Pop the Balloon is WILD!!!

I know it's all the rage now, but the hype around "Pop the Balloon" (YouTube) is just that we're witnessing firsthand rejection in real time, right? Which by the way, shout out to Arlette for coming up with this format, and I mean no disrespect. But let's admit, the rejections, as polished as they can be, are just brutal. People claim to eliminate people off "energy", "type", or the "perfect answer", when all of us in the audience know they're eliminating people off looks, skin tone, occupation and number of children. Don't get me wrong, it's kind of hilarious, but we all come there for those trainwreck interactions. We're certainly not coming there for the love....and neither are the contestants. I watched one dude who solely had the purpose of promoting his BBQ restaurant for the entirety of the episode.

Who Is Shanelle REALLY Protecting?! Let’s Talk About That INSANE Twist

Okay, folks, what just happened in Reasonable Doubt Season 2, Episode 4?! Shanelle remembering that someone else might’ve actually bashed Tucker’s head in? WHO is she covering for?! Adrian? One of the kids?! I need answers, and I need them yesterday. And then there’s Lewis—my guy. You finally realize your jokes are wrecking Spenser’s confidence, but let’s not pretend you’re off the hook. How many secrets can one family handle? You slept with Holly and she might still be pregnant?! Bro, at this point, Jax might just have to start serving up subpoenas at family dinner. But back to the real tea: Why do I feel like Adrian’s just another pawn? Was he really down with Evan's plan, or did he catch real feelings for Shanelle? Either way, Shanelle ain’t spilling all the tea yet. Who do y’all think she's protecting?! Drop your wildest theories below!

Season 4 better come with answers!

Bel-Air Season 3 left us with way more questions than answers, and I’m not mad about it. The Banks family is barely holding it together, and with everything that went down this season, Season 4 could take us anywhere. What’s Will’s next move? He’s out of school, in the entrepreneurial world with Quentin, and might be leaving basketball behind. Does that mean Season 4 gives us a Will who’s fully in the game of business, or will he get pulled back into old habits? Carlton’s recovery is a ticking time bomb. He’s still trying to earn everyone’s trust, but let’s be real—his journey isn’t over. Will he finally turn the corner, or will the pressure crack him again? And what about Hilary? Her influencer life is popping, but how long before she faces some real consequences for her choices? Same goes for Viv and Phil—can they keep juggling careers and family without something major breaking? Season 4 better come with answers...

Anyone enjoy season 2 of "Unprisoned"...?

UnPrisoned Season 2 is back, and while I wasn’t exactly itching for it after the first season, I have to admit it’s funnier than I expected. Season 1? Cool vibes, but not a must-watch—Season 2? It’s got a lot more jokes and heart. Kerry Washington is doing her thing as Paige, a therapist with her own mess, and Delroy Lindo as her formerly incarcerated dad, Edwin? I love everything Kerry stands for, but Delroy steals the show in season 2. Ultimately, their 2 characters balance laughs and trauma like they’re running a relay race, and sometimes, like the Men's 4x100m team, they fumble the baton—especially when it gets a little preachy. But for the most part, the episodes this season were very moving and engaging. There’s less of that in-your-face “the system is trash” energy this season, but the subtle digs at how racism haunts Black families are still there, just without the megaphone. It’s a family drama that knows when to joke, when to cry, and when to throw in a wrestling match. Literally.

Re-Watching "Living Single"!

Is anybody else watching reruns of Living Single? Man, this show still hits! It’s wild to think Yvette Lee Bowser, the first Black woman to create a primetime TV show, gave us this masterpiece. Khadijah, Synclaire, Max, and Regine were out here navigating life, love, and careers in Brooklyn way before we had all these other shows. Living Single gave us ambition, relationships, and all the Black excellence we needed. This wasn’t just another sitcom—it was a whole movement. I’m over here just reliving the blueprint! Who else is feeling this throwback?

It's Because of Slavery...

