Harlem (2025)
Camille, Quinn, Tye, and Angie are four thirty-something besties making their way through the ups and downs of careers, romance, and family. But this time, instead of being four white women traipsing around mid-town and the Upper East Side, they’re an African American sisterhood kickin’ it in Harlem. While the premise may sound familiar – think the legendary Sex and the City’s (1998-2004) Carrie, Charlotte, Miranda, and Samantha – Tracy Oliver’s characters have a style and swagger all their own.
Like Sarah Jessica Parker’s Carrie, the central character, Camille played by the effervescent Meagan Good, is also a writer. But unlike Carrie, she’s also an untenured adjunct professor of anthropology at Columbia University. Highly educated but insecure, gorgeous but flighty, intelligent but indecisive, Camille tends to be her own worst enemy in life and love.
Quinn (Grace Byers), a fashion designer and entrepreneur with her own chic boutique, is confident and poised for the most part, except when it comes to her pushy and opinionated Caribbean mother Patricia, played with know-it-all zeal by Jasmine Guy.
Angie (Shoniqua Shandai) is a live wire with a zest for life and a dream of acting stardom whose single-mindedness sometime results in extravagant selfishness.
And Tye (Jerry Johnson) is a commanding lesbian with a rising career in media who exudes a sexual confidence which does not quite match her pattern of self-betrayal (did we mention she fled Georgia instead of coming out to her family)?
With its third and final season, Harlem reveals Camille in turmoil yet again with her on-again, off-again sexy “true love” Ian (Tyler Lepley), a talented chef who left Camille behind (her choice) to study in Paris, leading to their first break of…one, two, three… who can keep track with these two? After Ian retuned from Europe with a sophisticated and stunning British fiancé, Camille’s bid for calm detachment, turned into panicky regret until the two dramatically reconciled derailing Ian’s wedding plans. But their blissful reunion was short lived as they struggled to align their lives and dreams yet again.
Instead of a clean break, they play (recklessly) at friends-with-benefits until Camille (who thought she was infertile) gets pregnant. Having just quit her job at Columbia University despite finally winning her sour boss Dr. Elise Pruitt’s (Whoopi Goldberg) approval, Camille must decide if she’ll seize what may be her only chance at biological motherhood and walk the path alone since Ian’s moved on with his childhood sweetheart Portia (Logan Browning). Did we mention he’s actively trying to have a baby with Portia when Camille, compelled by her girls, finally confesses her pregnancy? Yep, it’s messy!
Meanwhile, Quinn who has sworn off men (and women) falls hard for the tall, dark, and handsome professional athlete Seth (Kofi Siriboe) when a crisis leaves him needing her services as a stylist. But while falling in love wasn’t in the cards, that’s exactly what they both do, that is until Quinn, (slow to trust) overhears Seth on the phone professing his love to Sabrina! Who the flying fig is Sabrina?
As for Tye, she’s flying high at work and despite swearing off women and committing to celibacy after a romantic blow-up of epic proportions, she’s falling hard for a beautiful new colleague, Eva (Gail Bean).
Meanwhile, Angie provides the comedic genius with her entitled diva sensibilities and single-minded focus on “making it”. Shandai’s brilliant singing, dancing, and all-around entertainment chops are revealed in Angie’s opening-night rendition of “I got Drugs in my Booty,” an R & B/Hip Hop anthem in her show, Girls’ Trip the Musical, in which she has a starring role. But will her appropriately laser-sharp focus on the biggest opportunity of her previously flailing career derail her engagement to the African American real estate mogul Mike (Luke Forbes), whose “well-meaning” advice about Angie’s artistic choices becomes increasingly controlling and dismissive?
Helping to weave together the individual tales of the foursome are their constant brunch, dinner, and cocktail dates through which they relate the latest news, career triumphs, gossip, and the sexy (and sad) details of their romantic exploits. The pleasure of Harlem is in the relationships of these beautiful, intelligent, funny, and flawed black women. Noticeable too is the fact that the few white characters (like Camille’s kind but direct literary agent) play only secondary roles in a stylish Harlem that is populated with a diverse cast of fabulous and successful black people.
As Camille commits to solo motherhood and Ian commits to creating embryos with Portia, they work through the bumps of expecting a child as co-parents who are not partners or lovers, a place they never thought they’d be. Camille bravely leaves Columbia to pursue a career as an independent author, but her timing couldn’t be worse since the precarity of a salary-free existence means she’s lost her health insurance at the exact moment that she and her growing baby-bump need it most.
But the sisterhood of this gorgeous, stylish, enduring quartet shines throughout the season, especially at Camille’s baby shower and Angie’s opening theatrical performance. In both cases, it is Quinn who organizes, calms, and comforts with genuine concern, patience, and devotion.
However, questions remain. Will Tye overcome her fear of commitment and penchant for self-deception to devote herself to Eva? Will Angie submit to Mike’s ultimatum that compels her to choose between the best opportunity of her career and their wedding? Will Quinn settle for a polygamous relationship with Seth to keep him in her life? Will Camille and Ian figure out that they truly do belong together? We’ll never tell!