere Date, Cast, and More for Lifetime Limited Series
Another juicy V.C. Andrews adaptation is coming to Lifetime. A four-part miniseries based on the Cutler series of novels premieres this July, with Stargirl’s Brec Bassinger in the title role.
‘V.C. Andrews’ Dawn’ premieres July 8
V.C. Andrews’ Dawn premieres Saturday, July 8 at 8 p.m. ET on Lifetime. New episodes air on subsequent Saturdays through July 29.
The first episode in the miniseries introduced Dawn Longchamp, who has grown up in humble but loving circumstances. Her hardworking family includes her devoted father Ormand, as well as her older brother Jimmy. But Dawn’s world is rocked to the core when she discovers the people who raised her are not her real parents.
Once the truth comes out, everything Dawn knows and loves is ripped away from her. She’s forced to adjust to life with the Cutlers, a strange new family whose dark and twisted secrets change the course of her life forever. Her wicked grandmother Lillian Cutler now rules Dawn’s life with an iron fist and inflicts cruel punishments when she does not follow her strict orders. The innocent Dawn is caught up in the mysteries surrounding the Cutlers, as she realizes that a dark curse looms over the family.
The next three installments of the series will follow Dawn as moves to New York City to attend a performing arts school, and later, as she becomes a wife and mother. The fourth episode focuses on Dawn’s daughter, Christie, who must confront her family’s troubled past.
Here’s the complete schedule and episode titles for V.C. Andrews’ Dawn:
- Part 1, “Dawn,” airs Saturday, July 8 at 8 p.m. ET.
- Part 2, “Secrets of the Morning,” airs Saturday, July 15 at 8 p.m. ET.
- Part 3, “Twilight’s Child” airs Saturday, July 22 at 8 p.m. ET.
- Part 4, “Midnight Whispers,” airs Saturday, July 29 at 8 p.m. ET.
The upcoming miniseries cover the first four novels in the Cutler series. An adaptation of the fifth book, Darkest Hour, is currently in development.
‘V.C. Andrews’ Dawn’ cast includes Jesse Metcalfe, Donna Mills
In addition to Bessinger as Dawn Longchamp, V.C. Andrews’ Dawn also stars Jesse Metcalfe as Dawn’s adoptive father Ormand Longchamp. Khobe Clarke plays Dawn’s adoptive brother Jimmy Longchamp. Knots Landing star Donna Mills plays Lillian Cutler.
Joey McIntyre of New Kids on the Block plays Dawn’s singing teacher, Broadway star Michael Sutton. Emmy nominee Fran Drescher portrays Agnes Morris, an aging, unemployed actress who is the house mother at the performing arts boarding school Dawn attends.
The rest of the cast includes Jason Cermak as Dawn’s father Randolph Cutler; Miranda Frigon as Dawn’s mother Laura Jean Cutler; and Elyse Maloway and Dane Schioler as Dawn’s siblings Clara Jean and Philip Cutler. Corey Woods plays Dawn’s boarding school roommate, Tricia. Helena Marie plays Sally Longchamp, Dawn’s adoptive mother. Megan Best plays Dawn’s daughter Christie.
‘Dawn’ is the latest of several Lifetime adaptations of V.C. Andrews’ books
Lifetime has previously adapted several of the Andrews’ melodramatic gothic family sagas, including Flowers in the Attic, My Sweet Audrina, Heaven, and Ruby. Like those movies, Dawn delivers Andrews’ signature mix of troubled families and forbidden passion.
“In the Dawn series, when Dawn finds out that her family is not really her family, she suddenly has very confused relationships with both the person she thought was her brother, Jimmy, and also the person she thought was a romantic interest, Philip, who now turns out to be her brother,” executive producer Michelle Weiss said (via Lifetime). “So these kind of forbidden relationships and confusing family relationships are often present in V.C. Andrews. Each of the children are kind of in their own way a little bit scarred by the abuses of the past.”
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