My Beautiful Black People, You Need To Be Watching "Grand Crew" Like Yesterday, And Here's Why

    I stan Fanthony!

    Kasim Kabbara
    by Kasim Kabbara

    BuzzFeed Contributor

    Grand Crew's second season is here!

    Grand Crew cast with creator Phil Augusta Jackson
    Vivien Killilea / Getty Images for SCAD

    Grand Crew, created by Phil Augusta Jackson, who executive produces with Dan Goor, is one of my favorite shows to watch and, might be one of the easier-to-digest shows I've seen in recent memory. Every time I watch, I get a relaxed sensation and know the next 30 minutes are gonna be a blast and suddenly I'm refreshed. I hate how this season, NBC has the show in what some call the "Friday Night Deathslot." I can't stand for it, and here are 20 reasons why I need everyone to watch this comedy now.

    1. The Showcasing of Black Brotherhood

    Carl Tart as Sherm, Nicole Byer as Nicky, Justin Cunningham as Wyatt, Echo Kellum as Noah, Aaron Jennings as Anthony
    Nbc / NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images

    In the opening scene of the pilot episode, actor Garrett Morris had a brilliant monologue that has stuck with me ever since that describes the characters of each of these men perfectly. Morris talks about how Black men have, “layers, y’all! Our multitudes got multitudes!” and these brothers in this show do.

    A Black show featuring three college-educated Black men, with a male best friend that is in their 30s, is something a mid-twenties '90s baby like myself finds so surreal to watch. There are not many shows that show Black men who are successful in their own ways but still manage to get their life together (emotionally or finically) and do that together in a non-illegal way. The show tells a Black man's day-to-day experience and kudos to the actors for bringing that together so well.

    2. It's Super Funny

    Nicky and Noah shenanigans
    Nbc / NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images

    This show highlights great nuanced convos that need to be had, and I will get into them later, but while having those convos, the comedy in this show is written so well. The "joke a minute dialogue" the show has brings out the cast's chemistry and I can tell the group likes each other behind the scenes.

    3. "Wine is Black Now"

    Nicky, Noah and Fay
    Nbc / NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images

    Since the pandemic, we have seen more and more Black celebs get into the wine space. Dwyane Wade, Snoop Dogg, and Mary J. Blige all have a bottle of wine now and they are all good. We see recent NBA All-Time scoring leader, Lebron James, constantly post about decompressing with a glass of wine.

    Black people drink wine and go to wine bars, y'all! Not for only acholic reasons either, but as another way to meet people or catch up with old friends. Okay, a little drinky-drink, while they're at it, doesn't hurt.

    Seeing Black people consuming and being a part of the under-represented wine business is very dope and I hope in the future the crew can be wine tasters for a Black-owned wine brand.

    4. It's Extremely Relatable

    Wyatt and Noah
    Nbc / NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images

    Each episode has at least one moment or theme that I believe the writer's room made strictly to make a Black person realize that we all experience the same thing.

    One, for example, is this first episode of Season 2 which features a "Black People Running Scene" where the guys are rushing to get Noah married but once other Black people see them running, they start running, too. Harlem also did this very well recently. It's little things like that, where I know the writing room is thinking about the Black audience when writing this TV show.

    5. Nicole Byer

    Nicole Byer as Nicky
    Nbc / NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images

    Nicole Byer stands out in this show. Her charisma breathes life into this show with her quirky one-liners and her sex-positive attitude. As the only girl "originally" in the crew, Nicky's character knows how to be one of the guys and still gives them that female perspective they need.

    6. Noah and Nicky's Brother/Sister Dynamic

    Nicole Byer as Nicky, Echo Kellum as Noah
    Nbc / NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images

    I have a little sister and we are pretty open with each other and that makes our relationship very strong. Noah and Nicky got that same bond and it's so sweet! It's beautiful seeing an older sibling relationship where both parties hang out with each other daily and are not completely ignored by one another.

    7. Sherm's Business Ideas

    Carl Tart as Sherm
    Nbc / NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images

    In Season 2 so far, my favorite storyline has been Sherm creating a new business that is not a ridiculous business at all but ridiculous situations happen to it to keep it to a halt. In Season 1, we saw Sherm have problems landing a job so seeing him in his entrepreneurial journey should be a blast.

