Grand Crew - Taji Mag

Grasie Mercedes as Fay and Aaron Jennings as Anthony

“Grand Crew” season two is here, and it is funnier than season one within just the first few episodes! As anticipated, the first episode continues to explore Noah’s (Echo Kellum) relationship with Simone (Ashleigh Morghan) while the others continue to navigate love and life. Grand Crew is something we all can connect with, responsible(?) adulting while having friends to help us along the way.

One of the cliffhangers from last season that all the viewers have been discussing over Twitter was the relationship status of Fay (played by Grasie Mercedes) and Anthony (played by Aaron Jennings). Will they be lovers or remain friends? Queue up Usher’s “Lovers and Friends.” We won’t know until it’s revealed. While we wait for the story to unfold, Taji Mag interviewed Mercedes and Jennings about their characters, the best relationship advice they’ve gotten, and more.

Auria (for Taji Mag): What was your reaction to the show getting greenlit?

Grasie Mercedes: I was ecstatic! To be able to do it again, I mean, as an actor, it’s a miracle to even get on a show in the 1^st place. And then to get the show picked up from pilot to 1^st season, from 1^st season to 2^nd season, you’re just grateful for each time that you get to do the job.

Aaron Jennings: Yeah, I’m just so happy we got to run it back. I love all of my castmates and all the crew as well; so to get to go to work and have fun with people that you love on a SHOW that you love feels very important for the world to have right now. I was definitely just ecstatic and felt very blessed.

GRAND CREW — Season: 2 — Pictured: Grasie Mercedes as Fay — (Photo by: Jabari Jacobs/NBC)

Auria: Let’s dive a bit into the story of the show. Why do you think it’s so hard for your characters (Fay & Anthony) to be honest about their feelings? (They briefly argue over who will answer 1st to which Gracie says, “this is part of the problem lol”)

GM: I think it’s just real life, ya know? Sometimes it’s hard to be vulnerable, say how you feel, and admit how you feel. And then I think there’s an extra layer of, like, when you have a friend that you have feelings for, if you go for that, what happens if it doesn’t work out. Then you’re risking that friendship. And so, I think they’re both kind of in their heads about what this is, what this could be, and I think for Fay, she’s a little nervous [about] even getting involved, especially after the last episode where Anthony tells her that he and Talia broke up because of her. She doesn’t want that, she doesn’t want that life.

Auria: I’m glad that you mentioned the friendship aspect because that leads me to my next question. In your opinion, can two people return to being friends after dating?

AJ: I mean, I think they can. It just presents its own problems, right? I’ll say in the past I’ve dated one friend in particular and afterward we were still the best of friends. That’s not always the case, it takes two very mature people to be able to navigate that, but it’s possible. It’s definitely not easy, but it’s possible. Grasie, what sat you?

GM: I meeeean, I don’t know, I think it’s possible to stay friendly. I don’t know if it’s possible to stay friends like you were beforehand because I do think things can get complicated. But maybe I can be proven wrong, I don’t know. I think it depends on the people.

Auria: Thank you for that. Season 2 I was even funnier than season 1! What do you think is the key to the show’s success?

GM: We have an incredible writer’s room led by Phil Augusta Jackson (that’s the creator), and there’s just really really funny people who are great story tellers. I think THAT on top of the cast (we have really funny people in our cast), it’s all kind of gelled together to be even better this season.

AJ: I think the more time you have together within a show, you hope that over time the synergy just starts to really form. And I think that’s what’s happened with our show in particular. You just get more stabs at it, more times at bat. And it really helps you start to find your groove. I think we’re in a nice rhythm right now and have hit a nice stride.

Auria: How was shooting season 2 different from the first?

AJ: It went by so quickly. It went by so fast. It was still a lot of fun, a lot of laughs, even more laughs if you could believe it, but it just shot by. I feel like the 1st season…it felt a lot longer, and not that we weren’t having fun, it just felt longer…this season just blew by. I blinked and it was gone. I wish we had more opportunity to work together, so hopefully, we get a season 3 and we’ll [be able to] do that.

GRAND CREW — “Pilot” — Pictured: Aaron Jennings as Anthony — (Photo by: Justin Lubin/NBC)

Auria: I also hope you get a season 3! We’re going to get just a little bit personal right now. There are a lot of relationship things happening in this series. What is the best dating advice you’ve ever received? I’d love for both of you to answer this, so whoever wants to go first, jump in.

