Harlem rehashing old stereotypes needs to let Tye take the lead

by Kathia Woods

Harlem is the latest show centered on young Black Women. It takes place in Harlem, NY. Another show centered on Black Women isn’t a bad thing, but it should have nuance and layers as in something new. Harlem is currently streaming on Amazon Prime Video.  

This show comes from creator writer Tracy Oliver the talent behind Girls Trip and First Wives Club. The show centers on four women as they try to balance professional and personal lives. 

Camille (Meghan Good) is the show's main character. She is currently pursuing tenure as an anthropology professor at Columbia. Camille hasn't fully accepted the end of her earlier relationship. Her ex reappears on the scene just as she was about to move forward. Tye (Jerrie Johnson) is the unapologetic owner of a queer tech start-up. She's just one deal away from making it big. Quinn (Grace Byers) is an heiress trying to make it as a designer, and Angie (Shoniqua Shandai) is a singer who lives off Quinn, aka she doesn’t have a damn job nor is she trying to get one. 

Camille, despite her ambition and intelligence, makes poor decisions. This entire storyline involving her, and her ex is so tired, and it would have been nice to see her character start a new relationship. 

This notion that Black Women cannot be successful at work or in their personal lives has led to boredom and repetitive.  

Quinn is not doing much better as an heiress with no point of view. This co-dependency with Angie is just unrealistic and boring.  

Angie is the least likeable character because, once again, the dark-skinned, non-skinny girl has the least ambition and serves as the comic relief. There's nothing wrong with wanting to be a singer, but there's nothing appealing about an adult woman thinking another woman should lavishly finance her dream while she lays around. This is supposed to be a show about empowering women, so how is her inability to stand on her own a positive thing? Would we celebrate this if it was between a man and a woman? I don't think so. 

Tye is the show's saving grace. In Black Dramas, we don't often see a queer positive character living their best life. She is confident in her own skin and understands her worth at work and in her personal life. I also appreciate how interested her girlfriends are in her dating life as they are in their own. I wish the show focused more on her because she is the only character with nuance. 

Harlem has the potential to contribute to the dialogue of Black Women on television, but it has a long way to go. Especially when they want to be mentioned in the same breath as some of these other shows. It's past time for us to stop celebrating these dated stereotypes of ourselves and strive for better character development other than being cute or clinging to men from our past. 

If Harlem gets a season 2, I want Angie to get a job, Quinn to get a clue, and Camille to apply some of her intelligence to her dating life. Harlem's one outstanding quality is Tye, make her the central character until the others mature because she is the only reason to watch.