Welcome to It’s a Hit! In this series, IndieWire speaks to creators and showrunners behind a few of our favorite television programs about the moment they realized their show was breaking big.
“Diarra from Detroit” starts simply enough. Months into a separation from her husband, Diarra Brickland (Diarra Kilpatrick) pushes herself into a blind date. It goes well — very well — but then she doesn’t hear from him. It’s like… poof. He’s gone. What happened? Is he busy? Sick? In trouble? Diarra’s friends mock her for ignoring the most obvious answer — she’s been ghosted — but the inquisitive school teacher can’t shake the feeling that something else is going on.
She’s right, and “Diarra from Detroit,” available on BET+, gradually develops into a winding mystery, then a shocking thriller, then a tender romance. Soon, it’s living within all these genre at once, plus...
“Diarra from Detroit” starts simply enough. Months into a separation from her husband, Diarra Brickland (Diarra Kilpatrick) pushes herself into a blind date. It goes well — very well — but then she doesn’t hear from him. It’s like… poof. He’s gone. What happened? Is he busy? Sick? In trouble? Diarra’s friends mock her for ignoring the most obvious answer — she’s been ghosted — but the inquisitive school teacher can’t shake the feeling that something else is going on.
She’s right, and “Diarra from Detroit,” available on BET+, gradually develops into a winding mystery, then a shocking thriller, then a tender romance. Soon, it’s living within all these genre at once, plus...
- 5/22/2024
- by Ben Travers
- Indiewire
[Editor’s note: Spoilers for the Season 1 finale of “Diarra from Detroit” below.]
By the time the Season 1 finale of “Diarra from Detroit” draws to a satisfying conclusion, Diarra (and we) have been through a lot. And the episode brings the tangled mystery to such an adroit close (while leaving enough unanswered questions to fuel a second season) that surely its structure was always part of the show’s DNA.
Nah, that’s not how TV works. Luckily, co-showrunner and star Diarra Kilpatrick knows how to pivot.
“We didn’t have the budget to shoot Episode 8 as it was originally written and conceived,” Kilpatrick told IndieWire. “Sometimes creativity comes from limitations.”
Diarra’s reconciliation with Swa (Morris Chestnut) proves to be short-lived when she finally solves the mystery of why he abruptly asked for an open marriage (to misdirect her away from learning about the vasectomy he’d had years ago!). Burying her feelings once again with the case,...
By the time the Season 1 finale of “Diarra from Detroit” draws to a satisfying conclusion, Diarra (and we) have been through a lot. And the episode brings the tangled mystery to such an adroit close (while leaving enough unanswered questions to fuel a second season) that surely its structure was always part of the show’s DNA.
Nah, that’s not how TV works. Luckily, co-showrunner and star Diarra Kilpatrick knows how to pivot.
“We didn’t have the budget to shoot Episode 8 as it was originally written and conceived,” Kilpatrick told IndieWire. “Sometimes creativity comes from limitations.”
Diarra’s reconciliation with Swa (Morris Chestnut) proves to be short-lived when she finally solves the mystery of why he abruptly asked for an open marriage (to misdirect her away from learning about the vasectomy he’d had years ago!). Burying her feelings once again with the case,...
- 4/25/2024
- by Mark Peikert
- Indiewire
At a time when networks are loudly hunting for the next “second-screen series” (meaning a show you watch while you scroll on your phone), “Diarra from Detroit” is a bracing blast from the not-so-distant past when TV wasn’t just background noise.
“For me, TV can be a really sacred time,” series creator/showrunner/star Diarra Kilpatrick told IndieWire. “TV watching time can be like a really sweet and sacred time. And so I did want to make something where each episode felt like a full meal. That was intentional from the very beginning. You know when you have half of a piece of key lime pie left in the refrigerator and all day, you’re like, ‘Oh my God, I’m going to go home and eat the other half of that key lime pie with some peppermint tea’? It gets you through the day, you know? And I really like that about television,...
“For me, TV can be a really sacred time,” series creator/showrunner/star Diarra Kilpatrick told IndieWire. “TV watching time can be like a really sweet and sacred time. And so I did want to make something where each episode felt like a full meal. That was intentional from the very beginning. You know when you have half of a piece of key lime pie left in the refrigerator and all day, you’re like, ‘Oh my God, I’m going to go home and eat the other half of that key lime pie with some peppermint tea’? It gets you through the day, you know? And I really like that about television,...
