Diarra From Detroit is cool as hell and you need to watch it. Or shut your mouth.
Back in March of 2024, BET+, a newly defunct streaming service focused on African American audiences, debuted Diarra From Detroit. It streamed the first season of eight episodes with almost zero conversation around it. I saw a few reviews from critics, which were all fairly positive. But a small show on a streaming service nobody really had doesn’t exactly get the clicks. So, coverage just wasn’t there for the show.
And that’s really a damn shame, because Diarra From Detroit is cool as hell.
The show picked up a second season and has now migrated over to Paramount+ where it streams both in the US and internationally.
The show was created and largely written by series star Diarra Kilpatrick, an actor who has a fairly limited filmography for someone who has been working in the business for around 20 years. Her biggest credit to date was an ongoing supporting role in HBO’s Perry Mason show playing Clara Drake – the wife of the detective in the show.
But here she is a creative force who explodes on the screen with so much swagger and charisma.
It’s about a school teacher who returns to live in her mothers home in Detroit after the collapse of her marriage. Her husband left her in a move that she did not see coming. Single and alone, Diarra is struggling to work out exactly who she is as a single woman and how to, in the spirit of the big screen’s Stella, get her groove back.
She gets on the dating apps and heads out with a guy who surprisingly knocks her off her feet. She’s really into him and, it seems, it’s mutual. They sleep together after treating the first date like it’s their third and organise to go out again.
Only when the night comes, Diarra is ready to go out only to be completely ghosted by the guy.
From then, the show becomes a detective story with a lead character who isn’t sure whether she is following a genuine mystery about a guy she doesn’t know (who may or may not have a very big mystery in his past that has shaped the narrative of the city of Detroit itself), or is she just butt-hurt and acting like a scorned “crazy white woman.”
This show is a properly funny and sexy drama with both a really good mystery at its core and a compelling thematic idea about finding an identity for oneself post a relationship breakup. Owed completely to its African American cast, the detective elements, and the swagger of the show, it’s difficult not to draw a comparison between this show and the blackspolitation films of the 70s.
I really love this show and now that there’s a far more accessible way for audiences to actually discover the show, I’m hoping it finally generates the audience it deserves.
Here’s what else is on this week:
Returning TV
Batman: Caped Crusader (s02, Prime Video) Hamish Linklater, Jason Watkins, Krystal Joy Brown, Eric Morgan Stuart, Michelle C. Bonilla, John DiMaggio, and Matthew Needham
The Walking Dead: Dead City (s03, AMC) Lauren Cohan, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Gaius Charles, Željko Ivanek, Logan Kim, Lisa Emery, and Aimee Garcia
The Ark (s03, Syfy) Christie Burke, Reece Ritchie, Richard Fleeshman, Pavle Jerinić, Stacey Read, and Ryan Adams
Colin from Accounts (s03, Binge [Aus]) Patrick Brammall, Harriet Dyer, Genevieve Hegney, Helen Thomson, Darren Gilshenan, and Tai Hara
Diarra from Detroit (s02, Paramount+ [US]) Diarra Kilpatrick, DomiNque Perry, Bryan Terrell Clark, Shannon Wallace, Phylicia Rashad, and Harry Lennix
The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder (s04, final season, Disney+) Kyla Pratt, Tommy Davidson, Paula Jai Parker, Jo Marie Payton, Cedric the Entertainer, and Karen Malina White
New TV
Furious — Hulu [US]
Who’s in it: Emmy Rossum, Lola Petticrew, Scoot McNairy, Quincy Tyler Bernstine, and Jake Lacy
What’s it about? FBI agent Alice Black, sidelined to the agency’s call centre after a once-promising career stalled, is drawn into the hunt for a mysterious, calculating female serial killer. As their lives intertwine, the line between right and wrong starts to blur. Loosely inspired by the 1987 film Black Widow, from The Dropout creator Elizabeth Meriwether.
Final Project — Netflix
Who’s in it: Daniela Martínez, Tristán Maze, and Isabella Tena
What’s it about? Tamara transfers to a new school hoping for a fresh start, only to become the target of relentless cyberbullying and a dangerous online challenge set by a classmate, a bond that pushes her toward a dark transformation. A Mexican teen suspense drama, told in short, fifteen-minute episodes.
Forbidden Woman — Netflix
Who’s in it: Valerie Domínguez, David Palacio, Rodrigo Candamil, and Angélica Blandón
What’s it about? When a politician’s wife is rescued from an attempted murder by a famous singer, an intense, forbidden romance ignites between them, one that quickly becomes entangled with corruption and the pursuit of power. A Colombian telenovela from Caracol Televisión, drawing loosely on Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina.
Wrath — Netflix
Who’s in it: Vinicius Neri, Fábio Lago, Alice Carvalho, MC Cabelinho, Bianca Comparato, and Cláudia Raia
What’s it about? Rescued from the brink of death by an MMA coach, a man with no memory of his past is given a new name and a new purpose in the ring. As he digs into who he really is, he is drawn into a web of crimes and secrets, and into a growing rivalry with a rising opponent. A Brazilian crime drama, with a special appearance from former UFC champion Anderson Silva.
The Vacation Principle — Netflix
Who’s in it: Kanna Hashimoto, Chae Jong-hyeop, Mizuki Yamashita, Aiko Kano, Dori Sakurada, and Ryo Katsuji
What’s it about? Worn down by the hectic pace of city life, Midori loses her job and retreats to her late grandmother’s seaside villa, where lush orange trees, ocean views and a handsome, enigmatic caretaker help her find peace, and an unexpected romance. A Japanese dramedy told in short episodes, new instalments weekly.
[Trailer unavailable]
New Movies
A Private Life — Netflix
Who’s in it: Jodie Foster, Daniel Auteuil, Virginie Efira, Mathieu Amalric, Vincent Lacoste, and Luàna Bajrami
What’s it about? Dr. Lilian Steiner, a Jewish-American psychiatrist working out of Paris, is haunted by the sudden death of one of her patients and becomes convinced the official explanation is wrong. Turning amateur detective, she unravels a web of secrets and old grievances that could lead to the truth, or to her own undoing. Delivered entirely in French, with a lengthy standing ovation at its Cannes premiere.
Snoopy Presents: There’s No Place Like Home, Snoopy — Apple TV
Who’s in it: Gang Dong-won, Um Tae-goo, Park Ji-hyun, and Oh Jung-se
What’s it about? When Snoopy’s beloved doghouse goes missing, he tries to track it down and learns what makes a house feel like home.
Wild Sing — Netflix
Who’s in it: Gang Dong-won, Um Tae-goo, Park Ji-hyun, and Oh Jung-se
What’s it about? Twenty years after a scandal tore apart Triangle, a chart-topping co-ed dance trio, an offer to reunite for a one-off show pulls leader Hyun-woo out of obscurity and back in search of the bandmates he lost, a rapper buried in debt and a former member who chose life as the daughter-in-law of a powerful business dynasty. A Korean comedy tapping into Gen 1 K-pop nostalgia.
That’s the newsletter for this week.
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