It’s hard to believe that roughly 23 years ago, moviegoers were flocking to theaters to see The Best Man. The 1999 film is arguably one of the best dramedies featuring Black culture to come out of the 20th century. For over two decades, the film has amassed such a large following that a sequel was released in 2013, and now Peacock is releasing the highly anticipated The Best Man: The Final Chapters.
The limited series follows Harper Stewart (Taye Diggs) and company as they continue to navigate romance, families and the complexities of their friendships now that they are officially classified as "middle-aged." It appears that one of the characters, or some, may even face a midlife crisis.
Here’s everything we know about The Best Man: The Final Chapters.
By the way, if you’re looking forward to this, you may want to check out Bel Air and some other shows from our Best Black stories currently on TV or streaming list.
The Best Man: The Final Chapters release date
The Best Man: The Final Chapters premiered in the US exclusively on Peacock on Thursday, December 22 with all eight episodes The series is the perfect Christmas gift for longtime fans.
At this time, we aren’t certain when the series will be released in the UK, but we imagine it will stream on Peacock, which subscribers to Sky TV and NOW have access to. Once we have more information, we’ll provide an update here.
The Best Man: The Final Chapters episode guide
Below you'll find an episode guide, outlining the eight episodes of the series.
Episode 1: "Paradise"
"Harper is a best man yet again when his friends reunite in paradise for Quentin's impending nuptials. Jordan, Lance, Murch, Robin, Candace and Shelby each react differently to Harper's chance to turn Unfinished Business into a movie."
Episode 2: "The Wedding"
"Lance finds inspiration at Quentin's wedding. Jordan questions her work-life balance. Harper makes a decision about Unfinished Business: The Movie. Candace and Murch reframe their relationship. Robin searches for peace. Shelby declares war."
Episode 3: "Brown Girl Dreaming"
"Robin is concerned when Harper pushes to level up his career as well as their home. Jordan gets creative to save a new show. Shelby struggles to elevate. Lance searches for passion and purpose. Murch discovers new strength."
Episode 4: "The Invisible Man"
"Lance returns to glory as he encourages Lance Jr. to stay on the same path. Candace pursues a new thesis advisor. Murch tangles with a ‘Karen.’ Robin vibes with a kindred spirit. Quentin struggles to take over the family business from his father."
Episode 5: "The Party"
"During New Year's, Jordan tries new love, Quentin and Lance face new parenting challenges, Murch explores a new pastime and Candace puts on a party hat. Robin and Harper pursue new work dreams. Shelby contends with a new type of ‘hot.’"
Episode 6: "An American Marriage"
"Harper and Robin contend with work-life conflicts as his movie premieres. Jordan, Lance and Quentin grapple with revelations about their loved ones. Candace is challenged at school. Murch fights for respect. Shelby battles mother nature."
Episode 7: "Things Fall Apart"
"Harper and Robin contend with priorities and conflicts. Candace and Murch discover each other's secrets. Jordan receives surprising news. Quentin rebels against new boundaries. Lance faces off with LJ. After a scare, Shelby takes on a caretaker role."
Episode 8: "The Audacity of Hope"
"The friends help Lance as he grapples with a family crisis. At Quentin's, ugly truths unfurl right before a huge celebration. Harper and Robin struggle to redefine their relationship. Jordan considers the road less traveled. Shelby considers reality."
The Best Man: The Final Chapters series finale explained
The Best Man: The Final Chapters cast
As with the movies, The Best Man: The Final Chapters features a great ensemble cast. Once again starring as Harper is Taye Diggs. Diggs has made quite the name for himself in Hollywood having been in movies like Brown Sugar, Rent, Baggage Claim, The Wood and How Stella Got Her Groove Back. He’s currently playing Billy Baker in All American. Additionally, he's the new host of the dating show Back in the Groove.