- 4/11/2024
- by Mark Peikert
- Indiewire
Diarra From Detroit is, at various points, a hard-boiled mystery, a quarter-life crisis comedy, a complicated love triangle (that’s occasionally a quadrangle), and an ensemble hangout show about a group of longtime friends. Some of these elements in theory make sense together — though in theory they should not all fit within the same series. But the reason Diarra, which debuted last week on the BET+ streaming service, is among this year’s most pleasant TV surprises is how much it all makes sense when you watch it.
Diarra Kilpatrick...
Diarra Kilpatrick...
- 3/28/2024
- by Alan Sepinwall
- Rollingstone.com
“Game of Thrones” creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss have returned for their next act with a bold new science fiction series that is as entertaining as it is full of big ideas. The Emmy-winning duo teams with Alexander Woo (“The Terror: Infamy”) for Netflix’s “3 Body Problem,” an adaptation of Liu Cixin’s Chinese novel “The Three-Body Problem,” which is the first in a trilogy that was once deemed unadaptable. But hey, we’re all about proving people wrong these days.
The eight-episode first season, which is now streaming, transports the novel’s action to the U.K., depicting a world in which the results of experiments involving particle accelerators have stopped making sense, revealing that the world as we know it — science as we understand it — is no longer functioning as it should. This coincides with a series of strange suicides involving scientific researchers, which are being...
The eight-episode first season, which is now streaming, transports the novel’s action to the U.K., depicting a world in which the results of experiments involving particle accelerators have stopped making sense, revealing that the world as we know it — science as we understand it — is no longer functioning as it should. This coincides with a series of strange suicides involving scientific researchers, which are being...
- 3/23/2024
- by Kaitlin Thomas
- Gold Derby
Diarra Kilpatrick loves a mystery. Growing up watching classic detective tales like the original Perry Mason, Murder, She Wrote and Columbo with her grandmother created a lifelong love of the genre. That love has resulted in her creating and starring in investigative tales like American Koko and acting in detective noirs such as HBO‘s Perry Mason. Diarra From Detroit, streaming in full now on BET+, is her latest mysterious creation. Kilpatrick stars as Diarra Brickland, who’s juggling her messy divorce with husband Francois, aka “Swa,” played by Morris Chestnut, while also trying to move on in her love life. She goes on a magical Tinder date with a new man, Chris (Shannon Wallace), who then goes M.I.A. Determined to prove she wasn’t ghosted and that something really happened to this man, Diarra turns herself into a private investigator, recruiting help from her reluctant but supportive best friends,...
- 3/22/2024
- TV Insider
“I come as one, I stand as 10,000,” Diarra Kilpatrick said through tears at the premiere of Diarra From Detroit in Los Angeles on Wednesday night as she thanked the cast, crew and executives at BET for their work in bringing her new series to life.
Premiering on BET+ on Thursday, the mystery comedy-drama created and executive produced by Kilpatrick is an emotional milestone for the writer and actress who grew up performing in theater in Detroit before moving to Los Angeles to further pursue her passion. “I think about the fact that in 2012 I used my tax return to make a web series,” she told The Hollywood Reporter. “It’s been a long journey, and I’m really grateful to all the people who have become a part of it, and I’m grateful to myself for being able to get to my dream.”
Diarra From Detroit sees Kilpatrick star...
Premiering on BET+ on Thursday, the mystery comedy-drama created and executive produced by Kilpatrick is an emotional milestone for the writer and actress who grew up performing in theater in Detroit before moving to Los Angeles to further pursue her passion. “I think about the fact that in 2012 I used my tax return to make a web series,” she told The Hollywood Reporter. “It’s been a long journey, and I’m really grateful to all the people who have become a part of it, and I’m grateful to myself for being able to get to my dream.”
Diarra From Detroit sees Kilpatrick star...
- 3/21/2024
- by Brande Victorian
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
It would be a stretch to describe BET+’s Diarra From Detroit, about a schoolteacher getting sucked into the criminal underground via a decades-old missing persons case, as “relatable.” But the sly punchline is that it starts in a familiar place. You see, Diarra (Diarra Kilpatrick) only gets caught up in the mess because she’s looking for Chris (Shannon Wallace), the Tinder date who ghosted her after a single magical evening. Who could blame her for wondering why, and for seeking out literally any explanation besides coldhearted rejection?
In this case, Diarra’s seemingly unhinged conspiracy theory turns out to be true, thus pulling her down a path that’s part noir-infused mystery and part midlife-crisis comedy. If the marriage between the two isn’t always as smooth as it could be, Diarra From Detroit still shines as a fun and funny showcase for Kilpatrick, its creator as well as its star.
