It’s the hardest club to get into on Martha’s Vineyard

‘Our Kind of People’ follows a single Black mother’s quest to enter society’s elite class

At some point, money transitions into power, acclaim and prestige. It’s no longer just cash; it’s a key.

In “Our Kind of People,” money is the key to hiding secrets in plain sight.

The Fox series, which premiered this week on CTV and is based on Lawrence Otis Graham’s 1999 book of the same name, follows a single mom, Angela Vaughn (Yaya DaCosta), as she tries to squeeze her way into elite society on Martha’s Vineyard, a world of opulence and wealth.

But as Angela forces her name into the mouths of those raised to think they’re better than her, she, too, forces the secrets of Martha’s Vineyard to unravel.

This plot isn’t unique to television. “Dynasty,” “Succession” and “Billions” all traffic in this level of wealth. But “Our Kind of People” lives in the world of the Black elite.

“It’s something a lot of people haven’t seen before: wealthy, affluent, generational Black elite is something that I don’t think most of the world has been exposed to,” Morris Chestnut, who plays Raymond Dupont, told the Daily News.

“When we see wealthy African Americans, they’re playing a sport or they’re an entertainer, a singer, a rapper, whatever.”

Instead, Raymond is a businessman and his wife, Leah (Nadine Ellis), is an even richer businesswoman, and her father, Teddy (Joe Morton), is an even richer businessman. Unlike “Empire,” where the Lyons worked their way up from the streets, these rich people earned their money the Right Way. This is generational wealth that gets you on the cover of Forbes.

“It’s the gilded cage of it all. You have a family name and you have this legacy that you have to protect and pass down to the next generation. You can’t mess it up or you’re the fly in the ointment,” creator Karin Gist,” who previously worked on “Mixed-ish,” “Star,” “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Revenge,” said.

“Then you have a character like Angela Vaughn who is trying to get that, who is trying to make her own moves that will give her daughter generational wealth. The idea of that is not just so they can buy fancy things. There are some roots, some protection that you have for your family that you cannot worry about the next thing. That’s what everyone is trying to give their kids: some kind of roots.”

None of that matters, though, if they won’t let you in and, in “Our Kind of People,” the Black elite is the hardest club to get into on Martha’s Vineyard.

For Gist, half the fun was pairing the beautiful visuals — the people, the scenery, the clothing — with the serious conversations about “social issues, the class divide and race” she wanted to infuse her show with.

The only thing “Our Kind of People” has more of than beachfront views is secrets, oozing out of the country club walls. Everything is bigger: the drama, the lies, the betrayals.

“Money brings out more of what a person already is. It’s very similar to a drunk mind speaks sober thoughts,” Chestnut said. “Money exposes more of what you are. If you’re a good person, it’s going to make you a very benevolent and kind person … If you’re not such a good person, it’s going to elevate that negative aspect of your person to do bad things.”