{"id":14440,"date":"2022-03-09T18:19:35","date_gmt":"2022-03-09T16:19:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/?p=14440"},"modified":"2022-03-09T18:19:36","modified_gmt":"2022-03-09T16:19:36","slug":"grand-crew-is-a-tv-game-changer-a-black-sitcom-thats-for-everyone","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/blog\/2022\/03\/09\/grand-crew-is-a-tv-game-changer-a-black-sitcom-thats-for-everyone\/","title":{"rendered":"&#8220;Grand Crew&#8221; Is \u201cA TV game Changer\u2026 A Black Sitcom That\u2019s For Everyone.\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Showmax_black.jpg?ssl=1\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Showmax_black.jpg?w=750&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3061\"\/><\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Now streaming on Showmax, <em>Grand Crew<\/em> follows a group of young Black professionals who gather at their favourite bar to wine down and unpack the ups and downs of life and love in LA, proving that life is always better with your crew. \u00a0 The sitcom is created by Phil Augusta Jackson (<em>Brooklyn Nine-Nine<\/em>,<em> Insecure<\/em>, <em>Key &amp; Peele<\/em>), with Oscar winner Matthew A. Cherry (<em>Hair Love<\/em>) and <em>Brooklyn Nine-Nine<\/em> actor Melissa Fumero among the directors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Grand Crew | A New Showmax Series\" width=\"750\" height=\"422\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/jXoRXASyV9U?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Buzzfeed<\/em> calls <em>Grand Crew <\/em>\u201ca TV game changer\u201d, \u201ca television gem\u201d and \u201ca black sitcom that\u2019s for everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Nicky (triple-Emmy nominee Nicole Byer from <em>Nailed It!<\/em>) is a go-getter in both real estate and romance, while her brother Noah (<em>Arrow<\/em>\u2019s Curtis Holt \/ Mr Terrific, Echo Kellum) is a hopeless romantic too eager to settle down. Sherm (comedian Carl Tart, who writes on <em>Kenan<\/em>) is a low-key genius who plays the dating odds, Anthony (Aaron Jennings from <em>Pure Genius<\/em>) is mostly in love with his career, and Wyatt (Justin Cunningham from <em>When They See Us<\/em>) is just relieved to be happily married and out of the dating scene. Then there\u2019s Fay (Grasie Mercedes), recently divorced and new to the crew, working at their hangout. Emmy nominee Garrett Morris (<em>Saturday Night Live, 2 Broke Girls<\/em>) narrates the first episode.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI just love that there\u2019s no big \u2018hook\u2019, like, \u2018We\u2019re living in a scary house\u2026\u2019. We\u2019re just people who exist,\u201d says Echo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cJust six friends, you know,\u201d Grasie adds, \u201cEnjoying wine, learning about each other, relationships\u2026 helping each other, being there for each other.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Grand-Crew-S1.jpg?ssl=1\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Grand-Crew-S1.jpg?resize=600%2C400&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-14441\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Grand-Crew-S1.jpg?w=600&amp;ssl=1 600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Grand-Crew-S1.jpg?resize=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/a><figcaption>GRAND CREW &#8212; &#8220;Wine &amp; Fire&#8221; Episode 103 &#8212; Pictured: (l-r) Justin Cunningham as Wyatt, Maya Lynne Robinson as Kristen, Carl Tart as Sherm, Grasie Mercedes as Fay, Echo Kellum as Noah, Nicole Byer as Nicky, Angel Parker as Judge Eva &#8212; (Photo by: Elizabeth Morris\/NBC)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>In an interview with <em>Blackfilmandtv.com<\/em>, Echo revealed, \u201cThe whole show is based off of our actual real-life friend group. There\u2019s multiple people in the actual show and the cast that are in this group that meet up weekly at a wine bar in LA \u2013 Nicole, myself, Carl and our showrunner Phil, our writers Lamar [Woods], Aaron [Covington], Ify Nwadiwe\u2026 all of us are part of this crew that meets up every week to unpack the struggles and triumphs of life, work, success, everything. These\u2026 are real conversations we\u2019ve had. It\u2019s just Black men and women existing in this world and in LA, and trying to unpack the daily aspects of life. So the show is based a hundred percent off our real life and our real crew.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As Nicole told <em>The View,<\/em> \u201cIt\u2019s like working with my friends&#8230; It\u2019s a party. We have so much fun.\u201d She told <em>Access<\/em> that the craziest real-life story that made it into <em>Grand Crew<\/em> was based on her experiences pole dancing, a hobby she started during the Covid-19 lockdowns.\u00a0<br \/>For Justin, the role is a breath of fresh air. As he told <em>Hollywood First Look<\/em>, the show is \u201cbreaking the stereotypes of what it means to be Black men and Black women\u2026 So we don\u2019t have to fit these molds. I\u2019m an extremely goofy country person, so I get to live inside that. For basically the first time in my career, I get to play things that are closer to myself.\u201d He also praised the show\u2019s treatment of mental health and normalising of therapy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As <em>The Mary Sue <\/em>says, \u201cThe whip-smart comedy is one of the best new sitcoms on network television\u2026 During the pandemic, many viewers have been returning to their favourite comfort shows like <em>The Office <\/em>and<em> Friends<\/em>. <em>Grand Crew<\/em> is a welcome new entry into the genre, and is hopefully on its way to becoming a new classic. So sit back, grab a glass of wine, and meet your new friends.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>P.S. Look out for a cameo from Zimbabwean actor Keith Machekanyanga (<em>Your Honor)<\/em> as rapper Sayjack, as well as costumes from American-born Nigerian stylist Queensylvia Akuchie, who works regularly with Tyler Perry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Watch <em>Grand Crew<\/em> first on Showmax: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.showmax.com\/eng\/tvseries\/alrvzdn2-grand-crew\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">https:\/\/www.showmax.com\/eng\/tvseries\/alrvzdn2-grand-crew<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Now streaming on Showmax, Grand Crew follows a group of young Black professionals who gather at their favourite bar to wine down and unpack the ups and downs of life and love in LA, proving that life is always better with your crew. \u00a0 The sitcom is created by Phil Augusta Jackson (Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Insecure,&hellip; <a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/blog\/2022\/03\/09\/grand-crew-is-a-tv-game-changer-a-black-sitcom-thats-for-everyone\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">&#8220;Grand Crew&#8221; Is \u201cA TV game Changer\u2026 A Black Sitcom That\u2019s For Everyone.\u201d<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[97],"tags":[110],"class_list":["post-14440","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-online","tag-showmax","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14440","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14440"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14440\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14440"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14440"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14440"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}