Being Mary Jane Explained

Genre:Drama
Creator:Mara Brock Akil
Composer:Kurt Farquhar
Country:United States
Language:English
Num Seasons:5
Num Episodes:52
List Episodes:List of Being Mary Jane episodes
Executive Producer:
Location:Georgia
Runtime:
  • 61 minutes (pilot only)
  • 42 minutes
  • 120 minutes (finale)
Company:
  • Akil Productions
  • Breakdown Productions
  • Schoolcraft Productions (seasons 4–5)
  • Will Packer Productions (seasons 4–5)
Network:BET

Being Mary Jane is an American drama television series created by Mara Brock Akil and starring Gabrielle Union.[1] It debuted on January 7, 2014, on BET.[2] The 90-minute-pilot for the series aired on July 2, 2013.[3] The series follows the professional and personal life of successful TV news anchor Mary Jane Paul, who lived in Atlanta and New York City. The series concluded on April 23, 2019.

Being Mary Jane received positive reviews from critics.[4] [5] It debut as BET's highest-rated series premiere with four million viewers.[6] [7] [8] On January 6, 2016, the series was renewed for a fourth season, which premiered on January 10, 2017.[9] It was announced on October 11, 2017, that the series would end. A two-hour film finale was planned to air in 2018, but never came to fruition.[10] On December 7, 2018, BET announced that the film finale date had been pushed back to air on April 16, 2019.[11] On April 1, 2019, it was announced that the film finale date was pushed back a week later to April 23, 2019.[12]

Series overview

See main article: article and List of Being Mary Jane episodes.

Cast and characters

Main

Recurring

Guest stars

Notes

Production

The show was originally to be called Single Black Female.[15] The series centers on successful broadcast journalist Mary Jane Paul (played by Gabrielle Union) and her professional and private family life while searching for "Mr. Right":

Mary Jane Paul has it all: she's a successful TV news anchor, entirely self-sufficient – an all-around powerhouse who remains devoted to a family that doesn't share her motivation. As Mary Jane juggles her life, her work and her commitment to her family, we find out how far she's willing to go to find the puzzle pieces that she, and society, insist are missing from her life as a single Black female.[16]

The series was created and produced by Mara Brock Akil, who also created and produced the hit sitcoms Girlfriends and The Game. The pilot episode was filmed in April 2012 at 780 N. Highland Ave. in the Virginia Highland neighborhood of Atlanta.[17] [18] [19]

After the third season, creator Mara Brock Akil left the series and Erica Shelton Kodish was hired as the show's new showrunner for the fourth season. Kodish had previously worked as a writer and producer on shows like , Cold Case and The Good Wife. Speaking about her approach to taking over the show to Buzzfeed, Kodish stated that she wasn't afraid to shake things up. "I was anxious about how viewers were going to react to change in general — any kind of change. But I felt like it really had to happen".[20] The casting during the fourth season had been done in part by Winsome Sinclair.[21]

Controversy

In 2016, Gabrielle Union sued BET over compensation.[22]

Streaming

The complete series is available to stream on Hulu, Paramount+, and BET+ in the United States.

Reception

Critical response

The second and third seasons received positive reviews, specifically praising Gabrielle Union's leading performance, Mara Brock Akil's writing, and directing work by Regina King.[23] [24] [25] [26]

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the first season earned an approval rating of 80% based on 10 reviews, with an average rating of 7.1/10.[27] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the pilot a score of 78 out of 100 based on 4 critics reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[28]

Accolades

YearAwardCategoryNominee(s)Result
201445th NAACP Image Awards[29] Outstanding Television Movie, Mini-Series, or Dramatic SpecialBeing Mary Jane
Outstanding Actor in a Television Movie, Mini-Series, or Dramatic SpecialOmari Hardwick
Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Mini-Series, or Dramatic SpecialGabrielle Union
201546th NAACP Image Awards[30]
Outstanding Drama SeriesBeing Mary Jane
Outstanding Actress in a Drama SeriesGabrielle Union
Outstanding Actor in a Drama SeriesOmari Hardwick
Outstanding Writing in a Dramatic SeriesMara Brock Akil (for "Uber Love")
201647th NAACP Image Awards[31]
Outstanding Drama SeriesBeing Mary Jane
Outstanding Actress in a Drama SeriesGabrielle Union
Outstanding Writing in a Dramatic SeriesMara Brock Akil, Keli Goff, and Jameal Turner (for "Sparrow")
Outstanding Directing in a Drama SeriesSalim Akil (for "Sparrow")
202051st NAACP Image Awards[32]
Outstanding Television Movie, Mini-Series, or Dramatic SpecialBeing Mary Jane
Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Mini-Series, or Dramatic SpecialGabrielle Union
Outstanding Writing in a Motion Picture (Television)Patrik-Ian Polk

