Photo: HBO Max

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Based on the award-winning short and book Hair Love by Matthew A. Cherry, Young Love is about the Chicago-based Young Love family, parents Angela Young and Stephen Young, and their six-year-old daughter, Zuri Young Love.

Each character has their own journey. After surviving cancer, we see Angela integrate back into the world and her job as a hairdresser, Stephen is trying to make it as a music producer, and Zuri is trying to rule first grade. The world of the short is expanded with more characters and stories, including Angela’s parents, Zuri’s classmates, Stephen’s nephew Ahmir, and rapper Lil Ankh.

The series stars Scott “Kid Cudi” Mescudi as Stephen Love, Issa Rae as Angela Young Brooke Monroe Conaway as Zuri Love-Young, Loretta Devine as Gigi Young, Harry Lennix as Russell Young, Tamar Braxton as Star, and Sheryl Lee Ralph as Sheree.

I talked to supervising director Mark Davis about how they expanded the Hair Love universe, why they decided to make this a family show instead of a preschool show, the show’s live-action influences, and how they went about creating the hair.

Hair Love premieres September 21 on Max.

Buy The Book

Hair Love at Amazon