The ratings are in: Grown-ish is a hit. Not only is it the biggest comedy series launch for Freeform since 2012, but it's also Wednesday night's number one scripted series among women ages 18-49.
The overnight success of Grown-ish among several demographics has proven that there is a definite interest in depicting the realities of college life.
But to what do we attribute this instant success?
It could be the strength of lead Yara Shahidi, who's fashion sense and social consciousness captivates both on and off screen. Or perhaps it's the topical plot points per episode that stir dialogue once the end credits roll. However, for me, the most striking characteristic of the sitcom is that it portrays a group of university students diverse by race, political leanings, and sexual orientation.
Grownish/Freeform
Overall, there has been a serious lack of TV and film about college that is not raunchy, trite, and filled with sex-craved white boys (I'm looking at you American Pie). It's refreshing to see not only people of color but also characters that go beyond cliched archetypes. Zoey, the popular fashionista, is in fact a sweetheart and even a little socially awkward. Jazz and Sky, the college jocks from the hood, are overachievers in the classroom.
College is full of multi-faceted individuals so it's only fitting that the characters of Grown-ish reflect that complexity.
It's a wonder there aren't more series about college life. Shows depicting the growing pains of adolescence? Everywhere. Shows on the joys and struggles of our 20's? Plenty. But for whatever reason, those 4-5 years in between seem to be ignored. Forty percent of Americans seek an associates degree or above. So it's interesting that our TV screens don't reflect that.
But Grown-ish isn't totally isolated. Shows such as Netflix's Dear White People and BET's The Quad have also made strides, in varying degrees of success, in depicting the highs and lows of black collegiates. But nothing holds a candle to the mother of black TV shows for young adults: A Different World.
A Different World, which premiered over THIRTY years ago (Feel old yet?), remains a beloved staple in black television. The first of its kind, the sitcom was not only revolutionary for having an all-black cast of university students but also for its ground-breaking and often controversial topics. Who could forget the episode that bravely tackled the HIV/AIDS epidemic? Or the one where Dwyane grapples with his faith, a subject particularly taboo within the black community.
ADW has even been credited for the dramatic rise in college attendance amongst black people in the 1990s. Black enrollment has skyrocketed in the past 20 years and black women are currently the most educated group in the U.S by race and gender. While there are certainly other factors that affect this leap towards higher education, it is also a prime example of how life can reflect art and why we could only benefit from more of it.
Many have compared Grown-ish to A Different World and for good reason. Both started as spin-offs from popular shows, both depict college life with a majority black cast, and both have leading ladies that give us serious hair envy. But for all its similarities, ADW is set on a fictional HBCU whereas Grown-ish takes place at a predominantly white institution.
Freeform
That difference alone offers Grown-ish an opportunity to portray a myriad of storylines and perspectives with a multi-ethnic dynamic.
In addition, today's young adults simply live in a different world (#wordplay). We live in a time where the next date is just a finger swipe away and where last night's adventure can be seen by at least 500 of our "friends." We live in a time where the public discourse is dominated by sex and gender fluidity, the gray area of drug usage, and polarizing politics thanks to an orange President. Through smart, honest writing and talented actors, Grown-ish captures all of that and more.
But if only there were more. People of color often don't have the luxury of coming of age on screen. College is such a transformative period in a young adult's life. We're not only seeking a degree but we're understanding our place in the world.
It's refreshing to see Zoey and her diverse crew navigate life away from home with such nuanced honesty.
Freeform
The numbers for Grown-ish prove there's a craving for this kind of content. I personally wish I had these positive images of black women in their collegiate journey as I was going through my own. Hopefully, we don't have to wait another 30 years for the next one. Shows about people of color seeking higher education is important for representation, for variety, and for the culture.
Be sure to catch the season one finale of Grown-ish when it airs tonight on Freeform.
Featured image via Freeform
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Skylar sees things differently. At the time, she was shooting content on her iPhone. Temi came into the picture with a new perspective, an understanding of tech, and, eventually, a camera. “He doesn't give himself enough credit,” Skylar says. “He wasn't just my tripod. He wasn't just standing behind the camera and going ‘click.’ He was giving advice. He was giving me insight to how I could look at things from a different perspective. And I was like, 'Oh, he’s an artist.' I think it was maybe a heartbeat of that kind of energy of like, ‘Baby, can you take this picture?’ And it turned so quickly into, we're partners. We can work together in a way where we're advancing each other's creative thinking.”
