If you aren’t familiar with Mara Brock-Akil, you may be familiar with the brilliant shows she has created in the past two decades. Not only is she bringing more to television, but she’s bringing it all to a new network.
Mara Brock-Akil is famous for making some of the most entertaining sitcoms such as Girlfriends, The Game, and Being Mary Jane. All shows focused on successful black men and women, but loved by everyone. When interviewed by Fader Magazine, she answered questions that many of us wanted to know. The TV show creator is almost a mystery at times, being behind the scenes and not really speaking much on her projects.
When asked about what new stories she wants to give to new audiences at Warner Bros, she said:
“I still love talking about women and the contemporary journey of women. I still love talking about women of color. There are places I didn’t get to go with Being Mary Jane. Those things still live in me. The past years have been me getting out what I wanna say about black women. I’m really excited that this deal will be more inclusive of [Salim’s] voice and what he wants to say about black men. No one’s really heard his voice yet.”
Moving from BET to Warner Bros. will definitely be an adjustment but nothing Akil can’t handle. With that being said, she will have to leave Being Mary Jane behind. She added,
“Having gone through what I went through with the other shows—two cancellations, a revival, squeaking out an ending for The Game—it’s funny to sit here in this position again. It’s not to say that BET couldn’t make it work, it’s just that I know what it takes to be a producer and there’s so much that goes into making any show. There’s a lot that goes into this show in particular, so I wonder who they will get to help shepherd and hone some of its intellectual artistry. It really would depend on that person: how do they see and view Mary Jane and black women? If they pick someone that I don’t like, I’m gonna go, “Oh shit. I can’t watch.” [Laughs] I hope there’s another Mara out there who’s like, “Bring it on. Give me the ball.”
