Essence Atkins is a beautiful lady and an accomplished actress. She has worked in the industry for a long time, and fans have enjoyed her in many television shows and films. She has been a series regular on lots of great programs and has taken the lead in a number of highly-rated movies.
Essence commands the camera on dramatic films and keeps the laughs rolling on well-written sitcoms. We can’t get enough of Essence Atkins and her talent, so here are her ten best films and television shows, according to the ratings on IMDb.
10 From This Day Forward (5.9)
From This Day Forward is a 2012 movie about two couples (not to be confused with the 1946 film of the same name). Atkins plays Patrice, a beautiful woman who is learning difficult lessons as she works through some problems in her marriage. The movie is available to buy or rent on Amazon Prime and can be purchased or rented on YouTube.
9 Deliver Us From Eva (6.0)
Essence fits in well with a star-studded cast in Deliver Us From Evil. The two leads were LL Cool J and Gabrielle Union. Union plays Eva Dandridge, a responsible woman who has taken care of her three sisters ever since their parents died. Essence Atkins plays Kareenah, one of the Dandridge sisters. The three sisters each have a leading man of their own, and the men are tired of Eva’s involvement in their lives, so they pay LL Cool J’s character, Ray, to take Eva off their hands.
8 Coins for Christmas (6.4)
Essence is the lead in a Christmas movie about a single mother who is struggling financially. Madison is having a rough time. The IRS has frozen her account, she loses her job, and she has no help. Madison puts her talents to work in the gig economy, and she finds an unlikely business partner in former football player Alec Darby.
7 Malibu Shores (6.6)
This short-lived television drama, which was on NBC, focuses on friends from different socioeconomic backgrounds. Some are wealthy Malibu kids, and others are in the working class of the San Fernando Valley. Essence played Julie Tate opposite Keri Russell’s Chloe Walker in all ten episodes of the 1996 series.
6 Love Song (6.7)
This MTV movie from 2000 features Essence as Toni, the lead’s close friend and roommate. The story follows the romance of a Black college student named Camille whose engagement is in trouble when she falls in love with someone else, a white musician. Toni starts off crying at the beginning of the movie because of a break up, but she is quickly shown to be a strong woman and an incredible spoken word artist. The full movie can be found on YouTube.
5 Girlfriends’ Getaway (6.8)
Bridal movies, specials, and reality shows have long been a mainstay in popular culture. Essence Atkins plays a bridesmaid in the 2015 comedy, Girlfriends’ Getaway 2. The wedding takes place in Puerto Rico, but a year before the sequel, the first Girlfriends’ Getaway was a destination movie set in Trinidad.
Essence Atkins is the same character, Lauren, in both the sequel and the original. The first movie was the better-rated film of the two, with the second coming in at 6.3.
4 Half & Half (6.9)
Essence Atkins played Dee Dee Thorne on Half & Half. Dee Dee and her paternal half-sister, Mona, aren’t exactly two peas in a pod. They are disappointed to be living in the same apartment building. The sisters have a lot of catching up to do, but they become much closer as the show progresses. The successful sitcom aired on UPN for four seasons. It was canceled when the CW network replaced UPN in 2006.
3 Marlon (7.0)
Marlon was on the air for two seasons and was “loosely inspired by the real life of star Marlon Wayans,” according to NBC. Atkins played Wayans’ ex-wife, Ashley. In the series, Marlon and Ashley attempt to co-parent their two children. The show can currently be found on Netflix.
2 Smart Guy (7.4)
Essence starred in the late-1990s hit Smart Guy alongside Tahj Mowry, Jason Weaver, Omar Gooding, and John Marshall Jones. Essence plays Yvette Henderson, the sassy, smart, and cool big sister of Mowry’s title character, T.J.
Her outfits are fabulous, her presence is refreshing, and her wit comes through in her lines. This show originally aired on WB but was in syndication on the Disney Channel for many years. After a long stretch of being kind of hard to find, Smart Guy is finally on a streaming service thanks to Disney+.
1 Same Difference (8.5)
Same Difference is a 2019 mystery film. Essence Atkins employs her dramatic talents in a double role as Tonya and Shauna. A strange group tells Tonya that she is going to die, and the people in the group keep dying. Tonya decides to make amends with her sister Shauna, who struggles with an addiction to alcohol. Written and directed by Derege Harding, the film was part of the American Black Film Festival. Atkins was also an executive producer for this project. You can find a trailer for the film at the Black Cinema Connection blog.