Another big name featured in the series is Regina Hall. Hall continues to be a force to be reckoned with in the business and has most recently been seen in Me Time, Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul, Black Monday and Nine Perfect Strangers.
Here is the full main cast of the series:
- Morris Chestnut as Lance
- Melissa De Sousa as Shelby
- Taye Diggs as Harper
- Regina Hall as Candace "Candy"
- Terrence Howard as Quentin
- Sanaa Lathan as Robin
- Nia Long as Jordan
- Harold Perrineau as Julian
How have the characters changed in The Best Man franchise?
The Best Man: The Final Chapters plot
Peacock has provided the following synopsis for the series:
"Based upon the eponymous Universal film franchise written and directed by Malcolm D. Lee (four episodes), the series will catch up with the beloved cast as relationships evolve and past grievances resurface in the unpredictable stages of midlife crisis meets midlife renaissance."
For those that watched The Best Man Holiday, the followup to the original movie, then you’ll recall that Harper and Lance (Morris Chestnut) were able to finally move past Harper’s college romance with Mia (Monica Calhoun). Their reconciliation came in time as Harper welcomed his first child and Lance needed a friend in the wake of Mia’s death.
Then there was Julian (Harold Perrineau) and Candace (Regina Hall). They finally were able to get past her former job as a dancer and his history with Shelby (Melissa De Sousa) and were in a good place in their marriage.
Speaking of Shelby, the most baffling moment of the sequel’s ending was her and Quentin (Terrence Howard) becoming an item. That pairing is still ironic to this day given those two couldn’t stand each other in the original film.
The Best Man: The Final Chapters trailer
On November 30, Peacock finally releaed the trailer and we cannot wait for the show to start airing. By the way, we appreciate the Beyonce nod. Check it out.
On November 21, Peacock released a video where the cast sat down and talked about the series and what it means to continue on the legacy of The Best Man franchise. Take a look.
The Best Man: The Final Chapters review
It’s not an easy feat for a franchise to continually return with large gaps of time between each project. Then when you add the fact that The Best Man: The Final Chapters wraps up a movie franchise with a limited series, you’re entering into a bit of unfamiliar territory. So just how did the powers that be do with the highly anticipated end to stories fans have come to love and adore for 23 years?
We’ll happily take our hat off to Peacock, franchise creator Malcolm D. Lee, The Best Man: The Final Chapters’ writers, producers, directors, cast and crew. There were many great things to love about the series. For starters, the storylines didn’t feel overly dramatized or forced. Harper, Jordan and the rest of the friend group have gotten older and are in their late 40s/early 50s, and their natural journeys of trying to figure out what’s next as they enter the second half of life served as juicy enough when it comes to each of their individual plotlines.
Additionally, it was great to see the show dive deeper into the personas of Quentin, Shelby, Robin and Candace. Arguably in The Best Man and The Best Man Holiday, these characters provided comic relief and represented a “grounding place” to help the other characters in moments of conflict. However, in The Final Chapters, viewers get to know more about them, which is fantastic (Quentin and Shelby in particular shine brightly in the series).
If there was a sore spot when it came to the Peacock Original, it has to be that the finale didn’t answer a number of questions. Without giving too much away, Murch makes a big deal about finances at the beginning of the series and viewers never really find out what was motivating this. Then there’s Jordan. When it comes to her health issues, there is little explanation offered other than stress.
With that said though, it scored out of five stars, with five stars representing the highest possible score we could award a show or film, we’d give it a four and a half.
How to watch The Best Man: The Final Chapters
The Best Man: The Final Chapters is a Peacock Original series and airs exclusively on Peacock. Those interested in tuning in will need a subscription to the platform, and currently, there are few options to choose from for would-be subscribers.
Once we have more official information about a UK release date, we’ll be sure to pass along the information. Although, we do envision that the series will appear on Sky TV and NOW via Peacock.
How to watch The Best Man and The Best Man Holiday
Both The Best Man and The Best Man Holiday are now streaming on Peacock.
