BET's Baldwin Hills - Season Two

The DVR in plezWorld has been recording episodes of Season Two of BET's Baldwin Hills since the premier, this weekend provided an opportunity to get caught up with the action.

Several cast members from Season One have returned for Season Two: Ashley (daughter of actress Vanessa Bell Calloway), Moriah (son of former UCLA and NBA great Marques Johnson), Gerren (tall and gorgeous model-in-training who dated Moriah in Season One), Sal (budding rap artist), and Staci (hard working and determined girl with a rough upbringing).

There are new cast members to round out the drama: Lor'Rena (drama queen extraordinaire who appears intent on stealing Moriah's heart from the first episode), Aunjel (Lor'Rena's sister and partner in crime), Johnathan (best friend of Moriah with plans on attending UCLA to play football), Justin (member of a songwriting group, he's a deep and spiritual young man), and Seiko (very pretty girl who appears to have eyes for Justin).

Baldwin Hills is very similar in nature to MTV programs like Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County and The Hills, except it features African American teenagers of upper-middle class families. Like all kids their age, they divide their time between attending school, playing sports, shopping at high-end outlets, and driving expensive cars. And of course, there is the drama when you combine attractive teenage girls with teenage boys.

Check out the drama on Tuesdays at 10 p.m. (ET/PT) on BET.

plez sez: i am probably 30 years removed from the demographic that BET has targeted with Baldwin Hills, so i guess the show falls into the category of "guilty pleasures" for plezWorld. the main storyline for season two (after first 5 episodes) seems to revolve around the unrequited romance that began in season one between Gerren and Moriah, and the determination on the part of new cast member, Lor'rena to steal Moriah's heart. complicating matters is the addition of Moriah's seldom seen "main squeeze" who appears to be a few years older than him.

i like Baldwin Hills for two main reasons: (1) it shows successful Black families in a positive light with clean cut and well-behaved teenage children, and (2) it incorporates parental involvement into the storyline. so far, the parents of Sal (well, his uncle), Staci, Moriah, Gerren, Johnathan, and Ashley have been shown providing guidance and advice to their children. and it appears that most of the kids are on a track to attend college when they get out of high school (with Staci already in college).

this show could very easily have fallen victim to the appeal of thuglife and fast vulnerable women, and it has thankfully not gone there! to be honest, there is very little programming on BET that is worth watching... on second thought, i can't think of anything else to watch on BET except, Baldwin Hills!