Underground season 2: Aisha Hinds cast as Harriet Tubman

Under the Dome actress Aisha Hinds has joined the cast of WGN America’s Underground as the iconic abolitionist Harriet Tubman, the network announced Wednesday.

Tubman, who was born a slave, eventually escaped her captors and risked her life to save others as one of the Underground Railroad’s most influential conductors. Underground‘s upcoming episodes will focus on what Tubman believed to be her God-given mission as she helped others to freedom against the backdrop of a divided America on the brink of civil war.

Season 2 of the period series, set in 1800s Georgia, enters production in Savannah on Monday, Aug. 29, and sees the return of stars Jurnee Smollett-Bell, Aldis Hodge, Christopher Meloni, Alano Miller, and Jessica de Gouw. Amirah Vann, who played Ernestine during the show’s first season, has been upgraded to the show’s regular cast, while Jasika Nicole (Fringe), Michael Trotter (Rosewood), and Jesse Luken (Justified) have also been added to the cast in recurring roles.

During its freshman season, Underground became WGN America’s highest-rated original program in its history, averaging 3 million total viewers each week, the network said. Misha Green and Joe Pokaski created the series. The pair executive-produces alongside John Legend, Akiva Goldsman, Tory Tunnell, Joby Harold, Mike Jackson, Ty Stiklorius, and the Emmy-nominated director, Anthony Hemingway.

Underground‘s 10-episode second season is set to premiere in early 2017 on WGN America.