Tracy Oliver’s Harlem is No. 2 on Prime Video for a reason. The show gives a fresh take on how four friends rely on one another for comfort as they navigate life, love, and careers as 30-somethings. The difference and genius of how it stands out from other series of today is that its cast is African American, showcasing nothing but Black girl magic with a gentrifying Harlem, New York, as its backdrop. Another element that puts the show in a league of its own is its spotlight on LGBTQ+ love and the men who capture the attention of its four central characters.
Robert Ri’chard and Sullivan Jones star as two of the love interests in the series led by Meagan Good, Jerrie Johnson, Grace Byers, and Shoniqua Shandai. It’s a reunion for Ri’chard and Good, who starred as an on-screen couple in the Nickelodeon teen hit Cousin Skeeter. But this time around, Ri’chard plays the love interest of Byers as Shawn, a younger fella with an unorthodox career choice for a corporate fashion boutique owner and designer. While opposites attract, what makes them different eventually causes conflict, leaving them to reconsider whether or not they can work.
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And then there’s Juani Feliz, who stars as Isabela, a politician Quinn begrudgingly befriends as Quinn’s overbearing mother enlists her daughter’s styling skills to reshape Isabela’s image. Quinn soon learns that Isabela’s confidence and boldness are inspiring and attractive in more ways than one, causing her to question some things about dating, which leaves her more confused with Shawn.
Jones plays the role of Jameson, who, like Camille (Good), is career-oriented and ready to settle down. He’s gentle and represents stability in Camille’s life. But Camille struggles to move past her feelings, or confusion of feelings, for a past love while embracing the possibilities of her present.
PopCulture.com spoke with the cast on the audience’s response to the series thus far, hopes for future seasons, and what they want viewers to learn from their characters. Scroll through to read our full Q&A with the duo. (It’s also available in video form at the top of this article.)
PC: Now that the show is out – obviously there was a lot of anticipation, there was a lot of buildup and now everyone’s able to binge-watch it. And fans are eating it up. So what has the reaction been like for you guys on the receiving end? How are you taking it all in?
JF: It’s been awesome. I’m a lesbian in real life and I’ve seen all the love from the lesbian community. There are literally forums, dissecting Tye’s relationships [and] Isabella and Quinn’s relationships. And people are just really into it and they just love that there are multiple LGBTQ storylines in this show, which is very refreshing and something that hasn’t been seen in many other shows at all. So I’ve been getting a lot of love from that end.
I’ve been reached out by Dominicans – I’m Dominican. They’re just so proud that I’m representing on camera and playing this kind of character that’s kind of like a powerhouse and not playing a stereotypical Latina on TV. And it’s just been a lot of love from all around. And it’s this kind of show that my friends and my peers would tune into, and all of them have watched it, and they’re just super excited, and they’re like, “I am so glad that you are now on one of my favorite TV shows.” So it’s been awesome.
SJ: I think one of the things I appreciate about the role and the relationship that we get to have on-screen – Meagan and I – is that it’s kind of an inversion of the expectation of the man and the woman’s relationship where the guy is the one who’s sort of out there in the world and the woman is propping him up. And in our relationship, it’s Meagan. Meagan is the lead. It’s her character; it’s her storyline. And Jameson is the one who’s there.
He has his professional life going on as well, but it’s really about me being there to bolster and support Meagan and her character. And so to have people come up to me in the street and be like, “Yo, the way you are treating Meagan in the show is the way I want to be treated in my life.” It’s a pretty cool moment to be a part of that.
RR: And last response to your question about what do you want for the show. Make them wait! Make them wait! Listen, I think we should just go ahead and green light season 2-7 right now. Just go in production. Just make all the shows in a row since everyone’s already addicted to the show. Just make them wait. And then that way I don’t want to hear next year [around the] same time, “I watched season two in four hours, five hours. Now I’m asking everybody [what to watch next].” I don’t want the same conversation next year. I want….we went in production, we shot just endless amounts of episodes. Give the people what they want and then say, “Hey, this is all of the president.”
