The three heroines are a mix of races, classes
and sexuality, but in this America none of that
matters. “In this world, little petty stuff like gay
or straight or black — all of this stuff crumbles in
the face of the fact of witchhood.”
Creating this alternate reality gave Laurence a
chance to rewrite American history. In this world,
the emancipation of slaves took place much
earlier, African American witches are the military
elite and Native Americans have secured a lush
swash of the nation along the Mississippi River.
“It’s just about getting inside the terrible history
of our country and kind of opening it up and
looking at it in new ways,” he said. “It’s just fun to
poke around and be provocative with that stuff.”
Hickson calls Laurence “incredibly inventive”
and had a million questions after reading the
pilot. “I had to know more,” she said. “I was
really attracted to how ‘Motherland’ pushes
boundaries. It’s like history and these real,
relevant issues had a love child.”
Laurence originally thought his idea about
a witch army might be fodder for a book. He
wrote it in a diary form, with each young woman
writing her story in alternate chapters. But he
couldn’t sell it.
A few years ago, executive producer Kevin
J. Messick realized the TV landscape had
changed and Laurence’s concept would make
a provocative series. The original book became
the source material.
“He had five books in his head all mapped out
so if this thing works, he’s loaded with great
ideas for a while,” said Messick, calling Laurence
a “genius.” “The idea of strong young women