This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

OWN's new series about a family in the business of religion is a show for people who hate church.

"Greenleaf" is a big ol' soap opera. A pretty good soap, as a matter of fact, filled with more than its share of characters who are instantly unlikable.

If all houses of worship are like the Tennessee megachurch at the center of "Greenleaf," then organized religion can be a hellacious place.

The narrative centers on prodigal daughter Grace "Gigi" Greenleaf (Merle Dandridge), who was once the preaching heir-apparent to her father, Bishop James Greenleaf (Keith David) of the Calvary Fellowship World Ministries. Something happened 20 years earlier that sent Grace out into the world, where she found success as a television journalist.

But as "Greenleaf" opens, Gigi returns to Tennessee after the mysterious death of her sister Faith.

James, at least, appears happy to see his Gigi: "This here's a time of healing," he says.

But not so much for Gigi's mother.

"Promise me you're not here to sow discord in my fields of peace," says the imperious Lady Mae (Lynn Whifield), exuding all the warmth of an iceberg.

"Nice to see you, too, Mama," Grace replies.

Then the family sits down for dinner and Grace's obnoxious, self-righteous sister-in-law, Kerissa (Kim Hawthorne), interrogates and attacks her — passive-aggressively and just plain aggressively — about her life and her beliefs. And we're off.

The Greenleafs — including Gigi's surviving sister, her brother, their spouses and her shady uncle — are rife with rivalries, jealousies, backbiting, sexual impropriety and worse. Bishop James is dodging an investigation into the church's finances, and the Greenleafs are living lives of luxury at the expense of their parishioners.

There is a dark secret involving Faith's apparent suicide that Gigi is determined to investigate.

She gets help from her Aunt Mavis (Oprah Winfrey), who owns a local blues club. (Winfrey is just fine in the role, and she's used sparingly. Surprisingly, she doesn't overwhelm the production.)

Yes, "Greenleaf" centers on a church, but it's way more "Melrose Place" than it is "7th Heaven."

Creator/executive producer Craig Wright ("Six Feet Under," "Lost") was a minister before he became a TV writer, so you've got to figure he knows what he's writing about in "Greenleaf."

The series debuts Tuesday at 8 p.m. on OWN; Episode 1 repeats Wednesday at 6 p.m., followed by Episode 2 at 7 p.m. and Episode 3 at 8 p.m. (Succeeding episodes premiere Wednesdays at 8 p.m.)

We'll have time to see how this develops. Even before the 13-episode Season 1 debuts, OWN has ordered a 13-episode Season 2.

Maybe that doesn't have anything to do with the fact that Oprah is an executive producer, a recurring guest star and owner of the channel. Maybe.

Scott D. Pierce covers TV for The Salt Lake Tribune. Email him at spierce@sltrib.com; follow him on Twitter @ScottDPierce.