Tyler Perry has been a popular name on Netflix, and the actor and filmmaker has been coming up with even more original productions for the streaming platform, the last one being Beauty in Black. While that drama series was a complete mess, his new presentation, Miss Governor, is far better in almost every aspect, although the sitcom series is definitely not the best of its kind. Set to be released in two parts, the first season contains sixteen episodes, with the first part now available to stream.
Miss Governor (previously titled She the People) is not about a rags-to-riches story, as its protagonist, Antoinette Dunkerson, is not in a socially or financially backward position at the beginning of the show. Instead, she is an established politician who yearns to help the people of her home state, Mississippi, and therefore wants to become a member of the state council in order to play an active role in the administration. Although her electoral campaign to become the next lieutenant governor has been quite successful, and she is predicted to win the election, Antoinette seemingly faces a major setback when a video of her teenage daughter suggestively dancing at a party goes viral. She has to step into the role of a mother at this crucial point, and Antoinette heads to the party and creates a scene by punching her daughter’s wastrel boyfriend in public. This incident is also recorded by some of the kids at the party, and it is now Antoinette’s turn to go viral, which could have tremendously negative effects on her campaign.
Antoinette almost gives up all hope of becoming the next lieutenant governor following this scandal, as she feels that the voters will surely turn against her. However, quite the opposite happens, and the common masses are inspired by the politician’s strong spirit, which results in Antoinette winning the election by a massive margin and becoming the new lieutenant governor of Mississippi. Finally being able to make it to the highest level of state administration, and one step closer to what is surely her dream, i.e., to become the governor, Antoinette is overjoyed and greatly enthusiastic about starting work. After all, she is here to help out all the people who have put their faith in her and those whom she has wanted to represent for a long time. However, she quickly realizes that her immediate superior, Governor Irwin Harper, does not want to support her in any way and instead wants to have her firmly under his control at all times.
Racial politics and differences are the most apparent themes in the series, and they are intricately woven into the very plot and narrative. Antoinette is the very first Black lieutenant governor in the state of Mississippi, and although she and the people from her community are very excited about this development, not everyone shares the same level of enthusiasm. Governor Harper has been projected as a typical conservative white man from the Grand Old Party, although the series does not mention the names of any political parties, but we just know that the Governor and Antoinette are from two different parties. In fact, Harper’s accent, enunciation, tone-deafness, and his habit of repeatedly asking for his face to be dabbed make him appear very close to a caricature of the President of the USA.
Therefore, it is no wonder that Harper does not want to let Antoinette do any significant work, and treats her like a puppet with no authority. He has ensured, by appointing men close to him and those ascribing to his school of thought, that the workplace is an extremely inhospitable space for the protagonist. The common white folks are no different either, as most of them only pretend to be tolerant of her because of her position, while the others, who do not care about the sensibilities (and laws) of the modern world, outright express their hatred towards her. Her gender is also significant to some people, compounding their issues with her race, and this makes her position all the more difficult at times.
But Miss Governor is not about the problems of only one side, for it presents Black folks in an equally real and convincing manner. Despite her best efforts, or desires, Antoinette cannot deny the fact that Black neighborhoods are much more prone to crime and violence than other parts of the cities. Some of her own family and friends are easily questionable, as they are heavily flawed characters. Her mother had gone to the extent of distributing flyers for her electoral campaign at a funeral, which was definitely very insensitive. Her cousin and manager, Shamika, and her boyfriend, Basil, are too goofy and dull to work in an administrative office. Although the lens through which they are shown is surely less harsh, because the narrative is from the perspective of Black folks, the series does not generally hide the shortcomings of the people that it is mostly about.
Despite all these layers of race and politics, and the frequent instances of these two intersecting, Miss Governor is a little too focused on its comedic elements, almost as if it does not want to be taken seriously. We are made to laugh mostly at the silliness of certain characters, and the obnoxiousness of those in power, and no sharp wit is to be expected of the show. There is also a desperate attempt to throw in a romantic angle in the plot, which will surely be developed further in the next part of the season, but it does not bring anything significant to the table, other than adding a few complexities for Antoinette.
Sitcoms rarely feature any technical or formal experimentation, and Tyler Perry follows the norm here, with no shot or scene looking out of the ordinary. The acting performances are adequate, with Terri J. Vaughn as Antoinette being the most convincing, probably because we spend so much time with her character. Jade Novah as Shamika and Dyon Brooks as Basil perhaps have the most difficult roles, as they have to play the goofy sidekicks. Overall, Miss Governor is definitely better than some of Tyler Perry’s other presentations, as it does a fair job talking about relatively serious things in a light-hearted style. However, the lack of depth, both in terms of character and plot, makes it an average and mediocre series worthy of a casual watch.
