Paramount Domestic Television
In honor of Tracee Ellis Ross’ Golden Globe win for Blackish I thought it would be a good time to dig into her previous series, Girlfriends. Created by Mara Brock Akil (executive produced by Kelsey Grammer), Girlfriends is about the lives and loves of four professional women and longtime friends Toni Childs, Maya Wilkes, Lynn Searcy and Joan Carol Clayton played by Tracee Ellis Ross.
I actually came to Girlfriends through my recent obsession with Lethal Weapon and the all badass, no nonsense woman that is Keesha Sharp. Sharp’s character, Monica, was a regular late in the series as the antagonist of the group and as the replacement for the departure on Jill Marie Jones who played Toni. While die-hard fans (and there are many) still see Toni’s departure as the show’s demise, I still came in rooting for Monica–and she gave me a lot in return.
Fangirling Keesha Sharp introduced me to the whip smart world of Girlfriends. Creator and showrunner Mara Brock Akil originally envisioned a single-camera show, however, due to budget and network expectations, it became a multi-cam sitcom. No matter how that original vision was altered, beyond the studio lighting, I can still see her vision–and it is beautiful. I wished everyone got to see these four women, living in Los Angeles, playing out their lives on a Sex and the City budget. The writing and relationships between the women were unquestionably up to the task.
As it stands, the network sitcom Girlfriends begs to be binged watched. I burned through the series so fast, I often find myself singing the theme song. Flawed, funny, rational, irrational, these women were fully drawn out and had me regularly laughing along with them. Toni, Maya, Lynn and Joan (real estate agent, administrative assistant/authoress, free spirt/eternal student and lawyer), all at different moments of their lives, all returned to one another with each turn–usually with a strong drink, a quick quip and a delightfully willing William on their arm.
Despite its many awards and accolades, Girlfriends suffered an abrupt end as a result of the ’07-08 Writers Guild of America Strike, leaving many plot points up in the air. However, for 8 seasons, Mara Brock Akil and company told great stories, made me laugh, taught me a lot and celebrated my adopted home. The four women of Girlfriends were unabashedly female, strong, and real. Funny how relevant that feels today.