The Metro: The city stars alongside its creator in ‘Diarra From Detroit’

These days, most TV shows and movies highlight coastal cities, particularly New York City. And that means the Midwest and Detroit don’t get a lot of attention from Hollywood creators.  

But that changed about a month ago when BET Studios aired its first episode of the show, Diarra From Detroit.

In it, Diarra, a divorcing teacher who refuses to believe she’s been ghosted by her Tinder date, goes in search of the man she went on a date with and finds herself in many unexpected places.  

The show is both a playful and serious take on the whodunit genre. And as the story unfolds, it captures so much of the personalities and experiences of Detroiters.  

Creator and star of the show Diarra Kilpatrick joined The Metro on Friday to talk about the show.

Kilpatrick’s love for storytelling started by her mother taking her to the Detroit Public Library and involving her in community theater with Plowshare and The Detroit Rep.

“So it’s something that’s really been ingrained in me since I was really young – to say that love of the arts, and the love of storytelling, and particularly as a way to amplify the Black experience. And as a means for us to sort of understand it and celebrate it,” Kilpatrick said.

More headlines from The Metro on April 19, 2024: 

• Enrollment has opened for Summer Discovery, a summer day camp for kids to help students learn science, technology, engineering and math. The program is tailored for students in kindergarten through eighth grade and free for kids in Macomb, Oakland and Wayne counties thanks to United Way for Southeastern Michigan and the Ballmer Group. CEO of Detroit Parent Network Jametta Lilly joined the show to share how to sign up and discuss programming planned for kids this summer. 
• Republican Voters Against Trump have $50 million they plan on using to advertise in swing states like Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan. WDET’s Russ McNamara spoke with Gunner Ramer of the group. 
• The College for Creative Studies is showcasing students’ senior thesis work in the exhibition “More Than Today’s Tomorrow.” CCS professor and Section Lead of Sculpture Chido Johnson joined the show to discuss.
  
• Mayor Mike Duggan gave his 11th State of the City address on Wednesday. In the speech he discussed the strides Detroit has made over the last decade since coming out of bankruptcy. Malachi Barrett, a reporter for BridgeDetroit, joins the show to break down the address.  

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 11 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.