We’re yearning for more over here. The cast is amazing. You guys have done an amazing job, obviously in your perspective roles. And Robert for you, for your fans, who’ve been rocking with you since the ’90s, everyone’s so excited that there was a Cousin Skeeter reunion, with you and Meagan. So what was that reunion like? Especially in a different dynamic. You guys are all grown up now.
RR: It’s that we’re grown up. I know that our show is for the same age group that we were a part of then [from Cousin Skeeter]. Meagan and I grew up on television. We were boyfriend and girlfriend in high school. And now she’s a woman on this show, but this show is still for millennials and gen Z. Everyone who’s our age group is watching this show and appreciates and loves it. But dating in the 21st century is so difficult, and people are trying to figure out who they are, who they relate to, swipe life technology’s the big component of the 21st century, and all of that’s highlighted on this show. So I’m just excited for the new kids who are all coming out in college, 20-year-olds, even the teenagers being like, “How do I date in the 21st century?” And this show has that entertainment, popcorn factor of “Yep, that’s exactly how it went for me too.” And people being able to relate to that on screen. I love that.
And then obviously your character and his relationship with Quinn, and there are a lot of complications or differences in your guys’ romantic relationship or “situationship” of sorts. And we get to see how your character stands his ground, and he will not be ashamed for whatever it is that he does and wherever he is in life. Because he’s on a very different spectrum than Quinn is. So what do you want viewers to take away from the dynamic of your character with Quinn?
RR: Well, number one for my character as a man, this is America. And in America, you have to get to work and take care of your family. My character has a son and he has to look after his son. And by any means necessary. Just like every hard-working American, I will do anything for my kid.
And second of all, my character is the kind of guy that every girl deserves a date. Because he is not afraid to fall in love. He’s already fallen in love with Quinn, and you can see that from the moment that they met and the way that he looks at her. If you go back and watch the show, he is absolutely enthralled with being like, “I love you. I’m going to take care of you. And I understand we might come from different sides of the track, but that doesn’t matter when someone really cares about another person.”
He’s letting Quinn stay with his son. That’s a pretty big step in any relationship, as far as a trust factor. I know everybody home right now if you have kids, there’s that moment where it becomes actually, “Okay, we’re that close? Then I’ll let you look after my seed.” And he’s got that going for him. And I love Shawn’s character for that. And we’re going to see more from Shawn. He puts her on the spot actually. He’ll talk to her face to face and say, “Listen, don’t try and discredit who I am as a person and our relationship because you have friends who are white-collar.”
And then transitioning into the character of Jameson. You already mentioned that women have been coming up to you and basically just fawning over the way that you treat Meagan’s character, Camille. What are you hoping that women get out of this? To say, “This is the way that I should be treated?”
SJ: Exactly what you just said, having standards and adhering to those standards and knowing your value, knowing your worth and taking full a claim of your power and your beauty and your presence and all of that. Demanding that your partner give you that, and that you share it with your partner. It’s great to be in a moment where Jameson has his professional career. Camille has her professional career. They’re both trying to make it happen. But when it comes to their romantic relationship, it’s about lifting each other up as much as possible. We want to lift each other up.
We have this beautiful representation of LGBTQ+ love with Tye, but obviously with Isabela as well. And to see how the trajectory of her relationship with Quinn runs through the end of the series. And I love the conversation that Quinn had with Tye where she said that matters of the heart cannot be toyed with, especially in this specific situation. And I think that was a really good takeaway from this series. But what is your take on the place that Isabela has in Quinn’s life? What does she represent for her?
JF: I think that Isabela is going to be a catalyst for Quinn. I think she’s going to just open Quinn up to the possibilities of dating, whether that’s with men or women. I think she’s just going to approach dating in a very different way. She’s going to realize that she can find all the things that she’s been looking for in anybody, regardless of gender. And I think Quinn is the perfect character to explore love in such a pure way, where it’s just like, love sees no gender. When you fall in love with someone you’re falling in love with a person and that spiritual, mental, and physical connection, what you have with this specific person. But I just think that Isabela is going to be a catalyst for Quinn and just the way she’s going to move forward and move through life when it comes to finding love.
