Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Diarra From Detroit’ on BET+, A Thrilling Crime Romance with a Star-Making Turn by Diarra Kilpatrick

The new BET+ series from Diarra Kilpatrick, a Detroit native and half-sister of former Detroit mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, dives into the natural meeting place of her family history: a crime story set in the heart of the Motor City. Streaming on BET+, Kilpatrick’s series adds a romantic element and showcases her comedic stylings in a fun new comedy that’s streaming now.

DIARRA FROM DETROIT: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

Opening Shot: An old TV box set flickers with a news segment about a young boy missing since 1995 in Detroit. The camera slowly peels back to reveal a different crime scene in that living room: blood streaks on a carpet, a lifeless body in a La-Z-Boy, and a large machine gun abandoned on the floor. Out of an open window climbs the likely perpetrator, fleeing from the scene.

The Gist: Diarra is a school teacher who isn’t taking her divorce very well, and decides to return to her hometown of Detroit. In order to move on from her soon-to-be ex-husband, she begins swiping and matches with a handsome guy named Chris. He finds her controlling nature charming and they spend the night together, but when she texts him the next day (and the whole week after that) she gets no response. Refusing to believe he just ghosted her, Diarra begins her own investigation and comes to the conclusion that Chris is actually the same missing kid from the opening sequence who has now gone missing for a second time.

What Shows Will It Remind You Of? Despite its hour-long runtime, Diarra from Detroit veers closer to comedic territory and feels like the spiritual successor to something like Dead to Me or the dark comedic delights of You’re the Worst.

Our Take: Diarra from Detroit picks up a thread that everyone who’s ever been ghosted from a dating app has thought and runs with it: what if they didn’t actuallyghost me, and something bad actually happened? It’s a simple, absurdist premise that isn’t entirely novel (Six Feet Under employed a similar plot when Rico is ghosted by his date; he enlists help only to find out she really just didn’t want to see him again) but is entirely relatable enough to coast along for a season’s worth of television.

The show, created by Detroit native Diarra Kilpatrick, is a showcase for the titular star. Kilpatrick isn’t afraid to make the fictional version of herself seem crazy, uptight, or delusional — even prior to her date’s disappearance, she grills him about his last HIV test and his entire astrological birth chart, afraid of being burned again after her divorce. Kilpatrick’s voiceover, a controversial device, also guides viewers through the episode. Though it could come off heavy-handed, Diarra from Detroit finds ways to implement it with a soft touch and add depth to her character via the joke-heavy monologues in her head.

With Detroit in the title, there’s plenty of atmosphere to create in the series and the show doesn’t immediately give the specificity I was hoping for. Sure, they mention gentrifiers and Diarra hilariously rocks out to Eminem during a fit of rage, but I would have loved to see more Detroit landmarks and culture imbued into the fabric of the series.

Additionally the show could be tighter. There are some meandering subplots and storylines that don’t feel like they have the same legs as the main plot, like the side-quests of her two best friends and Diarra’s school teacher job drama.

But even with some qualms, Diarra from Detroit is an incredibly fun hang with fun turns from Phylicia Rashad and Morris Chestnut. With so few true comedies on the air these days, this one will guarantee more than a few laughs each episode.

Sex and Skin: The + in BET+ allows Diarra From Detroit to get a little hot and heavy, and venture all the way into male full frontal territory.

Parting Shot: In a stinger after the title card, we see what really happened to Diarra’s date Chris: while texting her back a few days ago, he’s surrounded in the street and pushed into the back of a shady van. A single Air Jordan lies in the snow as a clue.

Sleeper Star: The BET+ series is full of funny side characters, but Teéa Loreál’s smart-mouthed and fed up, but ultimately supportive Nia has some great one-liners and incredible screen presence.

Most Pilot-y Line: The show is as much a mystery as it is a love letter to Kilpatrick’s home town, and the series sets up the vibes perfectly in one of Diarra’s voiceovers: “They say Detroit is nothing but a small town masquerading as a big city. Everybody knows everybody, for better or worse.”

Our Call: STREAM IT. A little zany and a lot of heart, the show has enough well-timed jokes to keep you entertained and asking for the next episode.

Radhika Menon (@menonrad) is a TV-obsessed writer based in Los Angeles. Her work has appeared on Paste Magazine, Teen Vogue, Vulture and more. At any given moment, she can ruminate at length over Friday Night Lights, the University of Michigan, and the perfect slice of pizza. You may call her Rad.