Malcolm D. Lee breaks down the ending of The Best Man franchise

Harper, Jordan, Shelby, and the rest of their friends got their endings, but not all of them were happy.

A crisis kicks off the final hour as LJ (Eric Scott Ways) goes missing, and the whole crew puts their issues aside to find them. Lance, who is struggling with his child's gender identity and seeks guidance from his late wife at her grave, navigates around his own prejudice and learns about LJ's authentic life as he frantically searches. In the end, they find LJ and, later, Lance Sullivan (Morris Chestnut) supporting them during a celebration for his jersey retirement.

With LJ safe, Harper Stewart (Taye Diggs) and Robyn Stewart's (Sanaa Lathan) divorce gets nasty after she decides she's taken their daughter to live in Ghana. They have a huge blow up at Quentin Spivey (Terrence Howard) and Shelby Taylor's (Melissa De Sousa) right before Lance's celebration. In the end, Harper tells Robyn they can go after he sees their daughter feeding a stranger, which is something she learned from her mother.

Making an equally major move is Jordan Armstrong (Nia Long), who decides to leave her incredibly busy career for one that fits the life she wants. She decides to still work on her show while carving out time to work on passion projects. In a conversation set a few months after Robyn leaves for Ghana and Jordan leaves her job, the two come to terms with their hookup and potential relationship. While they love each other, Jordan says she cannot be with Harper because he's still healing after the divorce and she doesn't have time to wait for him to do the work.

The final scene jumps ahead two years to see the crew reunite to celebrate Harper accepting a Pulitzer Prize for his latest novel. Everyone was there except for Robyn, but in a display of how they have made their situation work, Mia shows up to be with her father on his big day. Everyone is happy with where they have ended up, and Jasmine (Yvonna Pearson) is sporting a huge engagement ring because Lance has found love again. And with all that, they all dance the day away.

We spoke to creator Malcolm D. Lee about the reaction to where the characters ended up as the final chapter of The Best Man franchise comes to a close.

Clifton Prescod/Peacock

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: How does it feel to have these final chapters out in the world? What has the reception been like?

MALCOLM D. LEE: It's pretty great. I feel good about what we put out, but you never know how audiences are going to respond to it. What's great is they are happy according to Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, which I've never been on. I did not expect people to binge watch it multiple times. That's a lot of viewing, and it's been fantastic.

Were these the endings you always envisioned for the characters? Did any of the core characters' endings change during the creation of The Final Chapters?

I knew where I wanted Harper and Robyn to end. I knew they were going to divorce. I didn't want Jordan and Harper to be together; I wanted to have their moment. With Jordan, I'm very satisfied with where we went with her by quitting her job. Also, I wanted Quentin and Shelby to be #couplegoals as the most stable couple of the group.

Look, there were things that we'd do if we had a little more breathing room in our production schedule. We could have given Candace's story a little more of an ending and Murch as well. Their resolution in episode 7 is satisfying and loving. Overall, yes, these are the endings I planned.

Of the endings, Robyn and Harper's seem the most controversial. Not the divorce, but Robyn's move and battle with Harper. How did you land on that ending for them?

There was a lot of talk in the room about how we were going to end their story. I wanted to lay the groundwork that Robyn is tired of fighting for her place in America and in her marriage. We had a writer in the room that was from Ghana and there's been so much talk about Ghana, the beauty and independence in Ghana. It became a North Star for Robyn after they were in the Caribbean and the rich culture there. Her journey was about trying to find her true self and she wanted it to be with her husband, but Harper was dismissive of her wants, needs, and desires. That's what led to their ultimate downfall.

I find it very interesting that people are so mad with Robyn. I feel like they're not [seeing] Harper's role in the marriage enough and his part in their divorce. She's not totally right or wrong, but it was a choice she made for herself. They're calling her the real villain or Harper the real villain, but I'm baffled by all this villain talk. I don't think they are villains in this franchise, everybody is layered and complex humans who have their own stuff. I would not call anyone a hero or a villain.

Clifton Prescod/Peacock

How did you go about crafting Harper and Jordan's final conversation and decide on how their story would end?

There was a lot of debate in the writers room, but I never wavered. A lot of people in the writers room were very much team Jordan who thought they should end up together and this is what we've been waiting for. Yes, I wanted them to have their moment together, but the argument I made to my writers is that they're both alpha personalities. They both need to bloom and blossom. Also, Harper is just coming off a divorce and he's reeling from that. What was beautiful to me about their relationship is that Jordan looked at the bigger picture to see Harper's future writing this great American novel after working through everything he's been through. They are real friends and she didn't want to ruin that bond or be selfish for herself and get in his way. Could they be together? Maybe when they get a little bit more advanced in age, but not in this iteration.

Where do you envision Jordan going from here? 

We actually had a coda that we never got to shoot of her on a beachfront property. You see her consulting and having a dog and being very happy about choosing herself. She's out there working on passion projects, mentoring people and still has some romantic options. Maybe Harper, maybe other people. Jordan's going to be okay. She may not be getting married, but she'd have companionship. She's living life on her own terms.

What was the inspiration for LJ's storyline and how does the arc factor into the story you wanted to tell about Lance?

LJ served as a foil for Lance's crisis of faith. Lance in both movies was having a crisis of faith. In the first, his best man slept with his bride-to-be and in the second his wife was going to die. Accepting that both times and being a very traditional alpha, religious man meant wanting his son to be a mirror image of himself. At first we talked about LJ being gay and then one of our writers, Cameron Johnson, suggested they be non-binary because we've seen lots of gay coming out stories. The story was primarily an opportunity to bring to the forefront what is happening in families. The bottom line is that this is your child who needs love and acceptance whatever differences you may have with them.

Double checking, is this really the end?

From my perspective, this is the final chapter of this iteration of The Best Man.

The Best Man: The Final Chapters is currently streaming on Peacock.

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