The web series world so far has been relatively devoid of scandals. So when TMZ reported on a lawsuit surrounding former Fresh Price of Bel Air star (and R&B singer) Tatyana Ali’s upcoming web series Buppies, the story took a left turn. Now, after the lawsuit has been dropped in court and both sides are calling it a misunderstanding, the series is finally set for release after signing a deal with BET.com for a November 3 launch.
The series first popped up on our radar over a year ago when we talked to Ali and her sister Anastasia, who had just shot the project as the first original from their indie production co, HazraH Entertainment. The pair teamed up with writer-director Julian Breece, whom Tatyana had met while both were at Harvard, and crafted a series that feels like Sex and the City for a young black generation, as Breece puts it.
“We think it is something that can benefit the black narrative space,” said Breece who created the series. “On television, there’s nothing like this, and there hasn’t been since the 80’s with Frank’s Place.”
“We wanted to offer something sexy, hilarious and very heartfelt, making the uncensored web space perfect for a show like Buppies,” Ali told us in an earlier interview. “As an actor, Quinci Allen is the kind of dream role that doesn’t come around very often. She’s sexy, smart and very complicated.” Ali stars alongside a handful of rising actors—Ernest Waddell, Robin Thede, Preston Davis and Chante Frierson.
