Harlem season 2 review: Amazon, don't even think about canceling this show
The women of Harlem are (mostly) done f---ing around and ready to find out what they really want to do, who they want to be with, and why they have such a hard time staying out of their own way. In season 2, Tracy Oliver's terrific comedy about four friends in the titular NYC neighborhood elevates its keen wit, engrossing relationship drama, and sly cultural commentary with even more confidence.
It's been a minute — or, more accurately, 13 months — since we last saw Camille (Meagan Good), Quinn (Grace Byers), Tye (Jerrie Johnson), and Angie (Shoniqua Shandai), but fortunately for those of us with bad recall, things pick up pretty much where we left them. Anthropology professor Camille has two major blunders to contend with: Undoing her drunken resignation from Columbia and deciding whether she has a future with her ex Ian (Tyler Lepley) after sharing a passionate kiss with him on the night before his wedding. Queer tech exec Tye is dismayed to learn that her past flings are blasting her on SheBToxic.com, and even more dismayed to discover that her recently resurfaced husband, Brandon (Kadeem Ali Harris), plans to take half of her net worth in the divorce. Fashion designer Quinn is exploring her new LGBTQ identity with typical enthusiasm, but also trying not to get too attached too fast to her first female love interest, Isabella (Juani Feliz). And after last season's career setback, Angie struggles not to let discouragement hamper her quest for stardom.
Emily V. Aragones/Amazon Prime Meagan Good, Shoniqua Shandai, Grace Byers, and Jerrie Johnson in 'Harlem'
Everything that was good about Harlem in season 1 is back — and often sharper — this go-round. The show's pop culture satire reaches Good Fight levels of brilliance when Angie lands a supporting role in a Hallmark movie. Her introduction to the network's cult of (very white) Christmas is flush with priceless touches, from her character's name ("Ebony Jackson Washington") to the placid disassociation of her Caucasian co-stars. The already glorious guest cast expands with Lil Rel Howery as Angie's brother, Freddie, and an exuberantly funny Sherri Shepherd as Angie's devoted mama, Sonya. Whoopi Goldberg delivers more daunting deadpan as Camille's exacting boss, Dr. Pruitt. And Jasmine Guy returns as Quinn's crushingly critical mother, Patricia, who shows some unexpected tenderness when her daughter grapples with depression.
The central foursome spends much of the 8-episode season contemplating their future, and what legacy — familial or otherwise — they want to leave behind. For women in their 30s, that means questions about fertility and potential parenthood, something Camille and Ian don't necessarily align on. Harlem intertwines weightier topics like this with playful and pointed observations on the pursuit of love, career, and Black joy. And the show delights in culturally specific humor, as when a tipsy Quinn sees a crowd sprint past her on the sidewalk. "Oh, we running!" she yelps, taking off after them no questions asked.
As in season 1, Harlem occasionally falls back on story developments that feel contrived for convenience (a late-season twist in Tye's love life is particularly far-fetched), and Camille and Ian's will-they-won't-they could wear thin if it's left to linger for another season. Speaking of more seasons, it's been a rough time to be a fan of Prime Video's female-forward series (see: Paper Girls, The Wilds) or the ones that don't fit into the "fantasy-superhero" category, i.e. As We See It. Now that the women of Harlem know where they want to go in life, it would be a damn shame if Amazon cut their journey short. Grade: A-
The first two episodes of Harlem season 2 premiere Friday, Feb. 3 on Amazon Prime Video.
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