I'm reading so many comments on how folks are disappointed with the direction of #TheChi. On the one hand, I get it. The show started as this daring, prestige, drama on the level of an HBO show, and now it's not that...AT ALL! On the other hand, some of y'all really need to stop watching if you hate it THAT much! 😂 But for real, the reason the show isn't what it should be is because Black people don't get any respect. Or as Kenya Barris put it...because of slavery. In my estimation, the last really good season of the show was Season 3, the pandemic season of 2020. That was also the last season that had any proximity to the show's origins at Fox Entertainment. In 2019, Fox Corp sold all of its entertainment assets, including this show, to Disney. Almost the entire time since, Disney has been trying to get its house in order, figuring out costs, brand, new apps, old apps, buying Hulu, selling ESPN, etc. It's been a mess. But one of the things they have appeared to figure out is that investing in The Chi, when the main benefactor is another network (Paramount/ShowTime), is not something they're interested in. They want all the money, all the subs, all the awards on the shows they put out to be in service of Hulu and Disney+. They're not trying to help out Shari Redstone, especially with a Black show, given that Redstone/Paramount also owns BET. And by the way, Paramount also doesn't care too much for promoting a show on its network that it doesn't own the IP to. And so that's the reason the show looks like this. It's not solely because there have been a series of bad creative decisions—although, clearly there have been some—but the real issue is the show isn't being given the resources to be great. I've got no evidence, but everything about this show suggests they're not getting the resources they need. First, they're putting out new seasons every year—that's not something we see from prestige shows anymore. Really good shows with sought-after talent just can't make 10 episodes every 365 days. The studio knows this, so it's only a disregard for Black content and talent that lets them get away with this. Second, they constantly put their best (or most popular) actors on the shelf and lean on what I presume are the lower-waged talent. Characters like Kevin, Ronnie, Jada, Douda, Dre, Jerrika, Dom, Tracy, and (yes) Brandon, all saw their roles removed or reduced. I know some of those names had other issues, but for the most part, many of these decisions likely came down to money. Lastly, you can tell from the writing they don't have the time or creative (i.e. financial) freedom to tell the best story. They know that Dre's exit was inexplicable. This finale was so vanilla it was hard to watch. And the speed at which they had to hurry through Douda's timeline at the end was unforgivable. How the hell was he suicidal all of a sudden?!?!?! This is a clear sign they don't care about you: the BLACK AUDIENCE! Anyway, I say all of that just to give my two cents on what's going on and call it for what it is: yet another Black show not getting the resources it needs to succeed. If Disney (and Paramount) really valued this show, they'd be throwing money at something like this that once had the opportunity to be Emmy-worthy for years to come. Instead, a change of ownership, a disregard for the Black audience, and a lack of respect for Black content led this show down the wrong path. For that, I blame not the show, I blame the system.

The Chi - Season 6 Finale - Thoughts & Analysis

The season finale of #TheChi was crazy. We had multiple deaths of longtime characters. We saw some people come together in ways we couldn't have imagined. And we had both new heroes and new villians move up their respective ladders. Here are my 5 big takeaways from the end of Season 6. #1. This Is One Sloppy Neighborhood - I know we have suspend disbelief for the sake of the show, but there are a lot of connections that just don't make sense. You have Papa at a his the Pastor of his Dad's rival church. Jake is messing around with that Pastor's wife. Keisha's baby Daddy killed Tiff's man. Keisha had Thanksgiving at Tiff's place moments before Tiff's man was killed by said Baby Daddy. Shad is dating Tiff's dead boyfriend's mom. Oh, Jemma went to the Thanksgiving with the rival Pastor because her man is having sex with the Pastor's wife. And last, but not really last, the Pastor's daughter is dating the right-hand man of the the guy who killed the boyfriend of Tiff, who's ex-husband used to employ Papa, who also use to the date the Pastor's daughter. You see what I mean? #2. Douda Will Kind of Be Missed - I know everyone wanted Douda to go, but me personally, I wanted him to stick around for a bit. I'm actually not sure how this show can go on without him. He was the reason everybody had drama. It's really an indictment on the writers that he was pretty much the only straw stirring the drink. Now, it looks like somebody else will have to take his place, but the show hasn't really done a great job of setting up another character to be all that. For example, while I know everyone wanted Stringer Bell killed in "The Wire", the show wasn't the same without him. That show did a good job of expanding its scope the following season (4), but season 5 proved they couldn't last long without a truly diabolical, smart, villain. I think we may see the same in The Chi...unfortunately. #3. Will We Get Fun Emmett Back? - I remember when Emmett's character was just about the jokes. Whether he was climbing in Keisha's window, helping J with his food truck, or dealing with one of his baby mama's, he brought the comic relief. Now it feels like he's been running for his life for about 3 seasons, and everytime I see him I get anxious about what wrong move he's going to make next. With Douda dead, hopefully, we can see him bring some of the humor—much in the same way his dad's character has brought the comic relief. #4. Can Victor Rise to The Occassion? - I really didn't like what came of "Trig's" character this last half of the season. He didn't accomplish anything. He didn't set Douda straight. He didn't fix the city as a politician. He didn't even really keep tabs on his messy brother, Jake. He was supposed to be the Douda-turned-good guy on the show, and he's been failing in every way as of late. And it's not even a respectable fall—he just seems to be getting caught up in a very uneventful manner. I'm hoping there's a comeback for him in Season 7, even though, it seems to be setting up for something else... #5. Nuck vs. Alicia - I don't how I feel about the decision to let Nuck take out Douda, especially when Alicia was so close to doing it herself (and I'm not even going to comment on how corny and non-transparent it was that Alicia was in a position to kill Douda). The show has been (poorly) hinting at the new female triumvirate of Tiff, Alicia and Bianca. I thought it would've been great to let them get the dirty work done, and have them actually become the trouble-makers for the South Side. Instead, they opted for something much more tried and true, which is the #2 taking out Douda and drumming a potential rivalry between good and evil, Alicia and Nuck, after Nuck killed Alicia's son, Rob (Iman Schumpert). It certainly is the more soap-opera-y route to take, but if they were really trying to make the new big 3 huge movers in the show, there was a better way.

