The Uncomfortable yet Thrilling Premiere of “Tyler Perry’s Zatima”

Executive produced, directed, and written by Tyler Perry, “Zatima” released its first two episodes on BET + on Thursday, Sept. 22. The “Sistas” spinoff is a wild, adventurous, and hilarious beginning of fan-favorite characters who navigate the world around them. While Tyler Perry originally planned to release the full ten episodes onto BET+ on September 29, he gave fans a sneak peek of what was to come; the fans and critics, like myself, absolutely loved the outcome.

“Sistas”

“Sistas” was released on October 23, 2019, during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Viewers were excited about the release because of Tyler Perry’s reputation for producing comedic movies like Madea.

The first premiere drew over 1.4 million viewers, the age range primarily attracting 18-49 years of age. The second season produced even better results, averaging 1.5 million viewers, rating in Live +3 for the show across BET+.

Disappointment with “Sistas”

However, while the show drew a lot of attention, many fans became disappointed by the results. Complaints of actors failing to perform properly, cheap sets, sexism, and the overuse of sex scenes steered viewers away from enjoying Tyler Perry’s new soap opera.

An anonymous poster on the Review website of “Sistas” claims, “someone, please tell him his sex scenes are obnoxious, totally overused and overacted. Please tell him that he can give his characters range like seriously…the thick sista doesn’t have to be the loud, funny one, and the men don’t all have to be dogs, weak or pitiful, or look like they stepped out of a magazine spread. Please tell him to give his characters depth and history because it’s hard to care about characters when you know nothing about who they are as people and why they are the way they are.”

The comments got worse, and the show was criticized even further.

“Sistas is the first and last Tyler Perry show I will ever watch. The writing is like it was written by uneducated unimaginative 19-year-olds. It was poorly acted, and even the serious parts are hilarious in all the wrong ways. It makes black (and all ) women look like mushy-brained weak deviant losers that cannot live without men. It was horrendous, ridiculous, and a real brain cell killer.”

While some viewers hated the show, others found it hilarious and appealing, wanting more from the series. The season finale of “Sistas” was shocking and left viewers wanting to know more; what would happen to Zac (Devale Ellis) and Fatima’s (Crystal Renee Hayslett) relationship, and were they going to stay together?

“Zatima,” the Spin-off of the show “Sistas”

The show “Zatima” will finally be a dramatic happily ever after of the couple, Zac (Devale Ellis) and Fatima (Crystal Renee Hayslett). Series regulars Cameron Fuller, Remington Hoffman, and Nzinga Imani, and recurring cast members Jasmin Brown, Guyviaud Joseph, and Danielle LaRoach, join previously announced leads Devale Ellis and Crystal Renee Hayslett.

Will “Zatima” be the redemption for Tyler Perry, or will the show crash and burn as “Sistas” did for many African Americans hoping to be represented?

The answer is yes and no.

Redemption of “Zatima”

The first episode, “A New Chapter,” starts out with Zac (Devale Ellis) and Fatima (Crystal Renee Hayslett) in her old apartment; they are moving in together in a new place and are starting a new life. The actors, particularly this couple, have great chemistry on the screen — they play their roles effortlessly and make it seem as if they are actually a true couple. Most actors I come across in television series lack this aspect of connection and struggle to prove to the viewers that they aren’t just acting. Unlike the comment from “Sistas” that claimed the actors were “just reading off of the script,” I would disagree; Nzinga Imani, who plays Angela, contradicts that notion. Her emotions, dialogue, and how she fully thrust herself into her role were magical; she did and made something with her character, and she was downright hilarious.

More importantly, there were no instances of sexism or female disempowerment; on the contrary, it is the complete opposite of watching the first two episodes. Actor and star Jasmin Brown, who plays Deja, portrays a fierce and independent woman; she is exhilarant, and bold, and doesn’t let Zac, Fatima’s boyfriend, talk down to her at the friend get-together. Moreover, Fatima, played by Crystal Hayslett, is portrayed as a strong woman fully in control of her relationship with Zac. She makes her own decisions and hasn’t relied on him in such a way that would accuse the show of sexism.

Uncomfortable Scenes

Unfortunately, the critiques of “Sistas” were right when it came to the unnecessary sex scenes in the premiere of “Zatima.” Right off the bat, at the beginning of episode one, there was a sex scene that seemed misplaced and, well, rather peculiar. It was shocking and disturbing— the show did not do a good enough job of warning viewers that it was Rated R; unlike many adult movies and series, “Zatima” went over the top, almost to the point of classifying the show as X-rated. It wasn’t that the sex scene was obnoxious, but it was to the point that it was uncomfortable.

Overall

Overall, “Zatima” has a good future; while it was not perfect, the characters and intertwining personalities were riveting. It was a show of comedy, female empowerment, and suspense that had me on the edge of my seat at the end of every episode.

I highly recommend watching the spinoff series of Tyler Perry’s “Zatima.” It’s a show you won’t want to miss.