In this case, Diarra’s seemingly unhinged conspiracy theory turns out to be true, thus pulling her down a path that’s part noir-infused mystery and part midlife-crisis comedy. If the marriage between the two isn’t always as smooth as it could be, Diarra From Detroit still shines as a fun and funny showcase for Kilpatrick, its creator as well as its star.
- 3/20/2024
- by Angie Han
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The upcoming week will mostly be marked by a plethora of reality shows with some notable expectations arriving on Apple TV+, Disney+, and Netflix. The highlight of the week will certainly be the long-awaited ‘X-Men ’97’, ‘Three-Body Problem’ and ‘Davey & Jonesie’s Locker’ and ‘My Undead Yokai Girlfriend.’ Let’s see what’s new:
1. ‘Photographer’ Season 1
The show will explore the work and influence of renowned photographers Campbell Addy, Cristina Mittermeier, Paul Nicklen, Muhammed Muheisen, Anand Varma, Dan Winters, and Krystle Wright across different genres of photography. ‘Photographer’ will premiere on National Geographic on Monday, March 18 at 8:00 Pm-10:00 Pm Est and if you miss an episode you can always stream it a day later on Disney+ and Hulu. The first season will consist of 6 episodes in total.
2. ‘Physical: 100’ Season 2
‘Physical: 100’ is a reality show which returns with the second season on Netflix. The premise of the...
1. ‘Photographer’ Season 1
The show will explore the work and influence of renowned photographers Campbell Addy, Cristina Mittermeier, Paul Nicklen, Muhammed Muheisen, Anand Varma, Dan Winters, and Krystle Wright across different genres of photography. ‘Photographer’ will premiere on National Geographic on Monday, March 18 at 8:00 Pm-10:00 Pm Est and if you miss an episode you can always stream it a day later on Disney+ and Hulu. The first season will consist of 6 episodes in total.
2. ‘Physical: 100’ Season 2
‘Physical: 100’ is a reality show which returns with the second season on Netflix. The premise of the...
- 3/18/2024
- by Valentina Kraljik
- Fiction Horizon
Diarra From Detroit is a clever, humorous mystery dramedy with an intelligent, irreverent sleuth that will have you laughing one minute and on the edge of your seat the next. Exec produced by black-ish creator Kenya Barris and BET Studios, the eight-episode series bows Thursday, March 21 on BET+ (the first three installments drop on premiere day, followed by weekly releases on subsequent Thursdays for the remaining five episodes).
After leaving Netflix and signing an overall deal with BET in 2021, Barris told TVLine’s sister pub The Hollywood Reporter that he wanted to do “in your face s–t ,” and Diarra does not disappoint.
After leaving Netflix and signing an overall deal with BET in 2021, Barris told TVLine’s sister pub The Hollywood Reporter that he wanted to do “in your face s–t ,” and Diarra does not disappoint.
- 3/10/2024
- by Diedre Johnson
- TVLine.com
1990 was a peak year for Van Damage. The Muscles from Brussels was on the way to the big time after Bloodsport and Kickboxer (which made our list of the Best Fighting Movies) proved to be huge moneymakers at the box office. But, Jean-Claude Van Damme was different from some of his contemporaries because he was a hearthrob and a prime butt-kicker. His 1990 movie Lionheart was bought for distribution by Universal, paving the way to his breaking into mainstream studio work. But, before he could jump on that gravy train, he had one more movie left to make on his Cannon movie deal – but ironically, the company itself would not release the film theatrically due to its waning fortunes, with this being Van Damme’s first major studio release after MGM opted to distribute it. The movie? Death Warrant!
In this one, Jcvd plays a cop named Burke, who, after putting...
In this one, Jcvd plays a cop named Burke, who, after putting...
- 11/26/2023
- by Chris Bumbray
- JoBlo.com
San Francisco, Aug 11 (Ians) OpenAI has announced that it is expanding the ‘custom instructions’ feature to all ChatGPT users, including those on the free tier of the service.
This feature provides users more control over how ChatGPT responds, reports TechCrunch.
The ‘custom instructions’ feature was first introduced last month as a beta for ChatGPT Plus subscribers, allowing them to add preferences and requirements that they want the artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot to consider when responding.
The feature helps users save time, by eliminating the need to rewrite the same instruction prompts every time they interact with the AI chatbot.
