By Vanessa Obioha
On Wednesday, June 21, the beloved sitcom from the late 80s, ‘Ripples,’ made its triumphant return to the small screen. The highly anticipated sequel to the original series, produced by Zeb Ejiro, premiered on Africa Magic Showcase on DStv, with the primary goal of captivating a wider audience, particularly the younger generation.
Picking up from where it left off 30 years ago, the sequel titled ‘Ripples: New Generation’ begins after the death of the former matriarch, Leslie Dehinde-Philips. The story follows Doris, a remarkable young woman and Leslie’s granddaughter, who finds herself on the brink of inheriting the Dehinde-Phillips fortune and a staggering 75% share of DP Oil. Raised to take the reins as Chief Executive Officer, Doris seems destined for greatness. However, beneath her seemingly perfect life, she yearns for something more elusive – freedom.
Unfortunately, her dreams of freedom ended when a dramatic protest against DP Oil, led by the Elders of a Niger Delta Community, erupted. Determined to extricate herself from the situation and pursue her desires, Doris unwittingly falls into the clutches of a ruthless company executive who harbours a desperate aspiration to become CEO. Her grandmother’s last will affects her decisions about freedom and leaves her questioning everything.
The series focuses on the daunting challenges of oil spillage and the environmental consequences. The cast boasts of new and returning characters. Tope Olowoniyan will take her lead role as Doris Dehinde-Philips, accompanied by Daniel Abua, Vine Olugu, and Ian Wordi, who play Elo Dehinde-Phillips, Alex, and Inspector Richard, respectively.
However, older characters like Alex Usifo, Barbara Soky, Emeka Ossai, and Keppy Ekpeyong-Bassey will return to their roles as Talab Abass, Daphne Wellington-Cole, Wale Okoya, and Admiral (formerly Captain) Hassan, respectively. Debby Felix, Lexan Peters, Francis Onwochei, and Mena Sodje will join them as the new generation.
At the exclusive viewing party, Ejiro spoke about what it felt like to recreate his hit series. He said, “I feel so happy that we have been able to create ‘Ripples: The New Generation’ because today we have made history. Ripples is the only TV series or soap opera that was done thirty years ago and is back again. No other program has been able to achieve this. Yet, we are doing a mix of the old and new generation.”
