Between fire in Los Angeles and snow on the other side of the country, there’s a lot going on in the country. To get my mind off the state of the world, I’m finding my escape in books, television and movies. Here are a few TV shows and movies I’m excited about.
One of Them Days
When her boyfriend takes her rent money, Alyssa (played by SZA) and her roommate (played by Keke Palmer) race against the clock to avoid eviction and keep their friendship intact.
Harlem
Back for a third and final season, Harlem shares the story of four ambitious best friends, Camille, Tye, Quinn and Angie, navigating relationships and careers in New York City. The show stars Meagan Good as Camille Parks, Grace Byers as Quinn Joseph, Jerrie Johnson as Tye Reynolds, Shoniqua, Shandai as Angie Wilson, Tyler Lepley as Ian Walker, Logan Browning as Portia, Kofi Siriboe as Seth, Robin Givens as Jacqueline, and Gail Bean as Eva.
Watson
Set to premiere on CBS on January 26, 2025, Watson is described as a “medical drama with detective elements.” It is centered around the character of Dr. John Watson (played by Morris Chestnut) from Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes stories. It is the second CBS series to adapt the Holmes stories, after Elementary. While the two programs are otherwise unrelated, their creative teams overlap.
Paradise
Starring Sterling K. Brown of This Is Us and Army Wives fame, Paradise follows a security service team tasked with protecting a past president.
The Family Business New Orleans
When a rival crime boss threatens Big Shirley Duncan’s New Orleans casino, she calls on her New York family to help restore order with their own brand of street justice. Created by Carl Weber, the show has a host of stars, including Lela Rochon as Big Shirley Duncan, owner of popular New Orleans club Midnight Blues and Brandon T. Jackson as her son Marquis, Pooch Hall, Quincy Brown, Yvette Nicole Brown and Orlando Jones. It is a spin-off from the crime drama The Family Business and will include guest appearances from some of the cast.
Beyond the Gates
Set in a leafy Maryland suburb just outside of Washington D.C., and in one the most affluent African American counties in the United States, Beyond the Gates focuses on the Duprees, a powerful and prestigious multi-generational family that is the very definition of Black royalty. But behind these pristine walls and lush, manicured gardens are juicy secrets and scandals waiting to be uncovered. And those who live outside these gates are watching closely. These are the places where the characters live, love, work and play. Those who have “made it” and those who haven’t are all trying to navigate life—and some with more grace than others. The serial is the first daytime television soap opera to feature a predominately African-American cast since Generations (1989–1991) and the first new daytime soap to debut on a major American broadcast network since Passions in 1999.
Information taken from Wikipedia and IMDB.