I want to start this post out by saying that there is ZERO reason to relegate enjoyment of Black achievement of any type to just one month. I’m definitely not here to try to do that. But, I do want to take some time this month and highlight some works (current and past) by Black creators/artists/etc. that I enjoy. Each week this month is going to have a different creative theme. This week I’m going to start out by highlighting some INCREDIBLE Black-led or majority Black cast TV shows.
So, without further ado, let’s do some listing!
Abbott Elementary
My partner and I recently started watching this and it is FUNNY. Created by, and starring Quinta Brunson, Abbott Elementary is a The Office style mockumentary series about a group of extremely dedicated teachers at a chronically underfunded school in Philadelphia. Not only is the show incredibly entertaining, it also brings attention to an incredibly serious issue – America’s chronic lack of funding for public schools. Although just now in its second season, Abbott has already won itself an Emmy, 2 Critics’ Choice awards, 4 TCA awards, 3 Golden Globes, and an AFI TV Programs of the Year award.
It airs on ABC, but can be streamed via subscription through Hulu, HBOMax, Fubo, or YouTube TV.
How to Get Away with Murder
Ok, full disclosure – I haven’t actually finished this one yet although the series ended in 2020. I’m a really slow watcher. I get distracted easily and tend to flit back and forth between shows (although really I give the majority of my attention to the same shows I’ve seen a billion times). But I have seen the first 2.5 seasons of HtGAwM and it is REALLY good. I mean, you really can’t go wrong with Viola Davis. And dark, twisty murder mysteries are 100% my jam.
This one follows a criminal defense professor who selects the best and brightest from her classes to assist her on her cases. But they soon find themselves involved in an increasingly complex murder plot. You can stream How to Get Away with Murder on Netflix.
In Living Color
I know this is a real throwback (running from 1990-1994), but I don’t care. This will always be one of the Greats. A Black-centric sketch comedy show, In Living Color provided us with some of the most amazing comedic actors/directors/etc. of the 90s. I mean, it was created by Keenan Ivory Wayans and starred Keenan Ivory and siblings Damon, Shawn, Marlon, and Kim, but also David Allen Grier, Jim Carrey, Tommy Davidson, Jamie Foxx, and Kelly Coffield Park. It also introduced the world to JLo. And it was unbelievably funny. With Tom and Tom, Wanda, Vera DeMilo, Homey D Clown, and Fire Marshall Bill as just a handful of truly standout characters, the show was, to say the absolute least, memorable.
Black Jesus
Running from 2014-2019, this is technically another oldie (sort of), but it is SO funny. It imagines Jesus as a Black man (seems more believable than a white Jesus anyway, if we’re being honest) living in mondern-day Compton, California and trying to spread acts of love and kindness. And naturally high jinks (that is spelled right. I had to look it up. I thought it was ‘hijinks,’ but what the hell do I know) can and do ensue. It came from the minds of the guys who brought you Trailer Park Boys and The Boondocks – they’re two different people, by the way. You can find it on HBOMax and Adult Swim.
Afro Samurai
Afro Samurai was a 2007 miniseries based on a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by artist Takashi Okazaki. And it is maybe one of my favorite pieces of television of the mid-aughts. It is set in futuristic feudal Japan, and tells the tale of a samurai on a mission of vengeance. Fucking classic! It is super violent, and the animation is glorious. You can watch it on Hulu.
Living Single
This one is also definitely older. I’m sorry, I have watched embarrassingly little modern TV. I’ve been stuck in an apocalyptic hellspace and only old, comforting television really works for me right now. But this one is so great. I promise. Running from 1993-1998, it’s one of few sitcoms of its kind that ever really worked for me. Imagine Friends, except their not a bunch of vapid, easily-hated twatwaffles. Or Seinfeld, but they weren’t a bunch of snarky, easily-hated twatwaffles. Sitcoms can be a tough sell for me, but Living Single is a straight up classic. It is a sort of slice-of-life of a group of single twenty-something friends/roommates in Brooklyn. I loved all of them. You can watch it on Hulu.
I know I’ve just rattled off a bunch of primarily older shows, so I would ask you – what are your favorite current shows starring primarily Black casts and/or Black leads?
Oh man, I just realized I forgot about Luke Cage. Let’s pretend that was up there too. I loved that show!
