When I first learned that Spike Lee was doing a television version of his 1986 indie hit, "She's Gotta Have It," the first thing I asked myself was "Why?" At the time of the film's release it was a seminal work of black independent cinema. Bouyed by the performances of Tracy Camilla Johns as Nola Darling and Lee as Mars Blackmon, "She's Gotta Have It" was like a breath of fresh air to an industry that seemed to believe that films featuring black people were no longer profitable unless they starred either Eddie Murphy or Richard Pryor. "She's Gotta Have It" went on to become one of Island pictures most successful pictures and launched Spike Lee's career. It was by no means a perfect picture, but "She's Gotta Have It," shook up Hollywood and inspired a whole generation of filmmakers.
Rather than being a reimagining of the original film, the television version of "She's Gotta Have It" feels more like a remake. That is, judging by the pilot, Spike Lee decided to make the series like he would have made the film, had its budget been larger. Instead of being shot in black and white, the series is in color. The pilot episode makes extensive use of licensed popular music as opposed to the film, which consisted almost entirely of his father Bill Lee's instrumental score. Also for those familiar with Spike Lee's other work, his penchant for casting actors based on their physical appearance as opposed to their acting ability or suitability for the role, are evidenced here. For example, Spike Lee in his book about the making of "She's Gotta Have it" entitled "Spike Lee's Gotta Have It," he made clear that he wanted a dark-skinned actress to play Nola Darling in the film. He's achieved that bit of casting with DeWanda Wise. While she is obviously physically attractive, it remains to be seen if she is up to the emotional demands of the role. After only one episode, it's too early to judge her performance.
Frankly, I'm a bit more concerned about Cleo Anthony as Greer Childs, who is described by Nola's character in the series as a "light-skinned, green-eyed, blond-haired, pretty boy." He comes across at the very least as androgynous if not downright effeminate. Perhaps there is something that Spike Lee is going for that will be revealed in later episodes, but right now the performance doesn't seem to fit his character. Compare this to the dark-skinned actor John Canada Terrell, who originated the role in the film. Terrell projected all of the narcissism and perfectionist qualities of Greer, while still being solidly masculine.
Jamie Overstreet who is presented as the most sensible (and boring) character, is predictably played by a darker-skinned actor in the series. In this case Lyriq Bent. The film featured the lighter-skinned Tommy Redmond Hicks in the role (he had previously appeared in Spike's NYU thesis film, "Joe's Bed-Stuy Barbershop: We Cut Heads").
The only surprise in the casting (albeit a small one) was the casting of a Latino actor to play Mars Blackmon (the role that Spike originated in the film). It appears in this case that Spike was truly going for the best person for the role. However, it is quite possible that Spike simply wanted to add some diversity into the casting. He's also cast a white actress Elise Hudson as Rachel, one of Nola's friends. It remains to be seen if she will play a significant role in the series (she didn't in the pilot). Will Cooper had a nice little bit as a waiter, so it looks like Spike Lee is definitely making an attempt at having a diverse cast -- which is a good thing. Compare this to the first season of Joe Swanberg's Netflix series, "Easy." Despite being an anthology series set in racially diverse Chicago, Swanberg's series virtually ignores the existence of black men. Spike Lee on the other hand has made attempts to diversify his cast, despite the show being based on existing characters that presumably will appear in each episode.
Despite some contemporary cultural references and expressions, the TV version of "She's Gotta Have It" still feels largely like it is set in the 1980s. Spike has always been a provocateur who was unafraid to present the issues of the day in a compelling manner, but for the series to justify its existence, it needs to be more than a re-hash of the original film. The potential is clearly there for a provocative comedy series on modern sexuality and race relations. In the pilot, there are hints to how things have changed in America (and Brooklyn specifically) in the last 30 years (e.g., gentrification). Hopefully, the series will live up to its potential and remind us why we were drawn to Spike Lee's work in the first place.
