After two years of talks online and in book clubs (yes, Good Morning America, but I prefer Smart Brown Girl), Zakiya Dalila Harris’ workplace thriller The Other Black Girl finally has a trailer and premiere date! Adapted to screen by Harris, the show stars Sinclair Daniel and Ashleigh Murray with frequent duo Jordan Reddout and Gus Hickey co-showrunning.
The novel follows editorial assistant Nella (likely named after the famous author Nella Larsen) at her job at the Wagner Publishing company. As the sole Black woman in a racist and underpaid yet highly competitive field, work is a trip. The dream of being an editor and time with those in her personal life keeps Nella from quitting. When another Black woman, Hazel-May, gets hired, too, things start to look up. That is until Nella starts to receive threatening messages and is seemingly gaslit by the people around her—even more than she already was.
She and her best friend start to unravel a mystery relating to Wagner, Hazel’s past, and former workers there. Together they search for what possibly can explain what’s happening to her. As you see in the trailer, even what’s real and what’s not starts to blur. In 2021, Harris told The Guardian that Octavia Butler, Nella Larson, Toni Morrison, and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s work influenced her writing this novel alongside films such as Get Out and The Stepford Wives. However, the ultimate fuel came from her own time in publishing where she worked at Penguin Random House for over three years.
When the book made the rounds, the response came back as mixed-positive. Many Black readers, particularly Black women, felt seen watching Nella navigate a professional space as the sole Black woman. The trailer limits the microaggressions, but the book is a wild ride. Without spoilers, Nella’s disappointing response to the book’s growing tension and the ending were polarizing. Some people chalked it up to pacing and others found it silly.
I personally liked it, but understand the grievances, some of which could translate very well to TV. The big twist at the end that left a mixed response could be better laid out with visual crumbs and by getting to see more outside of Nella’s mind. A mind that she feels like she’s losing grasp of with each passing day since Hazel’s arrival. This trailer gives me hope and it also freaks me out as the horror is turned up a few notches.
The Other Black Girl premieres on Hulu on September 13.
This piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, the work being covered here wouldn’t exist.
(featured image: Hulu, Atria Books)
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