Uptown, Monday Night

Where do you live? If you live in a city like New York, teeming with transplants, you'll invariably get asked that question and I've found it has far more loaded meaning for the person asking. As a native borne of and raised in this city, I don't take all that seriously the signifiers that people attach to its topography (e.g., hipsters live in Williamsburg, trust fund babies slum on the Lower East Side). Rather, you plant roots wherever makes you content. In BET's latest foray into reality programming, Harlem Heights, a group of upwardly mobile, black 20-somethings agree to have their lives taped and find out what happens when people stop being polite...oops! (wrong show). Unlike MTV's The Real World, which thrives on the inevitable clashes between seven disparate - if formulaic - personalities, this series pivots on the homogeneity of its cast.

And therein lies the flaw. In seeking to shine a light on the affluent Harlem, an endeavor that I agree is long overdue, the creators nearly erase the bustling Uptown of corner stores, incense vendors, hair braiders and weavers, and the aroma of greasy fried catfish and greens at eateries like Taste of Seafood. Panoramic views would help. And maybe a few more cast members employed in industries beyond media, fashion, and politics and educated at institutions other than the venerable HBCUs. As it is, Jason (aka 'Young Harlem'), a young dad with swag to spare sometimes appears out of his element.

Still, it's verry cool to see on camera the upscale spots that many have yet to discover: the airy Hudson River Cafe, bouncing club Body, Covo, Revival, and more. An incredibly photogenic cast that includes Kanye West ex Brooke Crittendon and DIME magazine editor Christian Grant-Fields (aka 'The Accidental Heartbreaker') makes the views all the more scenic. Fellow viewers have taken issue with how stilted some of the dialogue seems, almost scripted. Pierre, the Trenton, N.J.-bred success story who now works for a nonprofit, at times induces eye-rolling with his penchant for speechifying. But the underlying dramas ring mostly true: There are love triangles, broken friendships, career discussions, and so forth.