Dating in the Bay Is a Recipe for Drama on ‘Reckless Behavior’

Dating in the Bay is a drama series waiting to happen.

It’s a place where the pursuit of love is impacted by everything from real poverty to fake players. Everyone seemingly knows everyone, and far too many people are either on the periphery of the entertainment industry or have one foot in the streets. It’s a region where, for many, money is tight, so space and time for love is nearly nonexistent.   

Add the toxic yet universal elements of dating — lying and deceit, heartache and heartbreak — and you’ll understand what led San Leandro’s Michaela P. Shelton to create her scripted show, Reckless Behavior: The Series.

The show has two seasons currently available on Tubi and is set to launch its third season with a special pre-screening this Friday. It highlights dating issues from the perspective of Michaela’s self-titled character. She’s a quintessential millennial in her late 20s, navigating the job market and maintaining a roof over her head, while staying tight with her friend circle and seeking a healthy romantic relationship.

The show is full of drama but grounded in the tone of a modern sitcom, with funny banter and some well-written shady scenarios. There are a few jaggedly delivered lines and a handful of truly awkward situations. While that serves as evidence that not everyone on the cast is a trained actor, it also showcases a wide range of Bay Area personalities — beyond the archetypes of hyphy gangsters and slick-talking pimps.

The show also does its due diligence when it takes to a heavier tone, reminding viewers about the unsavory aspects of dating and socializing — drugs and alcohol, suicide attempts and depression, as well as stalking and physically abusive relationships.

Shelton, co-founder of Queen Media Collective, is a writer in real life as well as in the series. She says the idea started in 2015 as a radio show while she was a journalism student at San Jose State University. Three years later, Reckless Behavior became the name of her blog, where she covered her own dating fiascos and spotlighted local artists on the rise. Both the blog and the radio show were inspired by “the irrational decisions I’d make as a young adult,” says Shelton.

Although the show is centered on her post-college dating conundrums, Shelton says viewership has included her peers as well as people in their 40s and 50s. And the latter group has provided Shelton with some reassurance about her irrational decisions.

“It’s been older folks reaching out and saying they’ve been through something similar,” says Shelton. “We were all once young and dumb, and trying to figure it out.”

The fictional Michaela’s pursuit of love takes her to scenic Bay Area locations and well-known businesses, and the cast is full of recognizable faces from the local arts scene.

Rappers and comedians, models and tastemakers often show up as themselves and make brief cameos. Podcaster Shamari Ray Bell and KMEL host Gary “G-Biz” Bizer play two of the main characters. We also see beloved stoner and entrepreneur Oopz and talented MC Honey Gold Jasmine, as well as popular travel vlogger Brandon “Beejus” Robinson, event host and poet Tayleur Crenshaw (who produces events at KQED) and more.

“That’s intentional,” says Shelton, adding that she wanted to bring visibility to creatives who deserve more light. “I reached out to people and asked them if they had an interest in acting and expanding their skillset.” One of the many people who answered Shelton’s call was rapper and actor T. Carriér. 

Born in San Francisco and raised in Fairfield, Carriér has been in the music game for over a decade, working as an artist and as a manager.

Under his label Black Money Music Group, he worked with artists like Sage The Gemini during his run of hits, “Gas Pedal” and “Red Nose,” as well as “Panoramic” rapper Dmac and San Francisco’s Show Banga.

Carriér was already into making hip-hop music when he got his first taste of acting as a student at Fairfield’s Armijo High School. He credits a former teacher, Mr. Brown, who Carriér describes as an “old school Broadway theatrical guy,” for pushing him to find other ways to showcase his talents. “He introduced me to a lot of key factors of theater,” says Carriér during a recent phone call. “I started feeling like, let me learn more about this stuff.”

Carriér got the opportunity to show his acting skills on the heels of releasing a music project a few years ago; he and Shelton originally connected because she wanted to write about his music. The two stayed in contact, and when it was time to turn her blog into a streaming series, Shelton reached out to Carriér again.

“I‘d never heard someone doing that before, not locally,” Carriér says of Shelton’s dream to create a show. Carriér was excited to come onboard, but scheduling conflicts didn’t allow him to be as immersed in the first season as he would’ve liked. 

In the third season, Carriér has a reoccurring role as a playboy-type rapper named Passion. And behind the scenes, Carriér worked alongside Shelton and assistant director Lauren Rascoe to get hands-on experience as a director and producer. 

What’s more, Carriér says, is that the show has opened doors for him in the entertainment industry. This year, he’s done work with Keke Palmer’s KeyTV network and has worked on a spot for Reebok. 

“Because of this show,” says Carriér, “I’ve been able to showcase my talents and get more opportunities.” 

This growth in the world of acting comes at a trying time for Carriér, who lost his mother this past summer. After her death, he recommitted himself to going hard for his family and pursuing his dreams of being an entertainer.

Last month he dropped an eight-song EP titled Strength, and he’s on the verge of following up this month with another project called Focus.

With even more music and future acting gigs on the horizon, Carriér reflects on the driving force behind his latest push: “I promised [my mom], from this moment, that I got us. At this point I’m just trying to stand on that.”

In a humble tone, he says his goal is to “demonstrate some sort of strength and resilience” for his family, as his mother’s passing left them all with a gaping hole.  “Now I have to assume that role,” says Carriér. 

Carriér’s determination to succeed in turn has supported Shelton’s dream of being a writer, and vice versa. 

This symbiotic relationship illustrates how it’s bigger than a dramatic series about trashy dating experiences. It’s even bigger than putting on for the Bay. It’s honestly about fostering a supportive creative community and supporting one another as we move toward a common goal. There’s nothing reckless about that.  

The team behind ‘Reckless Behavior’ will hold a pre-screening of season three this Friday, Oct. 11, at Oakland’s Destiny Arts Center. Details and tickets here.