''Boomerang'' is an American

comedy Comedy is a genre of dramatic works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. Origins Comedy originated in ancient Greec ...

television series, serving as a sequel to the 1992 film of the same name. The series premiered on February 12, 2019, on

BET Black Entertainment Television (BET) is an American basic cable channel targeting Black American audiences. It is the flagship channel of the BET Media Group, a subsidiary of Paramount Global's CBS Entertainment Group. Originally launched ...

. On April 2, 2019, it was announced that the series was renewed for a second season, which premiered on March 11, 2020. In August 2021, co-producer Lena Waithe announced that the series would not return for a third season.

Premise

''Boomerang'' revolves around "a successful executive who finds that his lifestyle choices have turned back on him when his new boss turns out to be a bigger deviant than he is. It is described as an updated version that explores contemporary workplace dynamics, including the changing role of gender, office politics, relationships and the conflicts between Generation X and millennials."

Cast and characters

Main

* Tequan Richmond as Bryson, ambitious estranged son of Jacqueline Broyer (played by

Robin Givens Robin Givens (born November 27, 1964) is an American actress and director. Givens played Darlene Merriman in the ABC sitcom '' Head of the Class'' in 1986, and remained on the series for its five year duration. Her troubled marriage to boxer ...

). *Tetona Jackson as Simone Graham, daughter of Marcus and Angela Graham (played by

Eddie Murphy Edward Regan Murphy (born April 3, 1961) is an American actor, comedian, and singer. He had his breakthrough as a standup comic before gaining stardom for his film roles; he is widely recognized as one of the greatest comedians of all time. H ...

and

Halle Berry Halle Maria Berry ( ; born Maria Halle Berry; August 14, 1966) is an American actress. She began her career as a model and entered several beauty contests, finishing as the first runner-up in the Miss USA pageant of 1986 and also placing six ...

). *Leland B. Martin as Ari, a bisexual aspiring director who struggles with his toxic behavior. Loosely inspired by Tyler (played by

Martin Lawrence Martin Fitzgerald LawrenceStated in interview on '' Inside the Actors Studio'' (born April 16, 1965) is an American actor and comedian. Lawrence began his career doing comedy shows, including in '' The Improv''. After his first acting role in t ...

) in the original. *Lala Milan as Tia Reid, a former stripper and performance artist. She later becomes a social media maven with the help of Simone. Loosely based on Strangé (played by

Grace Jones Grace Beverly Jones (born 19 May 1948) is a Jamaican singer, songwriter, model and actress. She began her Model (person), modelling career in New York State, then in Paris, working for fashion houses such as Yves Saint Laurent (brand), Yves St ...

). *Brittany Inge as Crystal Garrett (recurring, season 1; main, season 2), a former ad employee and best friend of Simone. She is recently divorced from David. She struggles to find her voice in the friendship group. *RJ Walker as David (recurring, season 1; main, season 2), an up-and-coming preacher who struggles to find his faith. He is recently divorced from Crystal.

Recurring

Paula Newsome Paula Newsome is an American actress. She starred in a number of television series, most notable the ABC police drama '' Women's Murder Club'' (2007–08), and had recurring roles on ''NYPD Blue'', ''NCIS'', '' Barry'', and ''Chicago Med''. She is ...

as Victoria Jackson (season 1). *Kim Alex Hall as Rocky (season 1), Tia's girlfriend.

Episodes

Season 1 (2019)

Season 2 (2020)

Production

Development

On April 11, 2018, it was announced that

had given a series order to the production for a first season consisting of ten episodes. A writer and producing team had yet to be determined but the series was expected be produced by

Paramount Television The first incarnation of Paramount Television was operated as the television production division of the American film studio Paramount Pictures, until it changed its name to CBS Paramount Television on January 17, 2006. History Desilu Pro ...

. On September 24, 2018, it was announced that

Lena Waithe Lena Waithe (; born May 17, 1984) is an American actress, producer, and screenwriter. She is the creator of the Showtime drama series '' The Chi'' (2018–present) and the BET comedy series ''Boomerang'' (2019–20) and '' Twenties'' (2020–2 ...

and Ben Cory Jones would write the series' pilot episode together and executive produce alongside

and Rishi Rajani. Jones was also expected to serve as the showrunner for the series and Dime Davis was set to direct the pilot episode. Waithe's production company Hillman Grad Productions was also slated to be involved with the series. On December 19, 2018, it was announced that the series would premiere on February 12, 2019.

Casting

In October 2018, it was announced that Tequan Richmond, Tetona Jackson, Leland Martin, and Lala Milan had been cast in series regular roles and that RJ Walker,

, Brittany Inge,

Joey BadA$$ Jo-Vaughn Virginie Scott (born January 20, 1995), known professionally as Joey Badass (stylized as Joey Bada$$), is an American rapper and actor. Born in Brooklyn, New York City, he formed the regional hip-hop group Pro Era in 2011, with whom he ...

, and Kimberly Hall would appear in a recurring capacity.

Filming

Principal photography for the series took place from October to December 2018 in

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

. In October 2018, filming took place in the

Buckhead Buckhead is the wikt:uptown, uptown commercial and residential district of the city of Atlanta, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, comprising approximately the northernmost fifth of the city. Buckhead is the third largest business district within ...

area of

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

and in East Point. In November 2018, the series was shooting in the Mechanicsville neighborhood of Atlanta and on

Ponce de Leon Avenue Ponce de Leon Avenue ( ), often simply called Ponce, provides a link between Atlanta, Georgia, Atlanta, Decatur, Georgia, Decatur, Clarkston, Georgia, Clarkston, and Stone Mountain, Georgia. It was named for Ponce de Leon Springs (Atlanta), Po ...

near the

Ponce City Market Ponce City Market is a mixed-use development located in a former Sears catalogue facility in Atlanta, with national and local retail anchors, restaurants, a food hall, boutiques and offices, and residential units. It is located adjacent to the ...

in Atlanta.

Release

Marketing

On January 6, 2019, the first trailer for the series was released.

Premiere

On January 26, 2019, the series held a screening during the

2019 Sundance Film Festival The 2019 Sundance Film Festival took place from January 24 to February 3, 2019. The first lineup of competition films was announced on November 28, 2018. Films U.S. Dramatic Competition * '' Before You Know It'' by Hannah Pearl Utt * '' ...

. The event was followed by a panel discussion hosted by Macro Lodge and featuring executive producer

, showrunner Ben Cory Jones, and director Dime Davis.

Reception

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...

season 1 has a score of 100% based on reviews from 12 critics.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Boomerang (American TV series) 2010s American black sitcoms 2020s American black sitcoms 2019 American television series debuts American sequel television series BET sitcoms American English-language television shows Live action television shows based on films Television series by Paramount Television