Users can edit or delete custom instructions at any time for new conversations.
Moreover, the users’ instructions won’t be shared with shared link viewers.
If users delete their OpenAI accounts, custom instructions that are tied to their accounts will also be deleted within 30 days.
Last week, OpenAI’s first developer advocate and developer relations expert,...
This feature provides users more control over how ChatGPT responds, reports TechCrunch.
The ‘custom instructions’ feature was first introduced last month as a beta for ChatGPT Plus subscribers, allowing them to add preferences and requirements that they want the artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot to consider when responding.
The feature helps users save time, by eliminating the need to rewrite the same instruction prompts every time they interact with the AI chatbot.
Users can edit or delete custom instructions at any time for new conversations.
Moreover, the users’ instructions won’t be shared with shared link viewers.
If users delete their OpenAI accounts, custom instructions that are tied to their accounts will also be deleted within 30 days.
Last week, OpenAI’s first developer advocate and developer relations expert,...
- 8/11/2023
- by Agency News Desk
- GlamSham
San Francisco, Aug 6 (Ians) Microsoft-owned OpenAI’s first developer advocate and developer relations expert — Logan Kilpatrick, has posted on X (formerly Twitter) that a “huge set of ChatGPT updates are rolling out over the next week”.
Among the new features Kilpatrick highlighted are example prompts, suggested replies and follow-up questions, a default Gpt-4 setting so that paying ChatGPT Plus subscribers don’t have to toggle on the latest/most advanced publicly available OpenAI large language model (Llm) every time they start a new chat, support for multiple file uploads for all Plus users when using the OpenAI Code Interpreter plugin, and more.
Reacting to his post, a number of users praised the new ChatGPT updates.
A user wrote, “Great updates. Would love the ability to search through the history”.
“Everyone wants this and I hope it lands eventually! Search is live in iOS btw,” Kilpatrick replied.
“These are great changes,...
Among the new features Kilpatrick highlighted are example prompts, suggested replies and follow-up questions, a default Gpt-4 setting so that paying ChatGPT Plus subscribers don’t have to toggle on the latest/most advanced publicly available OpenAI large language model (Llm) every time they start a new chat, support for multiple file uploads for all Plus users when using the OpenAI Code Interpreter plugin, and more.
Reacting to his post, a number of users praised the new ChatGPT updates.
A user wrote, “Great updates. Would love the ability to search through the history”.
“Everyone wants this and I hope it lands eventually! Search is live in iOS btw,” Kilpatrick replied.
“These are great changes,...
- 8/6/2023
- by Agency News Desk
- GlamSham
Exclusive: BET has rounded out the series regular cast for Diarra From Detroit. Phylicia Rashad, Shannon Wallace and Jon Chaffin are set as leads opposite Diarra Kilpatrick in the dark comedy series that is slated to premiere on BET+ in late 2023.
In addition to Kilpatrick, they join previously announced series regulars Morris Chestnut, DomiNque Perry, Claudia Logan and Bryan Terrell Clark.
Created by and starring Kilpatrick, Diarra from Detroit follows Diarra Brickland (Kilpatrick), a divorcing schoolteacher who refuses to believe she’s been ghosted by her rebound Tinder date. Her search for the missing man pulls her into a decades-old mystery involving the Detroit underworld. As the case unfolds, her co-workers, friends, and lovers become unlikely allies as she falls down a dangerous rabbit hole.
Rashad will play Vonda, Wallace portrays Chris and Chaffin plays Danger. Character descriptions are being kept under wraps for now.
From BET Studios and Khalabo Ink Society,...
In addition to Kilpatrick, they join previously announced series regulars Morris Chestnut, DomiNque Perry, Claudia Logan and Bryan Terrell Clark.
Created by and starring Kilpatrick, Diarra from Detroit follows Diarra Brickland (Kilpatrick), a divorcing schoolteacher who refuses to believe she’s been ghosted by her rebound Tinder date. Her search for the missing man pulls her into a decades-old mystery involving the Detroit underworld. As the case unfolds, her co-workers, friends, and lovers become unlikely allies as she falls down a dangerous rabbit hole.
Rashad will play Vonda, Wallace portrays Chris and Chaffin plays Danger. Character descriptions are being kept under wraps for now.
From BET Studios and Khalabo Ink Society,...
- 6/8/2023
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
This post contains spoilers for "Perry Mason" season 2
By far the best part about "Perry Mason" season 2 is the fact the series has given its supporting characters more to do. That goes especially for Juliet Rylance's Della Street and Chris Chalk's Paul Drake, Mason's co-counsel and investigator respectively.
