"Diarra From Detroit," a new show on BET+, could follow "Sister, Sister" and "Martin" as the next hit Black comedy series set in Detroit.

Why it matters: Detroit native Diarra Kilpatrick is the show's creator, executive producer, writer and star, Axios' Maxwell Millington reports.

• Prior to this series, Kilpatrick was a comedy writer and had recurring roles in HBO's "Perry Mason" and Tracy Morgan's sitcom "The Last O.G."

Zoom in: Kilpatrick's artistic background started at Bates Academy. She was part of the Mosaic Youth Theatre of Detroit and went to high school at Detroit Country Day.

What they're saying: Kilpatrick told Axios about capturing the Detroit experience at the show's premiere in Hollywood last week.

• "Anybody who said 'soda' on set was automatically fined — it's 'pop' or nothing," she joked.
• "I'm from all of Detroit," she said in an interview with Paper Magazine.

The actor also said she wanted to capture the city's east side vs. west side rivalry and showcase local businesses like Flood's.

• Kilpatrick is the half sister of former Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, per the Free Press.

The intrigue: The cast includes Phylicia Rashad and Morris Chestnut, with cameos from local celebrities like Kash Doll and John Salley.

Kilpatrick tells Axios she hopes lawmakers will bring back state film tax incentives for future seasons of the show to be filmed in Detroit. This season was primarily filmed in New Jersey.

• "It not only allows us to bring money back into the community and local businesses and feature local talent, but it also helps us get that special sauce of Detroit on screen."

Friction point: Industry advocates and Democratic lawmakers say a new form of incentives would help spur new production locally. But skeptical economists say economic returns have been underwhelming under similar measures.

• Stalled legislation to provide tax credits for up to 30% of a production company's local costs to produce a film was heard by a state House panel this year.

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Detroit's debt has received an "investment grade" rating for the first time in 15 years.

The big picture: Since its bankruptcy more than a decade ago, the city has been moving notch by notch toward investment status using conservative spending practices to get the city's finances back in order.

Driving the news: Moody's Investors Service upgraded the city's bond rating two notches to "Baa2" on Friday.

Context: The ratings depict the quality of a government's debt — or how likely the city is to be able to repay that debt without defaulting on it.

• A lower rating means buying the city's "junk" bonds is riskier for investors while a high rating means they're a safe bet.
• Some investors only look at investment-grade bonds, meaning the update opens the city's bonds to a bigger market.
• A larger potential pool of investors could lower interest rates on the city's bonds, meaning it would cost less for the city to borrow money.

The bottom line: "The city's tax base has doubled in the past five years and continued growth will be fueled by ongoing development and recent appreciation of residential values," Moody's wrote in its credit opinion.

• However, the city still faces challenges, including high resident unemployment and poverty, and a regional labor force that is too concentrated in automotive manufacturing.

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🎤 R&B singer Maxwell announced he's returning this fall to LCA for his Serenade Tour. (Detroit News)

🗳️ Volkswagen and the UAW agreed to a unionization vote at a Tennessee plant. With more than 4,000 workers, the factory would be the only non-Detroit Three automotive assembly plant in the U.S. to be unionized. (Axios)

🏀 Oakland basketball star Trey Townsend is expected to enter the transfer portal for his fifth year of eligibility. Coach Greg Kampe said he wouldn't blame Townsend for playing elsewhere, but he'd love to have him back. (Detroit News)

A new bus route taking riders from downtown to DTW started yesterday.

• One-way tickets are available online for $6, or $8 at the door.

Why it matters: Taking about 30 minutes, the service is the fastest, most direct bus service from the city to DTW and vice versa.

Driving the news: The Regional Transit Authority's Detroit Air Xpress (DAX) runs daily from 3:30am to 11pm.

• There are 16 round trips available each day with stops at both the McNamara and Evans airport terminals, as well Washington Boulevard and State Street, near the Rosa Parks Transit Center.

Between the lines: The route begins weeks ahead of the NFL Draft, which is expected to bring hundreds of thousands of visitors to downtown April 25-27.

• Travelers will ride in a luxury coach bus that includes WiFi, charging ports and luggage storage.

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Keep reading for DTW on-time departure data...

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Almost 88% of flights out of DTW departed on time in December.

Zoom out: Nationwide, more than 83% of domestic flights departed on time last December, Axios' Alex Fitzpatrick and Kavya Beheraj report from the latest Transportation Department data.

• That's a big upswing compared with December 2022, when Southwest Airlines' epic meltdown dragged the industrywide average down to about 70% for the month.

The bottom line: DTW's annual departure performance has been slightly better than the national average in each of the last five years.

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