Jonathan Majors and Jurnee Smollett Redefine Sexiness on ‘Lovecraft Country’

Lovecraft Country is a show intended to make you scream. From the Lovecraftian monsters to the all-too-real horrors of racism, there’s more than enough in this thrilling new HBO series to make you yelp out from your couch. However, the thing about Lovecraft Country I can’t stop screaming about is how hot leads Jonathan Majors and Jurnee Smollett are. As Atticus “Tic” Freeman and Letitia “Leti” Lewis, the two actors aren’t just serving up the hot summer steam; they are playing hands down the hottest two characters on TV in 2020.

Despite its name, Lovecraft Country isn’t a show about a nation ruled by Cthulu. No, it’s a lovely homage to all things pulp fiction. Each episode riffs on a classic genre style. Episode 1? The odyssey or road trip into the dark woods. Episode 2 plays with cults. Further episodes will delve into haunted house tales, body horror, and the derring do escapades of grave robbers. One key hallmark of genre storytelling? Really great heroes. The stories of Edgar Rice Burroughs, Jules Verne, H.G. Wells, and their ilk stick with us because we see ourselves in the characters. And more importantly, we see our idealized selves.

Enter Tic and Leti in Lovecraft Country. From the moment we meet Tic, we are set up to like him. It’s not because he’s a nerd — though that helps — or because he’s tall, handsome, and strapping — though that really helps. No, it’s how he reacts to a crappy situation. When the bus he’s traveling on breaks down and the white travelers are given a ride to town, he volunteers to carry the luggage of an older Black woman. They walk together, talking about family, literature, and loving imperfect things. It’s a moment of absolute chivalry. And it tells us that even though Tic dreams of being a hero, he already is one.

Later, in Chicago, Leti makes a dramatic entrance at the neighborhood block party, storming the stage to sing with her sister and stealing the show. From the moment Jurnee Smollett steps onscreen, she oozes the kind of chic sex appeal and joie de vivre that belongs only to Golden era movie stars. If Tic is the stalwart knight charging into “Lovecraft Country” to save the day, Leti is the intrepid princess who doesn’t need saving. She does the saving.

Together, Tic and Leti represent exactly the kinds of characters that electrify genre fiction. As three-dimensional as they are, they’re also somewhat superhuman. Tic is a brain who grew up to be buff, a loyal son, and intrepid hero. His kindness is almost saint-like at times. Leti is seemingly divinely talented. She has the voice of a diva, a flair for style, and the ability to sprint a four-minute mile. (Yeah, I timed her quarter mile spring in Episode 1. It was one minute. That’s elite level speed.)

Tic and Leti are the characters we would follow into hell and back because they are the characters we dream of being. Especially because they’re both so god damn sexy.

Okay, I realize that sex appeal is a subjective thing, but it’s nigh on impossible to watch Majors and Smollett in Lovecraft Country and not think they are the most beautiful people who’ve ever lived. Aesthetically, they look like gods. Style wise, they put the pages of Vogue to shame. And when it comes to chemistry? As Tic and Leti, Majors and Smollett are hotter than asphalt that’s been cooking in the sun all morning in July. They’re just hot. 

I can’t think of a hotter leading man or lady on television today. Their combined sex appeal has the power to set off the kind of explosion that would take down the Titus Braithwhite house yet again. And while this doesn’t seem like a particularly deep take on a show like Lovecraft Country, the show works because we like Tic and Leti so much. We want to be like them, we want to fight like them — and, okay — we want to watch them kiss.

Where to stream Lovecraft Country