The show foregrounds issues of race, gender, and sexuality, occasionally letting identity topics drive storylines. There’s a strong focus on Mary Jane’s identity as a Black woman in media, sometimes at the expense of more organic character development. However, she’s flawed and complex, avoiding some of the more egregious hyper-competence common in similar “woke” offerings.

“Being Mary Jane” often questions traditional family, relationship, and gender dynamics. Masculinity and classic familial roles are frequently scrutinized, with Mary Jane’s independence held up as an ideal. Nonetheless, it doesn’t completely caricature or dismiss tradition, more often, it’s portrayed as fraught or complicated rather than outright ‘bad.’

The show’s perspective is unapologetically progressive, and while some dissent is nominally represented, alternative worldviews and traditional values are rarely given space or respectful treatment. Most main characters share essentially the same ideological outlook, limiting narrative pluralism.