The pair often says they’re two sides of the same coin. Skylar is an Aquarius. She attended art school, paints, and loves poetry. She’s more than happy to let the couple’s management firm and agency, Kensington Grey, handle their admin work. And, she loves to sleep in. Temi, on the other hand, wakes up early. He’s a Virgo. He loves a to-do list and regularly checks in on the couple’s brand partnerships spreadsheet to make sure everything is on track.
Because his storytelling was steeped in his love of technology, he didn’t always think of himself as a creative person. “Where I [am] the dreamer who wants to pluck things out of the sky and spend all day with my head in the clouds, Temi [is] so good at grounding me and helping me figure out how to make things make sense on paper. We just work together in such a complimentary way,” Skylar says.
It’s been more than six years since Brooklyn-based couple Temi and Skylar started dating, and nearly four since they cemented their working relationship. On TikTok and Instagram, the couple’s travel, fashion, and home content regularly rack up hundreds of thousands of views. They’ve worked with brands such as Coach, Aesop, Away, and Liquid IV, bringing their vibrant perspectives to every campaign they execute. Still, nearly two years since both Temi and Skylar committed to full-time content creation and creative directing, the couple says their romantic connection remains their priority.
“We told each other we would much rather go back to full-time jobs and preserve our relationship than to be full-time freelancers, barely getting a night's rest [and] barely kissing each other because we're so busy shooting,” Skylar says.
Working from home can make it hard to separate work from personal life for any entrepreneur. It can be even more challenging when your business partner is also your lover. Temi and Skylar had already used couples therapy as a tool to help them effectively communicate with one another. When they ran into challenges while working together, their therapist helped them set physical boundaries to help combat the issues.
"We told each other we would much rather go back to full-time jobs and preserve our relationship than to be full-time freelancers, barely getting a night's rest [and] barely kissing each other because we're so busy shooting."
“It actually took us doing very specific physical things to create boundaries between work and play in our relationship,” Skylar says. “So, for instance, we will only have conversations about work when we're out of bed or we're at the table or in the office. Initially, when we started, we had to light a candle to say that, 'Okay, this is a space where we're connecting, we’re not talking about work.' We needed really hard boundaries at the top. And then it became a little bit more organic.”
The boundaries have been crucial to implement, especially because the couple began working together so naturally. When the pair first met, Skylar was NY-based a social strategist for BuzzFeed and was using content creation to drive business to her lingerie company. She was shooting her own content. Temi was working for Microsoft in D.C. He’d recently traded in his DJing equipment for a camera. “I've always loved taking pictures,” he says. “Even when I was a kid, my African mother would wake me up at 3:00 a.m. [during a] party, and be like, 'Come take the family picture.'”
Growing up, Temi says he watched his parents support each other and be the true definition of partners. He knew he wanted the same for his own relationship. But, the couple also wanted to make sure they were being financially responsible. The pair didn’t quit their traditional jobs until they’d saved up two years' worth of their cost of living. And, Temi received his Master of Business Administration from New York University with the knowledge that it could either help him advance in his corporate career or be applicable to his business with Skylar.
Temi and SkylarCj Hart @hartbreakToday, they say their working relationship is more of a “quiet dance.” They still implement some of the boundaries they learned in therapy, but they also lean into their natural strengths and deep love for one another. When we speak, Temi has planned a date for the couple to see Princess Mononoke in 4K IMAX and added it to their Notion so they can factor it into their busy schedules. “I fully plan to date for the rest of my life,” he says.
Skylar says the couple doesn’t just wait for date nights to check in with one another, though. This often happens in the mornings, after Temi has made her peppermint tea and poured himself a cup of coffee. When they ask each other how they slept, she says, it’s not just a “nicety.” It’s a genuine question meant to foster connection.
“A lot of it happens during the day in the midst of work. We'll stop and we'll hug. Or we’ll slow dance in the kitchen,” she says. “Sometimes it's hard to set a whole date night when you have 7,000 things going on. So, we must grasp these moments and check in when we can. And I think it's become so organic to us that I actually didn't even realize how often we do it. But all day long, we're like, 'Are you good? I felt like your energy shifted,' because we're best friends, we just know. We just feel it happen.”
What’s better than being in love? Building wealth while doing it. Watch Making Cents here for real stories of couples who make money moves together.
Featured image by Cj Hart @hartbreak
