‘Our Kind of People’ lands with a thud

A melodrama of class and caste, “Our Kind of People” (9 p.m., Fox, TV-14) takes place in the town of Oak Bluffs on Martha’s Vineyard, long an enclave of wealthy Black families. The soap opera has been adapted from Lawrence Otis Graham’s “Our Kind of People: Inside America’s Black Upper Class.”

With executive producers Karin Gist (“Star,” “Grey’s Anatomy”) and Lee Daniels (“Empire,” “The United States Vs. Billie Holiday”), this series sports an impressive melodramatic pedigree. But shows like this often show how deceptive family roots can be.

Yaya DaCosta stars as Angela Vaughn, a fiercely proud woman who is a genius when it comes to Black hair care and styling. She aims to open a shop, Eve’s Crown, in the heart of the Bluffs, located in an old building left to her by her late mother. Momma had not been part of the island’s smart set, but worked as a maid.

Angela arrives to fulfill her mother’s dream and to insert herself in the world where her mother had only toiled.

Unfortunately, the reigning families, the Franklins and the Duponts, don’t exactly welcome her ambitions. Angela’s efforts to donate money at a classy charity dinner is seen as gauche. It doesn’t help matters when Angela’s daughter, Nikki (Alana Bright), is seen getting drunk with the locals.

Veteran actor Joe Morton stars as Teddy Franklin, the patriarch of the island’s ruling elite. He’s introduced by giving a boardroom speech about buying a Boston sports team and building a stadium in the heart of a rundown area. His soaring rhetoric puts the emphasis on both profit and community service. Only his daughter doesn’t exactly buy his exalted noblesse-oblige.

Teddy’s halo is further tarnished by flashbacks to stories about Angela’s mother, her illegitimate birth and not-so-subtle hints as to her paternity. Will the arrival of a new hair salon upset the posh enclave’s social firmament? If you have to ask, then this is not the show for you.

I realize the description above may make “Our Kind” seem like a great soap, juicy and fun. Don’t be deceived. The dialogue is jaw-droppingly stiff and strident. People don’t conduct conversations; they deliver speeches — or rather manifestos.

When introduced to a snooty crowd and asked about her business, Angela gives an undergraduate-level dissertation on the importance of hair to Black women and Black society. A father-son chat is similarly stilted, with Dad stressing the importance of being a powerful and successful Black entrepreneur. It’s as if these two characters had never met before and were describing their feelings and motivations rather than acting like mere human beings.

Can’t anyone engage in small talk without invoking their caste or their struggle? Apparently not. It’s like the writers could not imagine Black characters who were not obsessed with talking about being Black characters. “Our Kind” promises escapism, but only succeeds in being humorless, curiously dated and decidedly odd.

OTHER HIGHLIGHTS

❱ Yacht trips can be murder on the season premiere of “FBI” (8 p.m., CBS, TV-14).

❱ Blind auditions continue on “The Voice” (8 p.m., NBC, TV-PG).

❱ A cyberattack rattles the staff on the season premiere of “The Resident” (8 p.m., Fox, TV-14).

Contact Kevin McDonough at kevin.tvguy@gmail.com.