Notes and References

  1. Web site: BET Networks Announces New Programming at Annual Upfront Presentation. The Futon Critic. April 20, 2013. April 2, 2013.
  2. BET Networks' First Original Scripted Series "Being Mary Jane" Starring Gabrielle Union Premieres on Tuesday, January 7, 2014 at 10 P.M. ET/PT. The Futon Critic. October 24, 2013. April 2, 2015.
  3. Web site: Braxton. Greg. Pilot for BET's 'Being Mary Jane' gets late start time on July 2. Los Angeles Times. May 24, 2013. April 2, 2015.
  4. Web site: Being Mary Jane – Season 1 Reviews . Metacritic . July 9, 2013 . September 15, 2013.
  5. Web site: Being Mary Jane: Season 1. Rotten Tomatoes. 7 January 2014. 5 January 2016.
  6. Web site: Andreeva . Nellie . BET Preps Second Season Of 'Being Mary Jane', Cancels 'Reed Between The Lines' . Deadline Hollywood . September 11, 2013 . September 15, 2013.
  7. Web site: O'Connell. Michael. TV Ratings: BET's 'Being Mary Jane' Scores Huge Premiere . The Hollywood Reporter. 3 July 2013. September 15, 2013.
  8. Web site: Solid Ratings Debut For BET's 'Being Mary Jane' – 4 Millions Viewers, Highest-Rating On Cable | Shadow and Act . Blogs.indiewire.com . September 15, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130921093059/http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/solid-ratings-debut-for-bets-being-mary-jane-4-millions-viewers-highest-rating-on-cable . September 21, 2013 . dead .
  9. Web site: 'Being Mary Jane' Renewed for Season 4 by BET – TCA. 6 January 2016.
  10. Web site: 'Being Mary Jane' To End In 2018 With 2-Hour Series Finale Movie On BET. Deadline Hollywood. 11 October 2017. 23 November 2017.
  11. Web site: 6 Questions We Have After Watching the Being Mary Jane Movie Teaser. Darrisaw. Michelle. O, The Oprah Magazine. February 6, 2019. March 19, 2019.
  12. Web site: As One Saga Ends, Another Begins During a Monumental Tuesday Night on BET. The Futon Critic. April 1, 2019.
  13. Web site: Being Mary Jane. BET.
  14. Christina Vidal plays the sister of Kara, played by her real-life sister Lisa Vidal.
  15. Web site: Andreeva . Nellie . BET Greenlights 'Single Black Female' Pilot From Mara Brock Akil And Salim Akil . . April 20, 2013 . February 13, 2012.
  16. Web site: BET unveils new programming at Upfront . Radio & Television Business Report . July 6, 2013 . April 18, 2012.
  17. Web site: Hirsch . Jaclyn . Photos: TV Pilot Filming in Virginia-Highland – 'Being Mary Jane' filming all day Monday on N. Highland Avenue . Virginia Highland-Druid Hills Patch . July 6, 2013 . April 23, 2012.
  18. Web site: "Being Mary Jane" TV Pilot filming 4/23 & 4/24 . Virginia-Highland Civic Association . July 6, 2013 . April 19, 2012.
  19. Web site: Being Mary Jane Production Department letter to residents . Virginia-Highland Civic Association . July 6, 2013 . April 17, 2012.
  20. Web site: Inside The New Chapter Of "Being Mary Jane". BuzzFeed News. 13 July 2017 . en. 2019-12-01.
  21. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/winsome-sinclair-dead-casting-director-spike-lee-1235974947/ Winsome Sinclair, Casting Director Who Worked Often With Spike Lee, Dies at 58
  22. News: Gabrielle Union Sues BET Over Being Mary Jane For Allegedly Depriving Her of 'Agreed-Upon Compensation'. Counthios; Stone. Auriel; Natalie. 2016-10-12. PEOPLE.com. 2017-04-15. en-US.
  23. Regina King talks directing 'Being Mary Jane' and 'Scandal'. Entertainment Weekly. 5 January 2016.
  24. 'Being Mary Jane' season 2 premiere review. Entertainment Weekly. 5 January 2016.
  25. Being Mary Jane finale postmortem: Mara Brock Akil addresses policy brutality story line. Entertainment Weekly. 5 January 2016.
  26. Web site: Being Mary Jane premiere postmortem: Gabrielle Union on Mary Jane's car crash, beauty standards, more. Entertainment Weekly's EW.com. 5 January 2016.
  27. Web site: Being Mary Jane: Season 1. Rotten Tomatoes. 7 January 2014. January 4, 2019.
  28. Web site: Being Mary Jane – Season 1 Reviews. Metacritic. January 4, 2019.
  29. Web site: NAACP Image Awards: The Winners. Aaron Couch, Arlene Washington. 22 February 2014. The Hollywood Reporter. 5 January 2016.
  30. Web site: NAACP Image Awards: The Winners. Arlene Washington. 6 February 2015. The Hollywood Reporter. 4 January 2019.
  31. Web site: 'Straight Outta Compton,' 'Empire,' Michael B Jordan Top NAACP Image Awards. Variety Staff. 5 February 2016. Variety. 4 January 2019.
  32. Web site: NOMINEES ANNOUNCED FOR 51ST NAACP IMAGE AWARDS. NAACP. 9 January 2020. NAACP. 17 July 2021.