Harlem's queer characters are inspiring 'guideposts,' say its stars

The beloved series Harlem is back for its third and final season, and fans are gearing up to bid farewell to the dynamic foursome we've come to love. The news of the show's conclusion shocked audiences earlier this year, but the six-episode season promises to deliver closure while celebrating the complexities and growth of its characters.

Tracy Oliver, the mastermind behind the series, has done an exceptional job crafting fully fleshed-out women whose journeys feel authentic and resonant. Whether it's Camille navigating love and career, Angie bringing unfiltered humor, or Quinn and Tye redefining their identities, Harlem has consistently delivered a refreshing take on modern Black womanhood.

The show has also broken ground in its portrayal of queerness, particularly through Tye, played by Jerrie Johnson, who beautifully explores the many layers of LGBTQ+ identity. Quinn, portrayed by Grace Byers, brought an equally powerful narrative, showcasing how sexuality can be fluid and self-discovery is an ongoing process, regardless of age.

This season, Tye faces a significant hurdle: She still hasn’t come out to her parents, a tension that complicates her budding relationship with Eva, played by Gail Bean. As the series prepares to wrap, Out spoke with Johnson and Byers about queerness, self-discovery, and the importance of taking one's time in life's journey. Their insights offer a thoughtful perspective on the themes that have made Harlem a standout in television.

For Johnson (she/they), navigating her queer identity has been an evolving journey, one she embraces with an open heart and a refusal to be boxed in. In Harlem, her character Tye’s story of self-discovery resonates deeply, particularly her complex relationship with sharing her truth with family. Unlike Tye, Johnson says she didn’t experience a dramatic coming-out moment.

“My coming-out story was very interesting because my mom is crazy,” Johnson says with a laugh. “I kind of just was like, ‘Mom, I’m gay,’ and she responded by telling me not to say I’m gay, but to say I like girls. Then, she suggested I marry a rich Italian woman, and I was like, ‘Uh, okay, Mom.’”

From there, Johnson’s exploration of her identity became a deeply personal path. “For me, it’s been about figuring out how I identify. I feel like I’m more of a sapiosexual, fluid, pan — you know, whatever you want to call it. I go where my heart leads me, and I don’t like being stuck in a box.”

Johnson hopes others embarking on their journeys can find guidance through representation in the media. “I think shows like this one, with queer characters, become guideposts for people. Your experience is authentic,” they say. “Sometimes, I think we get stuck in roles even as queer people — like, oh, you’re the butch, you’re the femme, you’re this person, you’re that. If you see me as that, then it’s harder for you to see me in different ways. I’m a person where you never know how I’m gonna show up, and I love that. It makes it really confusing for people in their own desire for me — but that’s none of my business, and I love that too.”

For Byers, who portrays Quinn, the journey of loving both a man and a woman challenges societal expectations and labels that often reduce such experiences to indecision. Her character’s exploration mirrors the real-life struggles of embracing an authentic self in the face of judgment and misunderstanding.

Byers emphasizes the importance of looking inward. “We’ve spoken about this quite a few times on this press journey, and I feel like the answer doesn’t just apply to one part of your life — it applies to all parts of your life,” she explains. “You can’t see yourself through the eyes of other people. No one knows you better than you know yourself.”

She adds that people’s perspectives are often shaped by their own limited experiences, which makes relying on external validation a trap. “When we start looking at ourselves through other people’s perspectives, we get severely limited in who we are and what we can be. They don’t have your experience, spirit, or instincts. With all of those things they lack, how could they possibly see what is authentic and true to you?”

Byers believes that focusing on self-discovery, rather than external expectations, is where the answers truly lie. “If we took the energy off of other people and onto ourselves, there’s nothing we wouldn’t be able to find. Every answer we need is already within us.”

Stream the final season of Harlem now on Prime Video.