Hello Urbane Readers, today, I will be reviewing BET’s Web Series Buppies.

When I first heard of the show, Buppies, I was beyond skeptical. For those who do not know, Buppies is a web series that airs on BET.com and stars Tatyana Ali. The show is centered around Tatyana Ali who plays Quinci Adams who has just lost her father and been dumped by her boyfriend. However, she still has the love and support of her friends, Priscilla, Kourtney, Eliot, and Shaka. To add more drama to the mix, Quinci is constantly dealing with the dysfunctional nature of her friends.

After watching all four episodes of the show, I can tell that it definitely has some real potential. The storyline is somewhat typical…you know the whole girl loses everything & must pick up the pieces of her life, and she has her loyal friends to help her along the way.  The show also includes other stereotypes such as the wannabe rapper, the ghetto rap heiress, and the stuck-up light-skinned girl.  However, it is episode four that reveals a truly interesting element that I feel should be further developed & touched on.  That element is the character Eliot possibly being on the down low & involved in a relationship with a football player named Truth.

I feel that this plot line should be further built on, because, on the show Eliot is portrayed as the perfect boyfriend to Priscilla. Also, the topic of Black male homosexuality has never been represented to a mainstream audience.  If they are able to create an interest on this the show will go a lot further. The rest of the plot lines are just over-used and played out, but, they have something special with a possible gay story line from the Black community. They could do episodes on whether or not Eliot will come out, or how he continues to live a double life, and how the gang reacts to his sexuality. The possibilities could be endless.

The show itself features over-the top acting and just plain awkward transitions. I seriously think I could’ve made a better show with my webcam.  I just feel like when someone is acting they shouldn’t seem like they are acting. It should come naturally, actors should be so connected with the character that they are playing that the two become almost one in the same. In essence, the actors need an acting coach asap. The other actors include Robin Thede as Priscilla, Preston Davis as Eliot, Chante Frierson as Kourtney, Ernest Waddell as Shaka, and Damien Wigfall as Truth.  As I have alluded to, the only believable acting came from Preston Davis & Damien Wigfall.  As soon as I saw them on screen together, I sensed immediate sexual tension. The last scene of episode four confirmed my suspicions.

Overall, I would say that this show is not a complete waste. It has some interesting elements that just need to be further developed.  In addition to this, the show desperately needs better promotion. Upon doing research for this article, I discovered that the show has a Twitter page, but, ironically the Twitter account isn’t advertised on the site. Also, there was no link to Facebook or any other social networking sites on the webpage. If they are going to do a show on the web, they have to market to the online audience meaning they have to go where everyone is hanging out online which is Twitter, Facebook, and MySpace. Not interacting with these sites on the regular could be detrimental. If you have some time, I definitely recommend that you watch the show, episodes average being four minutes long so it won’t waste much of your time. In conclusion, I give the show a C minus.

Check out Buppies on BET.com Tuesdays @ 3:00pm eastern