Frankie and Neffe: The End?

Article written by: Andre Sanchez
Posted on: October 11, 2009

Frankie and Neffe, a BET Reality TV Series. Grade: D-

After all is said and done, did we really need Frankie and Neffe? What have we learned?

All you’ll need to know about the finale is this:

1. Elite learns through the paternity test that her and Neffe do not have the same father.

2. Frankie wasn’t there for the test, cause she already knew. Geez, you might have saved them some time, eh Frankie?

3. The divorce has yet to be finalized between Frankie and her man. She went hunting for him but he was nowhere to be found. Typical.

Watch the finale after this final thought from me: where are we going as a society, as both the purveyors and consumers of this kind of reality TV?

As I’ve been doing these recaps, reading the comments that people have shared about how shows like this encourage them because it’s a look at “celebrities” living their lives just like regular folks, I started to think about BET compared to what the rest of TV land is doing. Are we behind?

Only recently has BET gotten a decent late night television show (The Mo’Nique Show), and a decent reality series about something other than your standard B,C and D list stars (Compton firefighters star in “First In“).

With regards to Frankie and Neffe, this has been an adventure in what’s tolerable. The show made it in spite of being petitioned against, but did we get anything from it? Maybe the better question is, were we supposed to? Of course it’s okay to sometimes kick back and enjoy mindless television, but where are our shows with the finely-tuned suspense and cool factors of Dexter, Mad Men, Flash Forward, or even Jada Pinkett Smith’s Hawthorne? Why couldn’t Hawthorne air on BET?

I know I don’t speak for everyone, but I don’t think this show was worth the airtime. What exactly did Neffe accomplish? From what I saw, nothing (and she’s way too angry and treats her boyfriend Soullow like crap.) What did Frankie accomplish? Well, she got her first job and got a song coined after one of her catch phrases, so tack on a point for that…

All in all, we could have replaced this 30 minutes a week with something better. What would you have liked to see aired instead of Frankie and Neffe? Personally I would love Soul Train revamped and brought back. An all new host, new (and old) music, same line and train formation, and people can wear whatever they like! Bring it back or forward.

You see for yourself and watch the Frankie and Neffe season finale here.

What are your thoughts on this series and the future of black television, reader?