November 23, 2017 (2017-11-23) – May 24, 2019 (2019-05-24)
She's Gotta Have It is an American comedy-drama television series created by Spike Lee. It is based on his 1986 film of the same name.[1] Ten 30-minute episodes were ordered by Netflix, all of which were directed by Lee.[2] The show premiered on November 23, 2017.[3] On January 1, 2018, the series was renewed for a second season, which premiered on May 24, 2019.[4][5] On July 17, 2019, Netflix canceled the series after two seasons.[6]
Artist Nola Darling's romantic life in gentrified Brooklyn is characterized by sexual freedom as she juggles three open relationships with thoughtful Jamie, carefree Mars, and cocky Greer. Despite her wish to manage her sexual relationships on her own terms, the three men struggle to accept her independence.
The episode opens with Nola giving a monologue about the black female form. She states that she wants to paint a portrait of her friend Shemekka because she is representative of a Brooklyn-based black feminine style. During the painting of the portrait, Shemekka reveals that she met Nola at a house party when Nola spilled a drink on her.
Nola decides that, for the time being, she does not want a man in her loving bed. The audience is then introduced to Opal Gilstrap, a former love interest of Nola's. She and Nola rekindle their sexual relationship. The pair spend more time with each other and Nola speaks about Opal with her therapist. While Nola and Opal are on the street, they run into Greer, and Nola acts embarrassed by Opal. Opal has a daughter, and she and Nola begin to bond, but she promises to see her before her bedtime and arrives too late. Opal is upset at Nola's lack of commitment, and they end their fling. Looking at the upside of things, Nola makes it to the second round of the Catlett Prize.
Nola embarks on her new journey as an art teacher. She faces many challenges along the way. As for Shemekka, she decides to make a drastic change for her dance career to take off.
Nola becomes increasingly nervous as her opening night arrives. Meanwhile, Shemekka's debut with her dance career coincides with Nola's group show. When the guys discover that they aren't invited to Nola's big night, they decide to take matters into their own hands.
Greer opens up the episode about his first encounter with Nola. But now he's ready to be exclusive.
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"#LoveDontPayDaRent (IF YOU DON’T KNOW ME BY NOW)"
Spike Lee
Barry Michael Cooper
November 23, 2017 (2017-11-23)
The episode opens with characters reacting to the election of Donald Trump, and article clippings and photographs of the new president. We cut to Nola smoking on her bed when she receives a call from Greer asking if he can come over. Nola tells Greer that she has sold one of her paintings, and then they have sex. While this occurs, she calls out Jamie's last name. She makes up an excuse. Jamie's wife shows him a picture on her phone of the self-portrait he purchased from Nola and asks, "Who is this?" She confronts Jamie about the $10,000 check he made out to Nola. They fight. Next, Nola is seen trying to purchase art supplies when her card is declined. Her rent check was bounced, causing the landlord to give a two-day eviction notice. Nola angrily calls Jamie to ask him why he canceled the check. Jamie responds by saying he will fix the situation and Nola replies that she wants her painting back. Nola tries to sell some of her artwork in front of her brownstone apartment to some tourists, to no avail.
She's Gotta Have It has received positive reviews from critics. As of July 2019[update], the show holds a score of 77 out of 100 on the review aggregator Metacritic, based on 26 critics.[19] On Rotten Tomatoes, the first season holds an 83% rating based on 63 reviews, with an average rating of 7.9/10. The site's consensus is: "Fun, fascinating and feminist, Spike Lee's classic is born again for a new generation."[20]
The second season has a 73% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 11 reviews, with an average rating of 4.4/10. The site's consensus was: She's Gotta Have It wades through some narrative wilderness after shifting away from its founding romantic conceit, but Spike Lee's vibrant eye and DeWanda Wise's darling performance keep proceedings engaging."[21]