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The Hulu series The Other Black Girl, adapted from Zakiya Dalila Harris' book, was a hit with many viewers for its exploration of race, identity, and office politics in the NYC publishing world. However, Hulu has canceled the show, according to a report by Hollywood Reporter, published on May 10, 2024.
Featuring Sinclair Daniel as Nella Rodgers, the show highlighted the struggles of being the lone Black staff member at Wagner Books. Even though critics loved it with an 86% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the audience score dropped to 50%. The producers were optimistic about a second season, but Hulu's decision to pull the plug after just one season, has left fans and creators bummed.
This is the first time a scripted series has been canceled by Disney's Onyx Collective, which is focused on BIPOC stories. They worked on the show with Temple Hill Entertainment.
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Hopes for The Other Black Girl season 2 get dashed
The creators of The Other Black Girl were pushing for the show's renewal for Season 2. In a chat with The Hollywood Reporter back in 2023, Reddout and Hickey even mentioned they were hoping for a second season as the writers' strike was over.
Reddout said,
“Our brains are spinning. They’ve been spinning on season two for a year. It’s something we constantly talk about and would be very exciting to do.”
Hickey added:
“Since we changed the ending, we want the chance to show everyone what’s going to happen now. There’s a lot to explore.”
The show was probably canceled by Hulu because not many people were watching it, with the audience score being 50%, as mentioned. With the rise of streaming platforms, the focus is more on popular shows and cutting back on their budget.
The Other Black Girl getting canceled is just another example of streaming services being pickier about their original content lately. Even though it got good reviews and some awards, it just didn't bring in enough viewers or see much growth in its first season.
Positive reception and awards for The Other Black Girl
Even though it has been canceled after only one season, The Other Black Girl was praised by critics, and noted for its storytelling and tackling of race and identity issues in the workplace. Zakiya Dalila Harris and Rashida Jones won the Gracie Award for Outstanding Writing in Scripted Television.
The show was also nominated for the GLAAD Media Awards for Outstanding New TV Series and the NAACP Image Awards for Outstanding Original Score by EmmoLei Sankofa.
Additionally, it received the Critics Choice Association's Seal of Female Empowerment in Entertainment for showcasing authentic female-driven stories that illuminate the female experience and perspective.
Plot overview of Hulu's The Other Black Girl
The story follows Nella Rogers, an editorial assistant at Wagner Books, played by Sinclair Daniel. The show focuses on her workspace interactions with her new colleague, Hazel-May McCall, portrayed by Ashleigh Murray.
According to IMDb, the series' synopsis is:
"An African-American editorial assistant works at a white NYC publishing firm. When a black co-worker arrives she gets excited, but is the new girl a friend or a foe?"
The Hulu series based on the book, The Other Black Girl, changes things up. Unlike the book that features a timeline of 1983 - 2018, the series is set in post-pandemic 2023. The latter also dives deeper into Nella's background.
In the end, Nella finds out that Hazel is part of a secret group led by Diana Gordon. Nella eventually caves and puts on the hair grease, after Hazel and Diana pressure her. For the unversed, a special hair grease is used to try and make talented Black women fit into white society.
In the book, Nella's choice to use the hair grease wraps things up. The TV show's ending, however, leaves things undecided. When Nella gets caught up in the scheme, she plays along at first. What Gordon's group doesn't know is that Nella has made a secret call to her friends, Malaika and Kendra Rae, who are part of a group fighting against the brainwashing.
Watch The Other Black Girl on Hulu.
