NEW ORLEANS — The show Queen Sugar, now in it’s second season on The Oprah Winfrey Network, is set just outside New Orleans and shot here in town.

We got the unique opportunity to catch up with creator and Executive producer Ava DuVernay, and she spoke to us about the show’s authenticity and the decision to shoot here.

DuVernay says, “There was no option, there was no even thought about doing or telling the story anywhere else than in the place where it is supposed to be told, New Orleans.”

In addition to the authenticity of the storytelling, fans of the show and critics have taken notice of the beautiful scenery and the real life portrayal of the characters, an effort not always prevalent in shows with black casts.

DuVernay reasons, “I think overall there is a tendency for us to only be portrayed in television in our most heightened circumstances. The robbery, the takeover of this, whatever the big thing is, and what we wanted to do is show just the nuance and the extraordinary nature of everyday black life.”

In an age where labels are disregarded in favor of folks wanting to just be known for their skills, DuVernay says she proudly wears the badge of who she is.

“I’m a woman, I’m black, I’m a black woman director, and that makes me very unique,” she says. “It makes my lens different from other people’s my point of view something to embrace. So if I’m on a studio lot with other directors yes, in that sense I’m one of them, but I’m also me and one of another tribe so I bring that into my work.”

Queen Sugar airs Wednesday nights at 9 p.m. Central Time on OWN.