The moment we’ve all been waiting for is finally here — Harlem is officially on Prime Video and we’re getting the scoop on what to expect from it straight from the cast.
From writer Tracy Oliver (Girls Trip), Harlem is a new comedy following four stylish and ambitious best girlfriends in Harlem NYC, the mecca of Black culture in America.
Camille (played by Meagan Good) is a popular young anthropology professor at Columbia with extensive knowledge of the dating norms of many cultures, but has a hard time navigating her own love life; Tye (played by Jerrie Johnson) is a successful, queer dating app creator who prefers keeping vulnerability—and romantic partners—at arm’s length; Quinn (played by Grace Byers) is a hopeless romantic and trust fund fashion designer who is trying to give back to the world while running a struggling business; Angie (played by Shoniqua Shandai) is a confident, vibrant, and filter-free singer and actress who also lives rent-free and fabulously with Quinn. Together, they level up from their 20s into the next phase of their careers, relationships, and big city dreams.
“I wrote a show that I felt like was missing at the time,” creator Tracy Oliver tells Celeb Secrets in an exclusive interview. “At that time, there was ‘Broad City’ and ‘Girls.’ I loved both of those shows, but I felt like the Black and brown New York that I saw so clearly was not represented on television. I wrote the script on spec — which means for free — hoping that maybe someone would one day buy it and make it.”
And after finding a home on Prime Video, Oliver brought her characters to life by finding a star-studded and talented cast who excellently portrays navigating life in your 30s while shining a light on the Black community in a unique and refreshing way.
“I think one of the things that this show does a great job of is just showcasing the subtleties and the full dynamic of us as Black people. It’s not this monochromatic thing where it’s one hue of the rainbow, one color or one experience,” Tyler Lepley, who plays Ian, explains. “We understand that we are very strong, but you know, we’re vulnerable too. I feel like that’s important to show the world, and I feel like this show really just hit the nail on the head in terms of showcasing it.”
“I feel seen. There’s been a lot of great shows over the years with, with women that are friends and women of color that are friends, but the experience that I had growing up was very unique, and I didn’t see myself in a lot of those shows. And for the first time — after reading the script — I see myself not just in Camille, I see her in every single one of the characters for different reasons,” Good adds. “I think getting to play this role and being on the front lines of not only representation in terms of just being woman of color, but representation in terms of that we’re not monolithic and we’re not a stereotype. It’s one of the most wonderful things about the show.”
Celeb Secrets sat down with cast members Meagan Good (Sticky), Jerrie Johnson (Kate), and Tyler Lepley (Reynie) along with creator Tracy Oliver to learn more about the show and their characters, Marta Kessler (Constance) to learn more about their characters, what moments fans of the OG books need to look out for, and some behind-the-scenes secrets from set that fans wouldn’t know just by watching. You’ve got to watch the video below for more!
Harlem is now streaming on Prime Video — you can watch all ten episodes here. Let us know if you’re excited for Harlem by either leaving a reaction at the bottom of the post or by sending us a tweet at @celebsecrets.
