Why you should watch ‘Summer House: Martha’s Vineyard’

The hit Bravo series returns this weekend for a second season.

A new Bravo era is here. Last year, “Summer House: Martha’s Vineyard” premiered on the network, introducing viewers to a young, ambitious and all-Black cast of new reality stars. The premise, like the main series on the channel, sees a group of friends coming together for a vacation during the summer, following thrilling parties, antics, and of course, drama. The second season of the series premieres this weekend, and we’re breaking down why you should catch up on season 1 and tune in to one of our favorite shows on Bravo in years.

A fresh cast

From the show’s announcement last year, “Summer House: Martha’s Vineyard” stood out among its contemporaries with an exciting and fresh all-Black cast. This is not the first Bravo series to boast this: “The Real Housewives of Atlanta,” The Real Housewives of Potomac,” and “Married to Medicine” are just a few examples of reality shows on the network to feature predominantly Black casts. These shows, however, tend to skew older than the 20- and 30-somethings we have gotten to see on popular shows like “Vanderpump Rules” and “Summer House.”

With “Summer House: Martha’s Vineyard,” we finally get to see just that: a young Black cast come together to hang out and spend some quality vacation time with each other.

Martha’s Vineyard

The show also swaps the “Summer House” Hamptons location for Martha’s Vineyard, putting the beloved vacation destination in the spotlight. Entrenched in African-American history, the show takes its time to detail the importance and legacy of Martha’s Vineyard from the first episode, as the cast breaks down their connections to the vineyard as well as the history behind it.

“We stand on tall shoulders,” Jasmine Cooper told us ahead of last year’s premiere. “We definitely don’t want to gloss over the privilege it is to not only vacation there but to kind of open it up to the Bravo world and beyond. It’s a huge honor.”

What did you miss?

The first season introduced us to our cast, Nicholas “Nick” Arrington, Jasmine Ellis Cooper, Silas Cooper, Jordan Emanuel, Bria Fleming, Shanice Henderson, Amir Lancaster, Preston Mitchum, Summer Marie Thomas and Alex Tyree, all together in one home on Martha’s Vineyard. In the eight episodes of the series, viewers got to know a bit about each of the cast members, as tensions and potential romances flared within the house.

One of the breakout stars of the season was Milo, Fleming’s dog who she brought with her on the vacation. While Milo’s attendance certainly caused some major tension for her within the group, specifically from the trip’s hosts Jasmine and Silas, Milo was ultimately embraced by the house and fans alike.

Drama, drama, drama

Fleming also found herself in the hot seat when her boyfriend Simon Marco joined the house, causing some friction between her and some housemates who did not take to him. Silas Cooper, in particular, did not care for Marco, causing a major feud between him and Fleming. As of right now, Fleming and Marco are still in a long distance relationship, and time will tell whether or not he joins the group once again for a visit during season 2.

Jordan Emanuel and Amir Lancaster were also center stage in the first season, as Lancaster pursued Emanuel romantically. While she eventually kept him in the friend zone, Emanuel said during the finale that the two remain close as friends. “Out of everyone, my friendship with Amir has blossomed the most during our time in Martha’s Vineyard,” she explained. “And I would say he’s now one of my very close friends.”

Jasmine Cooper and Silas Cooper also had some tough moments during the season, saying during the finale that they planned on attending couples therapy upon returning to New York. Since then, however, the couple have excitedly reached a brand new chapter: parenthood. They welcomed their first child together, Silas ‘Si’ Geplay Cooper Jr., earlier this year. Jasmine previously announced her pregnancy at BravoCon last year.

Luckily, all eight episodes of “Summer House: Martha’s Vineyard” are available to stream on Peacock, making for a perfect binge this weekend. Season 2 premieres with a supersized episode on Sunday, March 24, at 9 p.m. ET/PT, with episodes streaming the next day on Peacock.

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