This Emmy-nominated web series premiered on YouTube in November 2015, and features six Black millennials navigating their personal and professional lives in New York City. The first and second seasons span six, approximately 30-minute-long episodes each, with an additional bonus episode concluding season two.

This vantage point is so important! When I think of noteworthy shows based in New York City and surrounding love and everyday life, I think Sex and the City, Friends, Seinfeld, Will & Grace…while the representation for white women, white LGBTQ+, and white Jewish people is there, none highlight the Black romantic experience. The city is much too diverse to tell only a select few stories in it.

The cast is comprised of a group of friends: three young men and three young women, ages 25-31, with different relationship statuses and varying views on love.

Alicia has been in a committed relationship with Quincy for five years. She and he are proud entrepreneurs with joint control of a concierge business. We encounter the two in the midst of financial hardship. They have been through their share of ups and downs, but are a solid couple that believes in the sanctity of their relationship and their business.

I would describe Monica as a hopeless romantic. She is the sweet, forgiving, doe-eyed woman who believes in everyone and is never void of second chances. She has been in a “situationship” as the young people say with Darius for a year. Monica acknowledges her love for an often emotionally unavailable man who says he cares for her, but continues to fall short on his promises.

Jordan is a self-possessed, hard-working woman who is cynical when it comes to matters of the heart. A romantic savage, Jordan expressly tells the slew of men eager to date her that she is not exclusive and does not want to be in a relationship. She knows her worth and often nudges her best friends, Monica and Alicia, to do the same. She’s my favorite! All issues aside, I love her because she never compromises her amour-propre.

Quincy is Alicia’s boyfriend and takes pride in being her one and only. He initially comes off as humble but his truly egotistical nature surprised me. I would argue that it’s typical of a traditional male. He has not always been faithful to Alicia during their five years together, but he expects nothing short of loyalty from Alicia.

Darius is the handsome commitment-phobe who does not make grand gestures towards his love interest. He has been romantically involved with Monica for a year in a distant, informal manner, much to the dismay of Jordan who wants more for her best friend.

Jackson, Jordan’s male counterpart, is a ruthless investment banker who makes no secrets about his playboy status. The straight shooter employs a hilarious style of wooing women for sex and kicking them to the curb when the situation no longer "benefits" him.

Tough Love is written and produced by Roni Simpson and directed by Caleb Davis. The creative couple incorporates many hot-button, culturally relevant issues into the storylines. It is refreshing to see the characters date, love and interact with other young Black people – I just found out that Simpson created the @BlackLoveExists Instagram account – and dissect perspectives that actually affect the community. The show touches on self-hatred being expressed by both Black men and women. All Lives Matter vs. Black Lives Matter becomes a topic of discussion, as does sexual health, colorism, hip-hop, and gentrification. 

They also showcase awkward encounters with whites that bring up misconceptions surrounding Blackness and/or show naiveté regarding culturally-specific social cues, such as when a white man reaches out to touch Alicia’s hair.

The cinematography is well done, even more so in the second season. I am enamored by cityscapes so I love the multitude of urban backdrops highlighted. We viewers see amazing pans of the various corners and neighborhoods of NYC, from Harlem’s west end right off of the 1 train, to midtown Manhattan and Central Park, all the way down to Brooklyn. Some scene transitions are applied with blurred city streets and car lights, which may be used to indicate the characters’ uncertainty and ambivalence at particular moments.

All things considered, I encourage people of all backgrounds to watch the series. The writers delve into issues that everyone can relate to, namely the myriad ways in which your upbringing can affect your relationships as an adult.

Season 3 premieres on November 28th!