All- American | Season 6 | Episode 13 - "Victory Lap" - Analysis/Thoughts

This episode of #AllAmerican was a whirlwind of emotions and major plot twists! Episode 13, "Victory Lap," had me on the edge of my seat. Here are my top 4 thoughts on what played out: SPOILER ALERT #1. Spencer’s Integrity vs. NFL Dreams Spencer’s candid critique of the NFL combine process was a bold move, but the fallout was harsh. It’s a tough lesson in how the truth can sometimes work against you in professional sports. His refusal to apologize shows his integrity, but it’s heartbreaking to see it potentially cost him his NFL career. The support from Olivia and Grace was crucial, highlighting the importance of having a strong support system during tough times. #2. Jordan and Layla’s Resilience Jordan and Layla’s wedding day was a testament to their resilience. Despite the chaos of missing shirts and emotional struggles, they found joy and love in their union. Olivia’s gift of their dad’s number on Jordan’s shirt was a beautiful way to honor their father. This couple has faced numerous challenges, and their wedding day showcased their strength and commitment to each other. #3. Patience’s Career Dilemma Patience’s Broadway opportunity introduces a significant dilemma. Her fear of performing again and Coop’s initial lack of support add layers to her decision. This storyline emphasizes the struggle artists face between seizing big opportunities and overcoming personal fears. The resolution between Patience and Coop shows the power of understanding and support in relationships. #4. Spencer’s Redemption and Future The episode’s climax with Spencer getting a call from Coach Montes offering him a spot on the New York Bobcats was a redemptive moment. It highlights the theme of perseverance and the idea that when one door closes, another opens. The flash-forward to Spencer winning the Super Bowl and proposing to Olivia was the perfect culmination of his journey. It’s a reminder that despite setbacks, hard work and integrity can lead to ultimate success.

The Chi - Season 6 - Episode 15

This episode of #TheChi was crazy. I'll admit, the show has gone full-on cheap soap opera, and yet somehow, they're keeping my attention. How they launched brand new storylines in the penultimate episode of the season is wild, but I'm here for it I guess. Here are my top 4 takeaways from the episode... #1. The deaf person protecting Kandi's character is up to something I'm sure y'all are on this already, but I'm still waiting for the shoe to drop on this one. There's no way that gun isn't come into play and affect someone dearly in this last episode. #2. Victor Has Got to Get His Life Right Victor is pretty much the only guy on the show is fairly intelligent and a capable killer. He's got to get his head on straight so that Douda isn't running things anymore. He's naturally the guy to take him out; thus, clearly, it won't be him. But I have to believe he'll lend a helping hand. He was the one that forced Douda out of town the first time around. #3. Jake Is Super Messy This has played out for a few episodes now, but clearly Jake's decision to take money from Zay and Douda is going to come back to bite. Him messing around with the Pastor's wife won't work out either. Something has to play out here; otherwise, Jake's whole role this season was just to be a trash-talking fornicator, and I refuse to believe that's the only reason the writers have him around. #4. Thanksgiving is About to Be Crazy They really are building up Thanksgiving. You have Emmett, Rob and Tiffany hosting along with Alicia. You have the thieving pastor also hosting something with his "wife". So clearly, something is about to go terribly wrong, and Douda, naturally, will have his hands all over it. Without a doubt, it will be a sad Thanksgiving on the South Side of Chicago.

Harlem

Harlem episodes have left me feeling disappointed this season. Is it just me?