Reasonable Doubt

Somehow, the writers and creators of Reasonable Doubt have convinced themselves that the language, behavior, and cultural norms depicted are authentic and unapologetically Black. Um, no.

As an African-American professional in my early 50s, (Same age group as Morris Chestnut), an HBCU graduate, and a product of a middle-class childhood community that was 90% African-American, I don't know a single person who goes around using the N-word or listens to music with lyrics that use the same. We're the Anita Baker generation who love Alicia Keys, John Legend, and jazz.

This show has great plot points and a compelling storyline, but every time the main characters open their mouths and utter that word, their intelligence, awareness, and enlightened personas are discredited and thrown into the garbage. The recycle and repurpose rationalization of the N-word is a ridiculous justification and holds no water.

By contrast, Morris Chestnut's character is great and the epitome of poise, class, sex appeal, and everything the main character and her spouse should portray.

Emayatzi Corinealdi is a phenomenal actress who deserves better material. To the creators, depicting these characters in this light is short-sighted and overshadows your theme, general narrative, and character arcs while showing a level of ignorance not befitting your target audience, which I assume are young Black professionals and not the street gang crowd. Please, do better.

This show is not for everyone. It's written with the Black culture in mind. Successful Black people (although some questionable ones) are plot of the show. This plot keeps everyone guessing and there is a twist around every corner. It's nice to see all spectrums of Blackness being highlighted. From struggling criminals to high power Black people. It's "Scandal" with more POCs and less degrading Black women.

The cast is a list of those I have not heard of or from other lesser successful projects. With that said, this series is the perfect opportunity to make a heightened name for some of the actors. On the other hand it is a safe choice for the producers.

Overall I believe the show is great with great potential. Not everything is for everyone. But for the Black community, this is a win.

Good plot. Poor execution. Characters are a bit annoying because the AAVE seems forced. The excessive use of n-word, unnecessary vulgarity, & soft porn nature of the drama diminished what this could have been.

Also, the legal portion of the show was more elementary than clever.. it was super basic so I couldn't even fall in love with the main character. Speaking of the main character, whoever styled her couldn't figure out if they wanted her look to be stylish yet conservative versus racy and totally out of regs for a law office. But they did include the quintessential red bottoms * sigh *eye roll.

I'm a Black professional womam who was raised in a poor urban city so I was hoping to connect...I didn't. Not interested in season 2. We deserve better work from Kerry.

So the acting could be better but I'm struggling to understand how some of the reviews are saying that the show is trying too hard to meet the Black experience. First, the outfits are not that far removed from what my black self has seen in my black office. While I personally do not use the "n" word, and I get and agree that it can be offensive, many of my Black friends and associates do use the word frequently amongst themselves. And unfortunately, the references to White people are pretty consistent with my experience. And the comments about Jax being unlikeable are not surprising because many black women in leadership are often characterized as unlikeable. Strong leadership skills in a woman, especially a Black woman, tends to be criticized harshly. But a man that moves like Jax is often considered the best leader EVER. Some of the sex scenes were a bit much but that's what sells these days. I'm looking forward to the show getting better each season.

So many formulas are being tapped into for this glossy but vapid series. Most obvious is the famous Kerry Washington vehicle "Scandal." The sexy business clothes, the amoral behavior. Throw in "Real Housewives" of say- Baldwin Hills, or is this "Sex in the City" of Black Angels? The cast is a talented ensemble that deserves better. The main character, a female lawyer, never does any research, or preparation, but finds time for sexual dalliances the nights before big days in court. And the men in her life are kind of limp. Heck, the estranged husband even hires a bodyguard with whom she cuckolds him. Black women deserve real professional depictions.