It's Been a Minute
It's Been a Minute

The Good, the Baddies, and the Ugly

September 16, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

In 2018, television producer Lemuel Plummer launched Zeus Network, a subscription streaming service that costs six dollars a month and offers shows like Baddies, Joseline’s Cabaret, and Lapis de Résistance. The network’s flagship franchise, Baddies, began as a reunion special for cast members of the mid-2000s reality show Bad Girls Club and has since expanded into a multiverse of content: Baddies East, Baddies West, Baddies Midwest, Baddies Caribbean, and Baddies Africa. The premise is simple—young women (and sometimes young men) travel the country doing club promotion gigs or live together in a house barely big enough to contain all the personalities. The real draw, however, is the fights. At any point, sometimes for no reason at all, a conversation can escalate into an all-out, unedited brawl. The official Zeus YouTube channel has 1.21 million subscribers, and trailers for shows like Baddies West consistently pull one to five million views. The company claims a global reach of over 100 million people across its cast members, influencers, and content creators. Plummer has said the network offers a “raw, real, authentic look at life.” But as Dr. Donitra C. Allison, professor and chair of Africana Studies at Stockton University, explains in this episode of It’s Been a Minute, the Baddies house starts to look less like a paradise and more like a pressure

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What you'll learn

  • 1 (00:21) **Reality TV Spectrum & Zeus Network Introduction** - The episode opens by placing Zeus Network at the "chaos" end of the reality TV spectrum, introducing its founding and the Baddies franchise as its core product.
  • 2 (03:11) **Expert Introduction & Historical Context** - Host Brittany Luse brings in Dr. Donitra C. Allison to discuss the historical roots of this type of reality TV conflict.
  • 3 (06:28) **Entertainment vs. Harm: The Core Tension** - Dr. Allison explains the dual nature of the shows: they are an "escape" for viewers but harmful in their portrayal of Black women.
  • 4 (08:43) **The Appeal of the Talent vs. The Pigeonhole** - The conversation acknowledges the genuine talent and charisma of some cast members, while exploring the professional trap this creates.
  • 5 (12:01) **The Escalation of Violence and Real-World Harm** - The discussion focuses on how the show’s violence harms both the participants and the broader community of Black women.
  • 6 (16:06) **Responsibility, Stereotypes, and the "Sapphire" Trope** - The host asks if it is Black women’s responsibility to manage others' expectations, leading to a deep dive into historical stereotypes.
  • 7 (19:33) **The "Raw and Real" Framing & Misajenoir** - The host examines how the network’s branding of "authenticity" and the rise of former cast members to executive positions complicates the critique.

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Show Notes

Are we living in a Baddies Revolution?

We just might be. Over the past few years, the Zeus Network franchise Baddies has steadily grown in virality, capturing dozens of young people on camera as they party, promote clubs, and most of all, fight each other. But where do shows like Joseline's Cabaret and Baddies USA sit in the long history of Reality TV, and what can they tell us about what young people feel is possible for themselves? To find out,  Brittany is joined by Dr. Donnetrice C. Allison, professor and chair of the department of Africana studies at Stockton University.

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