As the season has played out, Drake in particular has had an emotional character arc that's seen the principled ex-cop struggle to maintain his sense of morality after enduring some fairly harrowing experiences. One such experience saw him forced to beat a low-level gangster even after he'd got the intel he needed — an act that comes back to haunt Drake in the form of the boy's orange Converse sneakers, which repeatedly reappear around L.A. in the sixth episode.
All of this is leading to what is sure to be a breaking point for Drake. And while many expected...
By far the best part about "Perry Mason" season 2 is the fact the series has given its supporting characters more to do. That goes especially for Juliet Rylance's Della Street and Chris Chalk's Paul Drake, Mason's co-counsel and investigator respectively.
As the season has played out, Drake in particular has had an emotional character arc that's seen the principled ex-cop struggle to maintain his sense of morality after enduring some fairly harrowing experiences. One such experience saw him forced to beat a low-level gangster even after he'd got the intel he needed — an act that comes back to haunt Drake in the form of the boy's orange Converse sneakers, which repeatedly reappear around L.A. in the sixth episode.
All of this is leading to what is sure to be a breaking point for Drake. And while many expected...
- 4/22/2023
- by Joe Roberts
- Slash Film
This post contains spoilers for the seventh episode of "Perry Mason" season 2.
The second season of "Perry Mason" is heading into its finale next week, and if last night's penultimate episode is any indication, things will come to a head with consequences not only for Perry Mason's clients, but for Mason (Matthew Rhys) himself.
The latest episode is also one in which Paul (Chris Chalk)'s wife, Clara, gets more deeply involved with her husband's investigations, and all the risk that entails. I spoke with Diarra Kilpatrick, who played Clara for both seasons of the show, about this new experience for her character. "I think she loses herself for a moment in doing that," Kilpatrick told me about Clara's decision to help Paul by entering a well-to-do Beverly Hills home unannounced. She later added that, for Clara, "it's nice to be out in the world and doing something that...
The second season of "Perry Mason" is heading into its finale next week, and if last night's penultimate episode is any indication, things will come to a head with consequences not only for Perry Mason's clients, but for Mason (Matthew Rhys) himself.
The latest episode is also one in which Paul (Chris Chalk)'s wife, Clara, gets more deeply involved with her husband's investigations, and all the risk that entails. I spoke with Diarra Kilpatrick, who played Clara for both seasons of the show, about this new experience for her character. "I think she loses herself for a moment in doing that," Kilpatrick told me about Clara's decision to help Paul by entering a well-to-do Beverly Hills home unannounced. She later added that, for Clara, "it's nice to be out in the world and doing something that...
- 4/18/2023
- by Vanessa Armstrong
- Slash Film
Exclusive: Actress, writer and producer Diarra Kilpatrick has signed an overall deal with BET for its BET Studios division. As part of the deal, BET+ ordered eight episodes of the straight-to-series project Diarra from Detroit.
Each one-hour episode of the dark comedy follows a divorcing schoolteacher with an acerbic sense of humor who refuses to believe she’s been ghosted by her rebound Tinder date. Her search for the missing man pulls her into a decades-old mystery involving the Detroit underworld. Production is currently wrapping up on Diarra from Detroit, which is slated to premiere later in 2023.
Related Story Ving Rhames To Star In BET+ Original Series ‘Legacy’ Related Story 'Tyler Perry's House Of Payne' & 'Assisted Living' Return To BET In March With New Series Regulars Related Story BET+ Greenlights Biopic 'The First Lady Of Bmf: The Tonesa Welch Story'
“We are so excited to partner with Diarra.
Each one-hour episode of the dark comedy follows a divorcing schoolteacher with an acerbic sense of humor who refuses to believe she’s been ghosted by her rebound Tinder date. Her search for the missing man pulls her into a decades-old mystery involving the Detroit underworld. Production is currently wrapping up on Diarra from Detroit, which is slated to premiere later in 2023.
Related Story Ving Rhames To Star In BET+ Original Series ‘Legacy’ Related Story 'Tyler Perry's House Of Payne' & 'Assisted Living' Return To BET In March With New Series Regulars Related Story BET+ Greenlights Biopic 'The First Lady Of Bmf: The Tonesa Welch Story'
“We are so excited to partner with Diarra.
- 3/21/2023
- by Rosy Cordero
- Deadline Film + TV
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