With season 6 production kicking off, Ava DuVernay’s Queen Sugar has added several new cast members.

Tammy Townsend is joining in the series regular role of Billie, “the daughter of beloved Bordelon family friend Prosper Denton (Henry G. Sanders), who returns to St. Josephine for the first time in 20 years to care for her ailing father. Townsend joins the cast as a series regular.”

In a recurring role is Paula Jai Parker, who is Celine, “a single mother whom Aunt Violet takes under her wing as Celine works to establish a life in St. Josephine with her 10-year-old son, Gabriel.

Also recurring are When They See Us star Marquis Rodriguez and McKinley Freeman. Rodriguez is Isaiah, “a college student wise beyond his years who befriends Micah West. Freeman is Dominic,  a cultural anthropologist who captures the attention of Nova Bordelon.”

Continuing the show’s tradition of having an all-female directorial team each season, the season six directorial lineup, handpicked by DuVernay, includes four returning directors with five directors making their television debut. This season’s directors are Bertha Bay-Sa Pan, Carmen Marrón, Cierra Glaude, Keisha Rae Witherspoon, Marie Jamora, Shari Carpenter, Shaz Bennett and Stephanie Turner. Lisa France has been upped to serve as producing director. Overall, this means the season has hired 42 female filmmakers through six seasons, with 39 of those being first-time directors.