Okay, I’m fairly new to the Tyler Perry universe. Ever since he’s been doing these direct-to-streaming projects, it seems like he isn’t planning on taking a break, and it shows. There’s nothing worse than watching women mistreated on screen, and this guy repeatedly feeds us this same trauma in different formulas and expects us to swallow them up like they’re marshmallows. Honestly, if you can’t tell, I’m tired. We want Black and POC stories, yes, but when those stories are badly written, I can’t pretend to like them. This is stereotypical garbage, and I’m genuinely done with it. Beauty in Black tells the story of two strong women: one is Kimmie, a stripper who is trying to claw her way out of her miserable life after her mother threw her out young, and the other is Mallory, previously orphaned, now rich and famous, running her own company. While the two women are completely different from each other, they share one common thread: a couple of really rich and powerful men. I can’t describe it any other way, but yeah, that’s what it is.

If that premise got you excited, I’m sorry, it’s not going to give you any of that “powerful women who come together and give you the happy ending that you want” stuff. This is none of that goodness; it’s only all the negative stuff that comes with being a woman in this world. That is all I can see from this man’s work, and I’m really annoyed that I have to burst a vein watching it. First things first, the profanity is unbearable, and we need to stop with this color grading, because it’s not doing anybody any favors. These are already stunning actors; you don’t need to make them look flat in yellow. In truth, out of everything I’ve seen by him, i.e., Mea Culpa and Divorce in Black, this one has to be the best, because there’s some twists in here at least to keep you going. Still, it’s an 8-episode TV series that already has a second part ready, which comes out in the spring of next year. I mean, put the whole thing out at once and put us out of our misery, please.

As I’m writing this, I’m trying to think of one good thing about this show, and there’s really nothing coming to mind. I know you were hoping I’d say the performances, but as with the other Tyler Perry stuff, everything feels way too extra and overdone for no reason. No, I understand the parallels you’re trying to draw here between the rich and the bottom tier, but maybe do it in a different way next time? Bring something new to the table? Because how long do we have to watch these people tear each other down for no apparent reason? Oh, actually, I can think of something; the pacing is pretty decent, and despite being 8 episodes of a two-parter, the series progresses decently. What I really mean to say is that something’s happening constantly.

Also, I find it a little bit outrageous to attach your name so unabashedly to your series. Let your work do the talking, because there’s no denying a Tyler Perry’s a Tyler Perry. Sure, it’s good to know who made the show, but to have it in the title is a bit much if you ask me. Watching Beauty in Black is like being forced to watch football with your significant other when you absolutely hate it. There’s two teams; somebody kicks, and somebody gets in the way. That’s all you really need to know, no? Wrong, there’s a lot of rules, and just like that, this show has a dozen characters, each introduced at Tyler’s whim and fancy. I don’t really know what to make of this, but I definitely didn’t enjoy it.

The characters themselves are all nasty. I guess you want to be empathetic to Kimmie because she’s the only morally good person on here, and I have a soft spot for Charles, the younger brother, because he just seems like he’s been born in the wrong family, but that’s about it. I really can’t praise any one performance as excellent; it all just comes across as too much and trying too hard. As you can imagine, the profanity and the nudity are high; it’s not Tyler Perry without that.

I know this is coming across as a straight rant rather than a criticism, but that’s just how I felt about the show. It was loathsome at points, and I wouldn’t have gotten beyond the first 10 minutes if it hadn’t been for work. There, I said it. Also, I’m not the biggest fan of social messaging represented so dryly, so that really put me off too. Yes, there is a plot, but barely, and it’s too determined to snake its way through the whole season rather than present a clear path, which would’ve worked better for this kind of family drama. It’s trying way too hard to be like a murder mystery, which it’s not.

I feel like Tyler Perry has this way of presenting his films and shows almost like horror. Though, not in a good way. I really like the idea of dark themes explored in an almost terrorizing manner, but here it feels like just trying to scandalize the viewer. Everything is way too sensationalized, and it almost feels like he’s trying to say that Black people can be rich and evil too. If you couldn’t tell already, I really didn’t like Beauty in Black. If you’re looking for something to play in the background, like noise, then maybe you can pick this one, but remember it is not at all safe for work. I’d give this show 2 out of 5 stars still because it isn’t the worst thing I’ve ever seen, though it comes close for sure.