I will be honest I have never really paid much attention to BET (US or UK), because I have never found their shows to be particularly appealing. Then a few weeks ago I came across a trailer for a show called Buppies which starred Tatyana Ali, she of The Fresh Prince fame. That got me interested for a few reasons; a show with a group of twentysomthing Blacks working in the entertainment industry is very sexy. Also the term Buppies always takes me back to 80s with the Thatcherism era of power suits, filofaxes and consumerism so I was keen to see how it would translate to the US in 2009. Buppies is a webseries about five close knit friends who reside in LA. The lead character is Quinci, played by Tatyana Ali, an IT girl who had it all - great career, loving relationship with a guy she was planning to marry, fantastic friends and a close bond with her father. Then her life comes crashing around her ears when her Dad dies and her fiance dumps her right before their wedding. Totally crushed, Quinci begins to realise that it is her close friends who are now her family and rock. Her inner circle consists of Priscilla, played by Robin Thede who is a magazine editor and likes the finer things in life. Priscilla's other half, Eliot played by Preston Davis works as a sports agent but is shielding a dark secret. Shaka, played by Ernest Waddell is a corporate lawyer by day and a rapper by night who is a bit of a ladies man. Then there is Kourtney, played by Chante Frierson who is a music industry heiress but is as feisty as they come.
Buppies is not a bad programme, it is entertaining enough to watch in bites of 10 minutes. This is because the plot is not very fast moving and not an awful lot happens in the show. However there are some interesting characters who have potential to develop over time. Aside from cultural references to designer labels and fancy cars there is not much sign of wealthy living in Buppies: I was expecting to see the characters situated in lavish houses, shopping on Rodeo Drive and travelling by private jets. Sadly all this remains to be seen and what we are left with is dodgy scenery. Hopefully this will change soon as the series goes on but I am afraid Buppies really has to up its game for people to really take it seriously as a mesh of Girlfriends and Sex and the City.
This is BET's first online series and airs on Wednesdays at 3.00pm. You can watch it online here.
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