Single Girls Club friends Leila and Patricia navigate the challenges and glories of Tinder dates, family expectations, casual dating you wish wasn’t quite-so-casual, and committing to yourself above all the noise, in this kind and quietly revelatory episodic that centers on the intimate friendship of two young women of color.

Leila and Patricia, along with their shade-throwing pal Victor, navigate life-after-college-but-before-artistic-success in Chicago, surrounded by community but ultimately each other’s own pocket of home. This seven-episode first season of Brown Girls is entertaining and heartfelt, with relevant themes of identity, culture, and purpose through a lens of twentysomethings searching for the right commitment.

From expert exiting of dates with the skill of a thousand unapologetic, sex-positive, no-time-for-nonsense black feminists, to coming for your sorta-ex-bae’s date at a party, to deciding just when you’re going to fight for your own happiness, Brown Girls features layered and personal storylines. With moments of laugh-out-loud hilarity coupled with challenging conversations with chosen and blood family, the season ultimately strikes a steady note throughout episodes that are as varied as the main characters themselves.

Featuring the creative forces of writer Fatimah Asghar and director Sam Bailey, with a soundtrack featuring black and brown artists like Jamila Woods and Lisah Mishrah, Brown Girls celebrates and centers black and brown creators and narratives from production to product, sure to leave audiences ready for a second season.

— SOPHIA LANZA-WEIL