Katerina Rodriguez/Staff Writer
At a time when our society is seeing an insurmountable amount of protests defending black lives against corrupt law enforcements, black storytelling stands to educate the public. Here are seven must watch shows that illuminate the power of black storytelling.
7.
Starring Regina King and Russell Hornsby, this Netflix crime drama navigates the all too common result of a black family who lost their fifteen year old son to a hit and run. In an emotional ten episodes, this show explores the aftermath of Brenton Butler’s murder by a white police officer responsible for the hit and run and the police department’s attempt to cover up the crime. Meanwhile, prosecutor K.J. Harper will attempt to charge the police department with hate crime in addition to murder. Viewers will not be able to stop watching this emotionally real performance that highlights the relationship between the black community and law enforcement.
6.
In this Hulu adaptation Celeste NG’s New York Times Bestseller, “Little Fires Everywhere”, follows the intertwining lives of Mia Warren and Elena Richardson as they navigate an idyllic bubble that is Shaker Heights. Starring Kerry Washington and Reese Witherspoon, this mysterious drama depicts the familiar racial prejudices of black single mothers whose peace is threatened when the Richardson family places the order and seemingly perfection of the community in peril. This inspiring story of family is illustrated as secrets are exposed, motherhood is threatened, identities are challenged, and the preservation of Shaker Heights’s idyllic bubble hangs in the balance.
5.
Aired on ABC’s Shonda Thursdays, this six season Peter Nowalk and Shonda Rhimes show, How to Get Away with Murder, saw a near 3.3 million viewers on its final episode. Academy award winning actress, Viola Davis, plays the enigmatic Annalise Keating, highly respected, black female criminal defense attorney and professor. When one accidental murder leaves to a domino effect, Keating fights tirelessly to battle alcoholism, racism, unemployment, and personal relationships while protecting the lives of her students. This crime-drama leaves viewers anxiously chewing on their nail buds while on the edge of their seats. Davis’s incredible performance surely marks Annalise Keating as an inspirational and incomparable character who served as the first black, bisexual female to lead a show in history.
4.
Zoe Kravitz stars in this Hulu original series, High Fidelity, that follows the life of Robyn Woods, owner of a record store, as she revisits past relationships in the gentrified city of Crown Heights, Brooklyn. Using music to navigate interracial relationships as well as Woods’s black heritage and black beauty, Kravitz delivers a comedic drama on the difficulties of moving on from relationships and navigating new ones in prejudicial conditions.
3.
Kenya Barris’s hilarious comedy, Black-ish, follows the fan favorite family, the Johnson’s, as Rainbow and Andre Johnson bring up their kids in a much different climate than their own upbringings. While a successful marketing director and doctor, this modern day parental duo is determined to remind their kids of their black heritage despite being a wealthy black family in a “white world.” Black-ish has proven to be a successfully educational and hilarious comedy with its six seasons drawing viewers into their living rooms and feeling a part of the Johnson family. Barris once again proves his ability to bring original, loved content to the screen in this Emmy nominated series, renewed for its seventh season.
2.
The Netflix Drama, Blood and Water, features an all black cast directed by Award-winning South African director Nosipho Dumisa, receiving an insurmountable amount of positive feedback. In this thrilling series, teenager, Puleng, seeks to uncover whether a private school girl she crosses paths with at a party is her sister that was abducted at birth. Following the grief of this family as they navigate years of wondering about the disappearance of their daughter, Nosipho Dumisa carefully cultivates each episode with the brilliance of black storytelling, leading Netflix to renew the show for a second season.
1.
Kenya Barris, writer of majorly successful movies and shows including Girls’ Trip, Barber Shop, Black-ish, Mix-ish, and Grown-ish, wrote and directed #BlackAF for Netflix. The entire ten episode season aired on April 17, 2020, and takes the audience along for a journey of a black family that rose to success through hard work and grit and yet still navigates the prejudices in modern day. This hilarious comedy centers around the family of Barris, including his lawyer wife and six children. While the actors/actresses playing his family are just characters, he intelligently includes his real kids names, personality traits and even nicknames. Journeying through Barris’s attempt to strengthen his relationship with his family as his second oldest daughter Drea, films a documentary on her family for film school, viewers will surely be binge watching this show in a day, wanting more hilariously original Kenya Barris content.
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