It’s been quite a journey in getting some of our favorite vintage sitcoms back on the screen. While we’ve seen reruns of A Different World, Living Single and The Fresh Prince on streaming platforms like Hulu and Netflix, a few underrated gems are still vied for.
One in particular is Girlfriends, the series which followed a group of successful women of color in California.
While the series has come and gone, talks for a film adaptation haven’t. Speaking with the Breakfast Club recently to promote the UMC series Monogamy, actress Jill Marie-Jones says there is a strong possibility for a Girlfriends movie.
“We definitely all [the cast] want to do it,” she said. Marie-Jones played the iconic and bold Toni Childs. “I think it’s a timing thing and also the legal stuff. You sell a script you don’t actually own it anymore so [it’s] whatever CBS and Paramount want to do.”
The series also starred Trace Ellis Ross as the very bubbly Joan, Golden Brooks as the comical Maya and Persia White as the free-spirited Lynn. Created by Mara Brock Akil (Being Mary Jane) in 2000, the series was a hit on The CW (formerly UPN) and spawned the uber successful spin-off, The Game.
The show continued for eight seasons but never gave us a clear series finale.
Willingness for a film version of Girlfriends was reportedly prevalent in its heyday. Speaking to Madame Noire in 2012, Reggie Hayes, who played the role of William, shared how talks of a movie were happening.
“They were toying with the idea for a while,” Hayes said of Brock Akil and executive producer Regina Y. Hicks. “I don’t know what happened with that, maybe [the idea] ran out of steam. I think the community needed something like [Girlfriends]. It was very popular with it’s audience, including younger black women.”
Relive some funny Girlfriends moments below.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=CeS2Zjy0NcE
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