• Celebrity
    • Daniel Kaluuya Digital Cover
    • Digital Cover Method Man
    • Digital Cover Zazie
    • Celebrity News
    • ‘Yes, Girl!’ Podcast
    • Entertainment
    • Black Celeb Couples
    • Celebrity Moms
    • Red Carpet
    • If Not For My Girls
  • Fashion
    • ESSENCE Fashion House 2022
    • Fashion News
    • Street Style
    • Accessories
    • Fashion Week
  • Beauty
    • Black Beauty Awards 2022
    • ESSENCE Hair Awards 2022
    • AVEENO Skin Health Startup Accelerator
    • Beauty News
    • Skin
    • Makeup
    • Nails
    • Girls United: Beautiful Possibilities
  • Hair
    • Hair News
    • Natural
    • Relaxed
    • Transitioning
    • Weave
    • 4C
  • Love
    • Love & Sex News
    • The Solve Podcast
    • Weddings
    • Parenting
    • Relationships
  • Lifestyle
    • Black History Month
    • ESSENCE Gift Guide 2022
    • ESSENCE + smartwater Live Well Challenge
    • Build Your Legacy 2022
    • Dream & Plan with Confidence Prudential
    • AMEX Platinum Travel
    • Homecoming Season 2022
    • Lifestyle News
    • Health & Wellness
    • ESSENCE Eats
    • Money & Career
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Travel
    • Food & Drink
    • Black Travel Guide
  • News
    • Paint The Polls Black
    • Sponsors Recognition Page 2022
    • Latest News
    • Raise Your Voice
    • Culture
    • Politics
  • Video
  • Festival
    • 2023 ESSENCE Festival Of Culture
    • 2023 ESSENCE Film Festival
    • 2022 Fest Videos
  • Events
    • 2023 ESSENCE Film Festival
    • 2022 Girls United Summit
    • 2022 ESSENCE Fashion House
    • 2022 Black Women In Hollywood
    • 2022 HOLLYWOOD HOUSE
    • 2022 Homecoming Season
    • Wellness House
    • She Got Now
    • Dear Black Men
    • I Am Speaking
    • Power Tools
  • Studios
  • Girls United

WHERE BLACK WOMEN COME FIRST

Every day we're serving Black women deeply. Come get a plate of goodness! Sign up for daily content and exclusive offers you'll love!

Your email is required.
Your email is in invalid format.
Confirm email is required.
Email did not match.
By clicking Sign Up, you agree to our Terms of Use and that you have read our Privacy Policy
Skip to content
SUBSCRIBE
  • MAGAZINE
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Celebrity
    • Daniel Kaluuya Digital Cover
    • Digital Cover Method Man
    • Digital Cover Zazie
    • Celebrity News
    • ‘Yes, Girl!’ Podcast
    • Entertainment
      • Paint The Polls Black
    • Black Celeb Couples
    • Celebrity Moms
    • Red Carpet
    • If Not For My Girls
  • Fashion
    • ESSENCE Fashion House 2022
    • Fashion News
    • Street Style
    • Accessories
    • Fashion Week
  • Beauty
    • Black Beauty Awards 2022
    • ESSENCE Hair Awards 2022
    • AVEENO Skin Health Startup Accelerator
    • Beauty News
    • Skin
    • Makeup
    • Nails
    • Girls United: Beautiful Possibilities
  • Hair
    • Hair News
    • Natural
    • Relaxed
    • Transitioning
    • Weave
    • 4C
  • Love
    • Love & Sex News
    • The Solve Podcast
    • Weddings
    • Parenting
    • Relationships
  • Lifestyle
    • Black History Month
    • ESSENCE Gift Guide 2022
    • ESSENCE + smartwater Live Well Challenge
    • Build Your Legacy 2022
    • Dream & Plan with Confidence Prudential
    • AMEX Platinum Travel
    • Homecoming Season 2022
    • Lifestyle News
    • Health & Wellness
    • ESSENCE Eats
    • Money & Career
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Travel
    • Food & Drink
    • Black Travel Guide
  • News
    • Paint The Polls Black
    • Sponsors Recognition Page 2022
    • Latest News
    • Raise Your Voice
    • Culture
    • Politics
  • Video
  • Festival
    • 2023 ESSENCE Festival Of Culture
    • 2023 ESSENCE Film Festival
    • 2022 Fest Videos
  • Events
    • 2023 ESSENCE Film Festival
    • 2022 Girls United Summit
    • 2022 ESSENCE Fashion House
    • 2022 Black Women In Hollywood
    • 2022 HOLLYWOOD HOUSE
    • 2022 Homecoming Season
    • Wellness House
    • She Got Now
    • Dear Black Men
    • I Am Speaking
    • Power Tools
  • Studios
  • Girls United
Home · Entertainment

No Reunion, No Problem: Here’s Who We Would Cast For An Iconic ‘Girlfriends’ Reboot

