Amazon Prime Summary:
A group of four friends follow their dreams after graduating from college together.
FYA Summary:
(Uh, that summary above makes it sound like they’re fresh out of college, but in actuality they’re in their late twenties or early thirties.) It was impossible for me to watch this show initially without comparing it to Sex and the City, and I’m not just saying that because it’s four single women living and loving in NYC – they really leaned into similar character tropes at the start; Camille (the “Carrie”) even does cheesy voice-overs about the episode theme that tie back to her newspaper columns Anthropology 101 lectures.
After a few episodes, though, it thankfully diverges enough away from SATC to stand on its own, and I found myself comparing them less and less as I got to know these ladies in their own right. The show tackles light and dark topics with humor and heart, and isn’t afraid to bring in the relationship drama. While I love that it brings up many important topics that affect Black women or the Black community on a whole, sometimes the dialogue surrounding them can feel a tad…cringey, like the writers don’t trust the viewers to understand why they’re shedding light on a particular issue (though, unfortunately…that might be true for some).
If you’re a fan of close-knit found families, dating and work woes, and flawed characters that will sometimes piss you off and then make you laugh, check it out! And if you are on the fence, then let me sweeten the pot: one of the characters gets casts in Get Out: The Musical, in which someone plays the literal TEA CUP. And yes, they grace us with two full-length, ridiculously amusing songs! I MEAN.
Familiar Faces:
Jerrie Johnson as Tye, Meagan Good as Camille, Shoniqua Shandai as Angie, and Grace Byers as Quinn
Tye is the owner of a successful dating app for queer POCs called Q, and she’s not interested in long-term relationships, preferring to love-‘em-and-leave-‘em whenever she can (the Samantha).
Camille is an Anthropology professor dreaming of tenure, who sometimes regrets that she stayed behind years ago when her perfect boyfriend, Ian, was moving to Paris to be a chef. What happens when Ian moves back to Harlem…with a fiancé? (Carrie and her Big.)
Angie was about to make it big as a singer before her label went under, and ever since she’s been living with Quinn and avoiding situations that will cause her rejection (actually quite the opposite of Miranda, except she’s still cynical and gets a lot of the punny one-liners).
Finally there’s Quinn, a woman with rich parents who supported her through multiple failed business ventures before she settled on being a clothing designer, who just wants to be in love (the Charlotte).
Jerrie and Shoniqua are relative Hollywood newcomers, but Meagan has been working literal decades, and Grace was in big shows like Empire and 2022’s horror-comedy The Blackening (highly recommend; it was funny as hell).
Whoopi Goldberg as Dr. Elise Pruitt
I was not expecting to see Whoopi and in a recurring role as Camille’s boss! Dr. Pruitt is a “serious” academic who has zero patience for Camille’s bumbling and social media presence, and while she IS kind of a joyless jerk, Camille is forever putting both feet, her shoes, and, in fact, her entire damn purse in her mouth whenever she’s around Dr. Pruitt. I get such secondhand embarrassment watching their scenes.
Couch-Sharing Capability: High
It’s a show about female friendships; it absolutely calls for a friend on the couch or close by on speed-dial. You will have lots of thoughts about the characters and hypotheses about where the show will go, and someone has to validate these for you.
Recommended Level of Inebriation: Aperol Spritz, Anyone?
These ladies are no strangers to a stiff drink, so feel free to indulge right along with them. It’s officially Summer where I am – so hotter than Satan’s ass-crack – and it’s time to switch to “refreshing” drinks. I’m definitely late to the game, but I’m currently obsessed with a good ole-fashioned Aperol spritz. Drink every time someone makes a bone-headed move you would not make, and you’ll be enjoying life in no time flat.
Use of Your Streaming Subscription: Great
I found myself quickly devouring these two short seasons and getting very invested in these flawed and relatable characters, and, luckily, a third season is on the way! I love finding stories about positive, non-toxic female friendships, where even if they occasionally disagree, at the end of the day they talk it through and are family.
