HOLLYWOOD─Very rarely do I fall in love with a new TV show right away. In most cases it takes a few episodes before I became enamored with a series, but the new OWN series “Cherish the Day” by acclaimed director Ava DuVernay is fantastic. I seriously cannot recall ever watching a series on TV that chronicles the trials and tribulations of Black romance in a way that pierces through the soul. You see yourself in our two main characters, you grapple with the family dynamics and it makes you think about love in a way that you never have before.

Look, we all know it’s a TV series and nothing ever has that happily-ever after, but the authenticity and the visceral truth in this storyline is so damn fantastic America. I’m not going to rehash the narrative because I did that a few weeks ago when the series premiered, but we follow the romance between Evan and Gently; two individuals who just happen to cross paths at a library, where an instant attraction takes place.

Their first date is a complete disaster. I mean what felt like a whirlwind romance crashes and burns when Evan offends Gently when he digs a bit deep to learn more about her past. Was it intentional? Nope, but when a person has their guard up in terms of romance, you never know what button you push will change things. The great thing about this series is each episode transpires in a single day so the audience is NOT being hit with too much at a single time; we’re given slices of life and it’s fun to watch things unfold. While the first date went horrible, a year later the two encounter each other on a fluke, and give their romance another shot.

Things start to look up, but friction between Evan’s family and their wealth conflicts with Gently and her free spirit. Yes, we hear time and time again how people from different worlds can clash, but the love between the two is so strong none of that matters. We see that clearly with Evan’s mother and his father. His father seems more laid back, while dear ole’ mom is all about impressing the world, and doesn’t care who she offends in that process.

That leads to the next progression in their love where Evan decides he wants to make Gently his wife, but she has this wall up, and she shuts Evan out, so much to the point it breaks your heart as a viewer. Women tend to think men always have some sort of agenda in play, and that is not always the case. Sometimes love is love and as gentlemen we want to treat our queen like a queen, and there should not be a question of some sort of angle in play. When you’re in love, there is no way to actually put into words what it is you feel about the person. They light up your smile, they warm your heart and we see that with Evan. However, with Gently it takes time for her to allow someone to love her fully out of fear they might abandon her the same way her mother did.

Yes, Gently has parental issues, mainly abandonment concerns because of what her mother did to her. We see Evan chip away at those walls as time progresses and it’s amazing to watch. We recently got to that moment where Evan and Gently were planning their wedding, and like any couple it’s all about compromise. Evan wants this, while Gently wants that, and when you have outside factors like family interrupting it causes friction in the relationship. As an end result, the two decided: let’s just elope.

We’ve already shot past five episodes, and there are only a few more episodes before the first season of the series wraps. What I love is the fact that each episode seems to outdo the previous episode which is a rarity in the TV world. The last TV show I recall being able to do such a thing was the first season of “Empire” and as we all know the rest is history. The writing is pure, the acting is stellar and the chemistry between the series two leads cannot be explained with words.

“Cherish the Day” is a must-see for anyone who is a hopeless romantic, has ever been in love or questions the notion of love as we know. Remember love does not discriminate and it’s the one thing as Americans we all want. New episodes of “Cherish the Day” airs Tuesdays at 10 p.m. on OWN.