Young Love (TV series)

Young Love is an American animated sitcom created by Matthew A. Cherry, based on the 2019 short film Hair Love. It premiered on Max on September 21, 2023 and ended on October 19, 2023 with 12 episodes.

Young Love
Created by	Matthew A. Cherry
Based on	Hair Love by Matthew A. Cherry, Everett Downing Jr., and Bruce W. Smith
Showrunners	Matthew A. Cherry Carl Jones
Voices of	Scott Mescudi Issa Rae Loretta Devine Harry Lennix Tamar Braxton Brooke Monroe Conaway
Theme music composer	Taylor Graves
Opening theme	"Young Love Theme"
Composers	Amanda Jones Taylor Graves
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	12
Production
Executive producers	David Stewart II Carl Reed Carl Jones Karen Rupert Toliver Monica A. Young Matthew A. Cherry
Producer	Karen Malach
Editor	Jeff Newman
Running time	20–26 minutes
Production companies	Sony Pictures Animation Lion Forge Animation Carl Jones Studios Cherry Lane Productions
Original release
Network	Max
Release	September 21 (2023-09-21) – October 19, 2023 (2023-10-19)

Plot

Taken after the events of Hair Love, parents Angela & Stephen Love and their daughter Zuri live in the West Side of Chicago. Angela works as a hair stylist at a salon. Stephen works as an electronic musician who collaborates with famous artists. Zuri Young Love is a funny and happy-go-lucky kid who loves her parents, her grandparents, Gigi & Russell Young, and especially her cat, Rocky.

Voice cast

• Scott Mescudi as Stephen Love
• Issa Rae as Angela Young
• Loretta Devine as Gigi Young
• Harry Lennix as Russell Young
• Tamar Braxton as Star
• Brooke Monroe Conaway as Zuri Young Love

Episodes

Mark A. Davis serves as supervising director.

No. in season	Title	Written by	Original release date
1	"Self Love"	Matthew A. Cherry Carl Jones Dayna Lynne North Ranada Shepard	September 21, 2023 (2023-09-21)
Taken 2 months after the events of Hair Love, cancer-free Angela goes back to work, Zuri goes back to school and Stephen goes to a mansion to meet Lil Ankh and tries to impress him as possible. Unfortunately, due to her parent's jobs, Zuri has to attend a school fundraiser alone.
2	"Just Love"	Jeanine Daniels	September 21, 2023 (2023-09-21)
3	"Work Love"	Keisha Zollar	September 21, 2023 (2023-09-21)
4	"Charity Love"	Juston Gordon-Montgomery	September 28, 2023 (2023-09-28)
Zuri invites her friend, Stacy over to her house, but finds out she's homeless and lives in a van. Meanwhile, Stephen tries to bond with his nephew, Amir
5	"Jingle Love"	Carl Jones	September 28, 2023 (2023-09-28)
After Lil Ankh disrespects Stephen's beats, he starts working for a questionable marketing firm. Meanwhile, Angela fakes being rich to impress a new client.
6	"Lost Love"	Brian Ashburn	October 5, 2023 (2023-10-05)
Due to an uncertain future he might have, Stephen might have to quit music. Meanwhile, Angela tries to find her true passion and Zuri attempts a career as an oracle.
7	"Game Love"	R. Malcolm Jones & Keisha Zollar	October 5, 2023 (2023-10-05)
Stephen gets addicted to a video game. Meanwhile, Angela and Gigi join forces to fight back against a shady pyramid scheme
8	"Chicago Love"	Brian Ashburn	October 12, 2023 (2023-10-12)
Amir embarks on an adventure with Zuri across Chicago while Stephen & Angela try to make the most of a rare free day.
9	"Protest Love"	Jackson DeLoach & Brian Ashburn	October 12, 2023 (2023-10-12)
After her boss is out of town, Angela decides to run the salon. Meanwhile, Zuri becomes a playground activist.
10	"Generational Love"	Kelsey Barry & Breannah Gibson	October 19, 2023 (2023-10-19)
When Zuri hangs out with her friends during a field trip to an amusement park, Angela feels a disconnection between her & Zuri. Meanwhile, Stephen pressures his nephew, Amir to become a sneakerhead.
11	"Faith Love"	Story by : Ranada Shepard & Brian Ashburn Written by : Ranada Shepard, Brian Asburn, Guillermo Martinez	October 19, 2023 (2023-10-19)
Zuri casts a heavenly spell on her classmates after a trip to church. Meanwhile, Angela and Stephen consult a financial advisor to help them with their bills.
12	"Love Love"	Keisha Zollar & Breannah Gibson	October 19, 2023 (2023-10-19)
After Zuri tries to propose to her friend, BJ at lunch, Stephen and Angela consider marriage. However, creeping doubts lead the couple to question about their nupitals.

Production

On July 7, 2020, HBO Max ordered a 12-episode animated series titled Young Love, based on the 2019 short film Hair Love. Matthew A. Cherry, who directed the film, and Carl Jones would serve as showrunners, and the series would be produced by Sony Pictures Animation, Blue Key Entertainment and Lion Forge Animation. Issa Rae reprises her role as the mother, named Angela, while Scott Mescudi voices Stephen.^[1]

Release

The series premiered on September 21, 2023.^[2][3][4] The first episode, "Self Love" was also released on YouTube and Video on Demand.

Reception

The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 100% approval rating based on 17 critic reviews, with an average rating of 8.4/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "'Vibrantly animated and brimming with authentic observations about family, Young Love is exemplary wholesome entertainment."^[5] Metacritic assigned a score of 80 out of 100 based on 6 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".^[6]