Insecure tackled Los Angeles. Atlanta tackled, well, Atlanta. Brown Girls tackled Chicago. It was only a matter of time before a mostly black-ensemble set in Miami made its way to our screens. Enter: Grown. Created by Joshua Jean-Baptiste and Edson Jean, who’d first developed the project as a short web series (it’s now a 22-minute-long, eight episode show on Complex), Grown follows two Haitian-American guys who, when brought together, will have to learn and grow together. With both creators also in front of the camera, this contemporary show hopes to tackle issues of identity in a heretofore under-explored enclave of the Florida city.
In typical buddy-comedy logic, Josh (Jean-Baptiste) is thrown into living with Wes (Jean) when his mother dies and he has to find a new home. But where Josh is guarded, Wes is loud; where Josh is a gentleman, Wes is a player. The latter, of course, makes the point of wanting to drive Josh out of his digital bubble and make him live out in the world. And while there are some shots of palm trees and glass high-rise buildings in the trailer, expect to see a different side of Miami (think more Moonlight and less CSI: Miami). Moreover, a look at the rest of the team involved suggests a welcome Latinx influence.
Joining Jean-Baptiste and Jean in the writer’s room was Venezuelan-American Maria Corina Ramirez. And, just as her co-writers, you can also spot her on the show. She plays Robin, Josh’s best friend and the voice of reason that helps balance out Wes’s more problematic (and promiscuous) ways. As the actress-writer told Remezcla, “What’s beautiful about this relationship is that it is a microcosm of the bond that Latinos and Haitians (and Black Americans) have in Miami.” With all eight episodes now available to stream, this may well be your next binge-worthy addiction. Take a look at the full trailer below and see why Josh thinks his life goes from being a box to a circle (or a spiral, if you trust Robin instead).
Grown is now streaming over at Complex.