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By Shelby Stewart ·Updated November 7, 2024
What does it truly mean when something or someone is called “evil?” That’s what’s called into question in Tyler Perry’s new series on Netflix, Beauty in Black.
In Beauty in Black, Perry takes audiences on a glossy, sordid journey into a fictional world of high-stakes beauty industry corruption. The series revolves around an elite beauty company that’s as morally bankrupt as it is wealthy, rumored to sell products that actually cause cancer in Black women. Through exaggerated characters and shock-value storylines, Beauty in Black attempts to shine a light on the perils of unchecked power and wealth, but its message is buried under its own excesses.
From the start, Beauty in Black embraces its role as an exaggerated drama, peopled by a cast that’s mostly defined by their extreme flaws. While Mallory (played by Crystle Stewart) and Kimmie (played by Taylor Polidore Williams), two women caught in the vortex of the beauty empire’s dangerous allure, offer occasional glimpses of em src=”https://www.essence.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/AAAAQetXS0W98DHIHlopZCVEPpmUFkKXpw6Dr7Az4g2ddFF-KDTh8kpgSQeyeVQ5L9jOODL5087H04eAUvakRdt2WdJX6-ZiEd7DMV4c5_G_mkqmhPec2NC8D2j_7aqKC8MmAjpQyQqi6fTudeoGL1E9EgNyRZQ-4.jpg” alt=”Tyler Perry’s ‘Beauty in Black’ Is A Mesmerizing Soap Opera Of Excess, Evil, And Utter Absurdity” width=”400″ height=”266″ />Tyler Perry’s ‘Beauty In Black’
The drama unfolds as Kimmie is scolded by club managers and offends a VIP client, while Mallory, after a public event, reveals her cruel side by berating her staff and fleeing a hit-and-run accident. Meanwhile, Body (played by Tamera “Tee” Kissen), the “bottom b***h, arranges a back alley BBL for Rain in their motel room conducted by Daga (played by Ts Madison).
The show revels in absurd situations and twisted relationships that can feel almost satirical. Beauty in Black has all the hallmarks of a soap opera—a web of secret liaisons, betrayal, and drama at every turn. The series is unabashedly over-the-top, and it knows it. This exaggerated approach, while at times entertaining, can also be exhausting. At 45 minutes per episode, the format occasionally drags, as storylines rehash the same conflicts and character weaknesses without advancing much plot or character development. This repetition feels likesrc=”https://www.essence.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/AAAAQUuGixkrDcAXVlnpCPWZ8lm0iYsP4fO2Y6r3QQVhBJBMaobGZBxtKweiXlhBndGVvuh0nw3dp20c3a2LDg1sp9Vbb4zNtpMCXNFN877-TJBPj-Hf_ui43jQyvASDz35JP6tG3SBQ2vIcxA8j_Q-3.jpg” alt=”Tyler Perry’s ‘Beauty in Black’ Is A Mesmerizing Soap Opera Of Excess, Evil, And Utter Absurdity” width=”400″ height=”225″ />Tyler Perry’s ‘Beauty In Black’
In the end, Beauty in Black is a series best appreciated as a guilty pleasure rather than profound television. It holds up a twisted mirror to society’s obsession with wealth and power, but does so in a way that makes viewers second-guess the story itself. There’s no nuance here—only the relentless grind of betrayal, money, and sex. For anyone looking for thought-provoking television, this show may fall short, but as an exercise in mindless indulgence, Perry has certainly delivered.
Final Verdict: Beauty in Black is a soap opera in the grandest, most exaggerated sense—a guilty pleasure at best and a forgettable spectacle at worst. While Perry’s studio has brought substantial benefits to the industry and community, the stories told from this platform sometimes risk overshadowing the very issues they aim to address. Instead of inviting viewers to engage deeply, the series can become mired in spectacle, raising the question: is the goal to inspire thought?
In this way, Perry’s ambitious content strategy reflects a tension inherent in his work. On one hand, his creations generate visibility for Black stories and establish his compound as a powerful force within Hollywood. On the other, the sensational elements of his storytelling can risk simplifying or even trivializing his stories, leading us to question whether these stories serve as authentic social critiques or as high-drama escapism. For those willing to embrace the series for what it is, there’s messy, excessive entertainment to be found in Perry’s campy universe.
TOPICS: Netflix Tyler Perry
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