With a variety of TV reboots on the way, it’s only right that we throw‘Girlfriends’ in the mix — with a new back story and a new set of characters.
No Reunion, No Problem: Here’s Who We Would Cast For An Iconic ‘Girlfriends’ Reboot
getty images
By Kimberly Wilson · Updated October 23, 2020
Eighteen years after the debut of the Black cult series, Girlfriends, fans are still hoping for an official reboot or film adaptation. Hell, we’ll even take a cast reunion photo on Instagram at this point. The show, which aired from 2000-2008 on UPN is considered one of the most influential TV shows to impact Black culture. It was the first time our generation saw ourselves on television — represented by a variety of characters that reflected the diversity of Black women. Joan, Toni, Maya and Lynn showed the world that Black women are not monolithic. We can be successful and quirky, ghetto and ambitious, wild and free, ratchet and righteous — and everything in between. The world can’t define us, only we can. And with a variety of TV reboots on the way, it’s only right that we throw Girlfriends in the mix. Now all we need is for creator Mara Brock Akil to write us a brand new back story with a new set of characters added in. Mara, if you need some help, call us girl! Here’s who we would cast for the official Girlfriends reboot: Zazie Beetz as Joan Carol Clayton

Getty Images

It’s almost impossible to reimagine anyone but Traci Ellis Ross as the incomparable Joan. Almost. If anyone could take that role, it would be Zazie Beetz. The young, German-American actress, who is best known for her role as “Van” on the FX comedy-drama series Atlanta and Domino in Deadpool 2, favors Traci in more ways than one — from those luscious curls, to her quick-witted comebacks (remember the “Drake” episode of Atlanta?), to even the diversity of her upbringing. Where would Joan be now?   In the original series, Joan was a successful attorney, who longed to get married and have her happy ending. But in today’s world, with marriage rates declining, and Zazie as a free-spirited Joan, she wouldn’t be as focused on a picture-perfect love story. Joan would be fulfilled by her friends, family and career — all while juggling the dating scene. In the show’s opener, we would even see Joan on her first Tinder date. Yvonne Orji as Toni Marie Childs

Leon Bennett/Getty Images

Remember the iconic moment when Molly met Toni? Since busting down Hollywood’s doors, Yvonne Orji (our favorite friend in our head), who plays Molly on HBO’s Insecure, has been referred to as the doppelgänger of actress Jill Marie Jones, best known for her role as Toni Childs — and for good reason. So it’s only right that she would be our first choice for this role, while adding her own personal Nigerian flavor. Where would Toni be now?   Well, in the original series, Joan and Toni had a fallout of epic sorts, leaving us with a Toni void for the final two seasons. In our remake, Toni and Joan wouldn’t stay mad at each other for long and would reunite after a few episodes — only after a grand apology from Joan herself. Once they make up, Yvonne would hit her infamous body roll, and all would be right with the world again. Zoe Kravitz as Lynn Ann Searcy

Neilson Barnard/Getty Images

Who else gives us Lynn free-spirit vibes more than Zoe Kravitz? Her parents are Lenny Kravitz or Lisa Bonet, after all. We saw a little glimpse of what she would give us for this character, as yoga-loving Bonnie Carlson on HBO’s Big Little Lies. Where would Lynn be now? Honestly, Lynn would probably still be figuring life out and exploring her sexuality. Hopefully only now, she won’t still be hopping on her friends’ couches. Her hustles would include making money off of Airbnb (probably using Joan’s house, unknowingly) or as a SoulCycle instructor. And we can’t wait to see all of the sexy cast of characters on the show who would be her male suitors: Luke James, Jay Ellis, Rotimi, Kofi Siriboe, Trevante Rhodes, or Kendrick Sampson perhaps? Jess Hilarious as Maya Denise Wilkes

HBO

Maya Wilkes is the quintessential girlfriend you need, who is always going to keep it “real.” And who else keeps it real more than our girl, Jess Hilarious? The newcomer, is a stand-up comedian who is best known to television viewers for her appearances on season 9 of MTV’s Wild N Out as well as various shows on VH1. She’s now starring in the series Rel, alongside favorite Lil Rel Howery. Where would Maya be now?   With Jess Hilarious as Maya, she would give us the same sassiness and neck-rolling that she provided to her girlfriends in the original series. However, instead of rising to fame over her book Oh Hell Yes, in 2018 she would be giving those same oh hell yes, quips and quotes to rise to fame on Instagram. She’d be keeping it real on parenting and marriage for the world — all while raising her son, and reuniting with her husband.
COMPANY INFORMATION
  • Our Company
  • Customer Service
  • Essence Ventures
  • Change Your Address
  • Contact Us
  • Job Opportunities
  • Internships
  • Media Kit
  • tag
SUBSCRIBE
  • Newsletters
  • Give a Gift of ESSENCE
  • Magazine Tablet Edition
FOLLOW US
MORE ON ESSENCE
  • Home
  • Love
  • Celebrity
  • Beauty
  • Hair
  • Fashion
  • ESSENCE festival

ESSENCE.com is part of ESSENCE Communications, Inc.

Essence may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.

©2023 ESSENCE Communications Inc. All Rights Reserved. | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use | Essence.com Advertising Terms

Get The ESSENCE Newsletter and
Special Offers delivered to your inbox

By clicking Sign Up, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

Get The ESSENCE Magazine
by subscribing below
subscribe now