Watercooler Pick
The Conversations Project
- Series
- Where to Find It: Hulu
- Release Date: August 26, 2023
- Seasons: 1
- Episodes : 6
- Length: 30 minutes
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An unscripted dinner party series, the six episode Hulu show features an eclectic combination of Black luminaries — from philosophers to astronauts, chefs to singers and TikTok influencers — speaking candidly about some of the pressing topics of the day.
Hosted by journalist Elaine Welteroth, chef David Lawrence, and veteran sports journalist Marc J. Spears, the series is executive produced by ESPN’s Andscape division, with producers including Raina Kelley, Rick van Meter, AC Roe, and Tracey Baker Simmons, who has also been an advisor to both the Biden and Obama administrations.
A series inspired by the salons of the Harlem Renaissance, The Conversations Project drops viewers into an exclusive dinner party with some influential guests from different generations and backgrounds, each of them successful in a different field.
As they work their way through an elaborately prepared meal, each course prompts a new question for everyone, such as: Are Black people in America inherently more spiritual than other racial or ethnic groups? What’s the difference between having influence and being a leader? How can Black men manage their mental health? What’s the proper use of the “N” word and who is allowed to use it?
Andrea Lewis, a Canadian actress and singer featured on the series, says she hopes the series will “open up the conversation that Blackness is not a monolith.”
In fact, a generational divide opens up in one episode, as a young Tik Tok influencer gets some hackles up in a discussion about social media. Gender differences and vulnerabilities also come to the fore, including the different challenges for Black fathers.
A revealing series that will shed some new light and spark conversations in your own life. As producer Raina Kelley sums up to the New York Times: “At its most important, it’s basically an example nowadays of how to have a civil conversation.”
- Moods: enlighten me, stretch my mind
- Interests: conversation worthy, fresh perspectives