GM: I’m dating right now, and I will say I’ve gotten good advice from Aaron who is in a nice long-term committed relationship. But specifically, to me, he’s like “relax”. He’s always telling me to relax. And I think part of me wants to be like “f*ck you, Aaron” and then part of me is like “no, you’re right”. I think I was in a relationship for so long (I was in a relationship for 14 years and I’ve only been single for the last two years), that dating sometimes feels very anxiety ridden. You don’t know what people are thinking, and “how does this work”, and I think it really is kind of important to sit back, take a breather, and relax, take it day by day, don’t take everything so damn personally. We all have our lives, we all have a lot going on. But it’s definitely tricky dating, especially in this age when everyone’s on their phone 24/7 and people are on apps and social media. So yeah, that’s good advice I got recently.

AJ: You’re welcome, Grasie lol. I think communication is key. It’s important to just really let the other party know where you’re coming from at all times. I think when I was dating, as a man, it’s like you hear from a lot of women that they just wish that guys would be more transparent as opposed to leading them on, so to speak. I always try to be as transparent as I possibly could. With that being said though, I think grace is important, too. I think that’s important in all relationships. That sort of lends to what I was saying to Grasie. It’s like we sometimes jump to conclusions about things and maybe you should just try to give that person a little bit of grace because it may not be what you think it is. So, patience and grace, I think, will get you far.

Auria: Alright, patience and grace, I like that very much. I Want to thank you guys again for your time and, just like you said, I’m looking forward to a season 3.

AJ: From your words to God’s ears, thank you.

With the talent of Phil August Jackson, his team, and the stars of the show, it seems Grand Crew has found its footing as a standout sitcom. My hope is that this show will become one of this generation’s best Black sitcoms. So far it’s on the right track! From the improved dialogue to the flourishing chemistry of the cast, Grand Crew looks to have the potential to be greenlit for a season 3 and beyond. As Anthony said, from our words to God’s ears!

Watch Grand Crew season 2 on NBC Fridays at 8:30 pm. Stream past episodes on Peacock.

Watch via these Stream services: NBC/Peacock/Hulu

Cast: Echo Kellum, Nicole Byer, Justin Cunningham, Aaron Jennings, Grasie Mercedes, and Carl Tart.

From writer/producer/director, Phil Augusta Jackson (“Brooklyn Nine-Nine“) and creator, Dan Goor (also “Brooklyn Nine-Nine“) comes a new comedy that proves life is better with your crew.

Synopsis: This group of young professionals are all trying to navigate the ups and downs of life and love in Los Angeles, and they always find time to gather at their favorite bar to “wine down” and unpack it all. There’s Noah, a hopeless romantic too eager to settle down; Nicky, a go-getter in real estate who’s adventurous in romance; Sherm, a low-key genius who plays the dating odds; Anthony, whose true love is his career; Wyatt, who’s relieved to be married and out of the dating scene; and Fay, who’s recently divorced and looking to start fresh in LA. And just like wine, their friendship gets better with time.

Grand Crew cast: (left to right): Justin Cunningham, Nicole Byer, Echo Kellum, Grasie Mercedes, Carl Tart, and Aaron Jennings.

Issa Rae’s popular series, Insecure, recently aired its last episode, posing the question “What Black-led series will be the next to have genuine relatability to the Black community?” My answer is Grand Crew! Not only is the series Black-led, but it’s mostly a male cast. Something not commonly seen on television. Grand Crew is a show about Black people navigating everyday issues where drugs, police, and violence are not the main focus. Taji Mag was able to talk to the cast and producers of the show to discuss the importance of having shows like Grand Crew on television.

Representation is Everything

When asked about the show being the next big hit like Insecure, Jackson said “Anybody that is saying it’s the next Insecure…I think that’s very flattering. I do think that the shows are very different [though]. I think highly of Issa Rae and Prentice as a team and as leaders behind the scenes. I was able to learn so much from them about the craft and the business. You know, like how to run a room and every job that I’ve had working with Dan on Brooklyn‘, too.” Jackson also added “As far as those comparisons go, we are not setting out to replace Insecure, especially after having worked on the show. I knew how special that show was. I think, tonally, the show’s different. I think the point of view is different. It does take place in Los Angeles, but it’s also a different part of Los Angeles.”

What does the cast want people to get out of the show? Grasie Mercedes stated, “I would love it if people watch the show and are inspired to create more characters like this; to create more shows like this that just show different black, different Latin, different Asian, different people’s of color experiences, and not try to put us in these monolithic boxes that we are constantly portraying over and over again.”

