There’s a television show that comes on a major network during primetime.  A Black woman is the star.  It’s an hour long.  It’s filled with things that titillate the senses nowadays-drama, sex, murder, mystery, and intrigue.   No, I’m not talking about “Scandal”.  I’m talking about “Deception”, the new NBC drama starring Meagan Good.  If you’ve read my blog before (or know me IRL), you probably know that I have typed (and said) I don’t like her and her roles .  I’ve felt she’s been typecast pretty much her entire career.  (Plus, I haven’t really liked her since “Eve’s Bayou”.)  The fact that I continually watch this show must mean that my heart of ice is slowly melting when it comes to Ms. Good…right???

When I first heard about “Deception”, I was thinking, “Great. Another ‘Scandal’. And NBC must have been holding on to it to see how Shonda’s new show was going to work out.”  I can honestly say that I have been watching “Deception” on a regular basis and keeping up with it.  I have to admit, I was a little skeptical at first, but I think I like it.

While I, and most of America, focus on “Scandal” and what a dynamic show it is, little credence is given to “Deception”.  For those of you that are unaware, Meagan Good plays a cop who goes undercover with the family her mother used to work for when their oldest daughter and her best friend, Vivian, is murdered.  After being gone for 15 years, Meagan’s character, Joanna, comes to pay her respects and re-connect with the family.  Of course, her real motive is to find out who killed Vivian.

To be honest, the show does have a number of similarities with “Scandal”.  It also has a lot of differences.  At the end of the day, I need to be a person of my word and support this show, which I am.  But let me tell you WHY I (and you all should) support and watch this show.   I make it no secret that we need quality television showing women (especially Black women) in a positive light, i.e. not fighting, cursing somebody out, being uneducated, and wrecking havoc in somebody’s life.  This show fits the bill.  Joanna is a cop, is educated, and is actually a likeable character.   Also, just as we should not be in competition with each other, we also should not pit our stars against each other.   Kerry Washington tweeted Good and wished her success on her new show.

I’ve always been a fan of and live by the motto “support a Black business”.  And if these two great shows with Black ladies as the leading star aren’t a black business, I don’t know what is.  I know Black Hollywood, and Black people in general, talk about how it’s hard to get quality acting roles, let alone starring roles, for Blacks.  Here, not only do we have two awesome, beautiful, and talented ladies as the stars, they have great Black men (Columbus Short and Laz Alonso) as their co-stars.  So, don’t call me a hypocrite.  I’m growing and maturing and EVOLVING… (Look at the name of this site again.)  At the end of the day, if I am to be a role model to the lives I touch, I have to practice what I preach.  And if I want my future children and the children I currently work with to support one another and to lend a helping hand, I have to do the same thing.  If you’re not watching “Deception”, I suggest you start.  And if you’re like me and don’t always stay up late during the week, you can catch up On Demand.  If you’re a night owl, tune in on Monday nights to NBC at 10 o’clock to see Joanna get one step closer to finding out who killed Vivian.  Until next time, I’m just a Southern girl…in the city.

Related articles

• Five Reasons to Watch ‘Deception’ (blackamericaweb.com)
• 5 Things We Loved About NBC’s “Deception” (clutchmagonline.com)
• NBC TODAY Show – Meagan Good Talks Detective Drama ‘Deception’ (hulu.com)