    8. The Scenes are Not Confined to the Bar

    Anthony and Noah drinking wine
    Nbc / NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images

    For a show like this, making sure all the major scenes are not confined to the bar is a must. I love how Wyatt's house has taken the role of a secondary location in the show. The Vineyard and Wyatt's house has provided more layers to the characters than the bar has so far.

    9. The "Fanthony" Slow Burn

    Fay and Anthony
    Nbc / NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images

    I LOVE a good slow burn, ok! On Abbott Elementary we are seeing a slow-burn love relationship, that got spiced up a couple of weeks ago, between Greg/Janine, and this season, I hope this one takes the same turn. Anthony is currently in a relationship and now we'll play the waiting game on who he will choose. If you don't feel something in Season 1, when Fay teaches Anthony how to dance while listening to some good Luther Vandross, then don't talk to me!

    10. It's Not Friends or Living Single, It's Grand Crew

    The Grand Crew
    Nbc / Jordin Althaus / NBC via Getty Images

    Seinfeld, Friends, and Living Single are all great shows but Grand Crew isn't a show that should be compared to any of those. Grand Crew might be funny as the first two shows I mentioned, and have great Black characters like Living Single, but Grand Crew has its own unique story it's trying to tell. Viewers reading this should watch and get their own perspective of what makes the show good.

    11. Noah Leaves the Hopeless Romantic Stage and Finds Love

    The Engaged Couple
    Nbc / Elizabeth Morris / NBC via Getty Images

    Noah is a hopeless romantic and I know a lot of men who are just like him, dating and thinking every girl is "the one" because they desire marriage. Men in general, especially Black men, are usually portrayed as insensitive people who don't care about love and usually want to have several women on "the roster."

    I may be in the minority, but seeing Noah navigate his love life is not as annoying as it is portrayed to the audience. It is annoying at times, don't get me wrong, but seeing his journey is interesting. I don't know if I want the situation he is currently in to be the endgame.

    12. The Meaningful Scenes Always Hit Home!

    Colton Dunn and Justin Cunningham
    Nbc / NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images

    Grand Crew has done a wonderful job of getting across deep messages in their scenes. One that stands out is "Wine & Pie" in Season 1.
    Noah never talks to his dad about his dad's feelings and tension steadily builds.

    To avoid confronting that conversation and actually talking to his dad, he uses key-lime pie to help his dad and when he denies it, they both lose it. In the same episode, Wyatt has a problem with his brother overstaying his welcome and doesn't know how to tell him. It's a unique way to talk about how Black men have a hard time talking to one another, but when they do talk, it created great scenes that were eye-opening, especially Noah and his dad's.

    13. Wyatt and Kristen

    Wyatt and kristen drinking wine
    Nbc / NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images

    Kristen's episodes are always stand-out episodes and her and Wyatt's relationship dynamics are great to watch. The couple still shows a deep love for each other after almost ten years of being with each other. They are super competitive with each other and despite her making more than him (way more) she still respects him.

    14. Figuring out Fay's Back Story

    Grasie Mercedes as Fay
    Nbc / NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images

    Fay is the character we know about the least due to her joining the crew in the first episode of the series when the rest of the crew had been a crew for 10+ years. She has made short remarks about her ex-husband and her past life, but we need more. The Grand Crew team needs to fill in the gaps as her arc to learning who she is can make interesting TV.

    15. It's Not Stereotypical

    Kristen and Wyatt
    Nbc / NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images

    There's a power this show has for expressing what Black people, people over 30, or couples may think without using stereotypical devices to express that point. Maybe it's the kookiness each character possesses, but the show makes sure to not offend the viewers and I appreciate that heavily. 

    16. Simply Because it's Great TV

    The Grand Crew Cast
    Nbc / NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images

    Overall, Grand Crew is amazing! This show should be on every one's radar and you need to watch this comedy on NBC.

    Any reasons y'all have that I missed?

    Tell me in the comments why you watch Grand Crew on NBC.