Justin Cunningham added, “[With] the majority of black characters or diverse cast or diverse crew or diverse producers, whatever the makeup of the show, we can start to open our eyes to what is possible and not try to place labels or limits. Not to say what something should or should not be in society’s eyes, but what things could be. This could be a show that is just about people who happen to be Black and has Black themes. But there are people who go through the same things and themes in the show.”

Grand Crew cast: (left to right): Echo Kellum, Carl Tart, Justin Cunningham, Nicole Byer, and Aaron Jennings

The Actors on Their Characters

With part of the show exploring the dating lives and relationships of the characters, I had to ask what advice would the actors give their characters? When asked what advice Nicole would give to her character, Nicky, she said, “I would tell Nicky to keep doing what she’s been doing. She’s pulling them in and getting dates. She’s getting what she wants. She’s having the relationship she wants. I would tell her to not dim her light for anybody.”

For Noah, Echo stated, “I would definitely tell him to be true to himself. Don’t try to force anything. Let it come naturally and really take your time with love. Because the truth is that if love doesn’t come from within, it can’t come from anywhere else. To do yourself justice for the rest of your life, I think you have to deal with yourself, love, and aspects of yourself before you can brag now.”

Grasie Fields encourages her character, Fay, to continue to be “open to love”, especially after being divorced. “It hasn’t discouraged her from finding love again. And I think she believes she has a good relationship with her ex-husband. Maybe we’ll see him, if we continue to be able to do the show, in a future episode. But I think she’s very open to love”, Fields says about Fay.

Noah, Fay, and Nicky all have unique ways of approaching dating, and the audience has seen some development towards a season finale that has everyone wondering with whom they will end up. Part of the reason why we need a season 2!

Black Masculinity

One of the things I love about the show is its coverage of Black masculinity. Wyatt, the level-headed voice of reason in the group, is a stay-at-home husband. He isn’t ridiculed or insulted because of the arrangement he has with his wife, his situation is normalized by not focusing on his status.

When asked how Wyatt embraces his masculinity, Justin exclaimed, “How does he embrace his masculinity [while] being a stay-at-home husband? By vacuum cleaning the floor as perfectly as possible, by cooking meals as an expert like Gordon Ramsey would. That’s it. It’s fabulous. It’s great. I think that because that’s part of myself (as I’m [also] a perfectionist in that sense), I’m gonna do my best to be good at whatever I’m doing. I’m going to find joy in whatever I’m doing.”

Episode two of the first season, titled “Wine and Serendipity”, I found to be very funny because it addressed the topic of men crying and one of the characters, Sherm, talked about how he doesn’t cry. The episode even poked fun at how some men perceive that being caught crying is worse than being caught naked, a notion that is tested when Wyatt is caught naked in the bathroom by Sherm and, indeed, was more concerned about being caught crying.

Aaron Jennings, Carl Tart (center), and Justin Cunningham

When asked what would make Sherm cry, Carl Tart said, “The only thing that would make Sherm cry is the LA Clippers winning a championship. That would make me cry.” Tart added, “I have a $10,000 Clippers crystal ball sitting in the cart online now for when they win a championship.” “Yeah, by the time the Clippers win a championship, you’ll have enough money to buy the Clippers”, Aaron Jennings jokingly replied.

Aaron Jennings and Carl Tart as Sherm and Anthony have great chemistry as roommates. Various episodes have resonated with me and brought back memories of my experiences with a roommate. When I asked them what sports duo they could be compared to, Carl responded “I’m going to say their relationship is like two teams at odds. This is the Lakers versus the Clippers. Sherm and Anthony are like those two teams. We share a home like they share a home court.” Aaron jokingly replied, “It’s like greatness versus mediocrity. Lol!”

The Take-Away

I love the fact that the show explores some of the very same topics my friends and I have discussed and they utilize a group chat, which my friends and I have also used. If you are a fan of Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Living Single, or other single-camera comedies like those, you will love this show. I do, however, find a few moments where the dialogue is not authentic, or at least not relatable to me and my friends. Then again, dialogue is difficult to write.

With the lack of representation and exploration of the dynamics of the Black community on television, Grand Crew is considerably one of the better shows to watch. With a helluva cliffhanger, an awesome cast, and more room for relatable content, we all hope to see this series renewed beyond season 1…and hopefully beyond a season 2! Tune in to NBC Peacock to catch the first season of Grand Crew.