Diarra from Detroit: A BET+ Series Blending Comedy, Drama, and Detroit's Essence
Written by Donaldo Prescod
WATCH DIARRA FROM THE DETROIT TRAILER
Last week, we had the privilege of previewing Diarra from Detroit, a captivating new series premiering on BET+ on March 21. The series is written, created, and stars Diarra Kilpatrick, one of our very own Bushwick Film Fest alumni and 2019 Rising Star Award winner. The show is the inaugural project of BET Studios, which launched in 2021 to support the growing demand for content by Black creators.
Conversation with Diarra Kilpatrick and Kela Walker hosted by BET and Paramount in NYC
After the screening, Diarra sat with the wonderful Kela Walker for a discussion. She fondly recalled childhood nights spent nestled under her grandma’s loving arms as they watched programs like Matlock, Magnum PI, or Murder, She Wrote — a time in television when a good murder mystery had tens of millions of viewers glued to the box every week. Being influenced by these classic television series, Diarra has made her own crime-solving, private eye series, her way — a way that is so stooped with the flavor, nuances, and essence of Detroit. She described her experience creating the show as “one of the biggest manifestations of her life” and she hopes it empowers other creators to believe that it’s possible for them too.
Diarra from Detroit is a comedy-drama that kicks off with our protagonist (Diarra), a schoolteacher going through a divorce. With Morris Chestnut (Swa) playing the husband, one could understand why she is taking the split so hard. What follows, in a Stella getting her groove back fashion, Diarra goes on a very successful Tinder date with Chris (Shannon Wallace) which abruptly ends when she is ghosted. But our protagonist wants answers and ventures to Chris’ house only to find out that there was, in fact, a very strange and peculiar reason why she was ghosted.
Heeding the Issa Rae warning of regrettably naming the lead after herself, so much of Diarra and Detroit is steeped in this show so the name stays. With risk-taking cinematic flare coupled with characters (including our protagonist) constantly making you laugh, wince, or hold your breath in anticipation; this new series undoubtedly keeps you on your toes from beginning to end. And this is the mark of good writing, and a good television show, one where even you, the audience, have no clue on what happens next.
DomiNque Perry, Bryan Terrell Clark, and icons like Phylicia Rashad round out the ensemble of this new series which Detroiters can proudly call their own with the motor city so beautifully being represented.
“I hope that people feel empowered. This is the biggest manifestation of my life. I had a dream and it came true. If anyone has a dream, I promise, it's possible.” - Diarra Kilpatrick
