BET Premieres First Scripted Series "Sombodies"

BET is debuting a new show titled "Sombodies". The show was filmed in Athens, Georgia and is produced by Hadjii, Nathaniel Kohn, Pete Aronson, Jordan Levin and directed by Rusty Cundieff.

Cast:

Scottie - Hadjii

Diva - Kaira Akita

Marlo - Nard Holston

Tory - Anthony Hyatt

Six - Quante Strickland

Jelly - Corey Redding

Reverend Hill - Tyler Craig

Deacon Thomas - Eric Register

Uncle Skeeter - Carlos Davis

Aunt Agnes - Pat Brown

The show is a is a messy but vibrant comedy that marks BET's first foray into scripted series, after years of criticism about the channel's reliance on music videos and general lack of programming ambition. The episodes don't really go anywhere, but the star-writer-producer has a genial Everyman presence and surrounds himself with a rich array of characters. Although hardly a breakthrough, the show does provide a window into an African-American experience that's increasingly underrepresented.

Hadjii plays Scottie, a career student at a southern college (the shooting takes place near the U. of Georgia in Athens). While his buddies and roommates have begun to get along with their lives, Scottie remains seemingly paralyzed, prompting one friend to joke that he has "sperm that's gonna finish college before you do."

Scottie also has an ex-girlfriend, Diva, (Kaira Akita) who remains in his life, alternately spending his time trying to woo her back or meet other women. That's when he isn't kibitzing with his friends, enduring his eccentric relatives or attending church, where he's treated to oddly amusing sermons by his fire-breathing reverend (Tyler Craig).

As directed by Hadjii and Rusty Cundieff ("Fear of a Black Hat," "Tales From the Hood", Sprung), the half-hour episodes (two are combined for the premiere) don't really arc in a conventional sense, playing more like extended sketches that come to a rather abrupt end. Nevertheless, the banter among the guys about race and women can be funny, and some of the gags -- including one in a future episode about a co-worker of Diva's who insists that everybody taste his food -- have a nicely universal quality. Perhaps inevitably, Scottie is frequently the least interesting character, mostly because we're looking over his shoulder.

"Somebodies" isn't an unqualified success, but does indicate how BET (and for that matter, other cablers) can produce inexpensive scripted fare that possesses a distinctive voice. In that respect, the series vaguely resembles the Brit-coms now finding their way to the U.S. -- small, personal stories that follow characters over a relatively brief span.

Although the show doesn't have much substance, it's a great start for BET in giving the audience more than just booty shaking chicks and blinged out "thugs". I think they're now trying to compete with MTV with the creation of these dating shows, and reality series such as College Hill and Baldwin Hills.