"Classified" series from Skybound Galactic and Diprente debuts in the U.S. on August 22, 2024 on Prime Video.
Classified follows rebellious teenager Ella (Imani Pullum) as she is uprooted from her home in Oakland, California and forced to move in with her estranged father in South Africa. Upon arrival, Ella's world is turned upside down as she navigates a very different reality than what she has known - one full of mansions, elite private schools, and secrets around every corner.
Starring Imani Pullum (The Orville), Christine Horne (The Fallout), Sule Rimi (Andor), and created by Kagiso Lediga, the series is from Skybound Galactic and Johannesburg-based producer Diprente.
All eight episodes will be available on August 22, 2024, exclusively on Prime Video and Amazon Freevee in the U.S.
Classified is a Gen Z coming-of-age drama that is unique and very modern. When 15-year-old Ella, a student in Oakland, California is sent away because she was arrested at a protest and could be facing serious jail time, it seems as though her parents are being unfair. Ella avoids incarceration thanks to her stepmother, Dianne (Christine Horn), who has connections in high places. As part of the deal, Ella must leave her home in California and spend the remainder of her secondary education with her father (Sule Rimi), her half younger sibling Kwame, and Dianne in Johannesburg, South Africa. Ella’s world is turned upside down as she struggles to face a very different reality than the one she has known.
Gifted with a witty tongue, Ella is a weaver of yarns. A skateboarder with a skillful street style, she is a firebrand—defiant and rebellious in nature. Against her parents order, determined to go home and face whatever consequences, Ella tries to flee South Africa to return to Oakland, but her attempt causes chaos at school and forces her to cover her tracks so she doesn't get caught. After several much need conversations with her parents about the severity of her actions, Ella now has a new understanding of what’s at stake and what she can do in order to go back home to Oakland.
In order to go home, her step mother makes Ella an offer. Unbeknownst to her father, Dianne who is a secret government agent, tells Ella that if she can assist in spying on one of her classmates named Noko whose parents are on the governments radar, then she can go home after the job is done. Viewers are treated to drama, action, danger, and a host of teenage angst and sibling humor as Ella genuinely befriends Noko and learns how to accept responsibility, mature emotionally, and better navigate throughout life’s unforeseen circumstances.
Don’t forget, all episodes of Classified will be streaming on Prime Video on August 22, 2024.