Culture & Entertainment

11 Black-Led TV Shows Worth Watching This Year (So Far)

Taysha Robinson

Jan 25, 2019 18:30 PM +0000

I love television. And before you nod your head, thinking 'yeah, doesn't everybody', let me stop you. Everyone likes television, some only tolerate it, me, I love it. I used to spend every day of my childhood, and parts of my teenage years, imagining I was a part of whatever series I was currently binging.

But you see, that's the thing. I always had to imagine myself within the television shows in order to feel like I actually belonged in the show, as if the show was meant for audiences like me. For a Black girl like me. I imagined myself in shows because I couldn't find the Black representation that I needed. None of the characters talked like me and my friends. None of them dealt with the same problems of my community. None of them was the representation I craved.

Then, Marvel released Black Panther. As I left the theater, I released a breath I hadn't known I been holding. For the first time, I didn't have to imagine myself in the television, because for the first time I saw myself in every character. For the first time, the Black representation I craved was embodied in every frame. For the first time, I could find a hero who looked and sounded like me. Made by people like me. For the first time, in a long time, I – and Black people alike – finally had heroes who didn't have blue eyes and blonde hair. And that meant the world to me.

While we still have a long way to go, it should be acknowledged that Hollywood seems to be taking the right step towards diversity both in cinema and television, with films like the aforementioned Black Panther, Sorry To Bother You, and If Beale Street Could Talk making waves artistically and for the culture. To make sure that you are up-to-date with the melanated representation that's gracing our screens, here are the top Black-led TV shows that you should check out this January and beyond.

Season Premiere Date: January 2
Channel: Freeform, Hulu (available two days after episode airs)
After surviving freshman year, season two will follow Zoey (Yara Shahidi) and her friends as they take on sophomore year at Cal U with a renewed sense of confidence. In fact, they might be a bit too confident, naively believing that they will know exactly what to expect. Nevertheless, they will be quickly proven wrong. Attacking the issues of relationship and friendship rules, insecurities, anxiety, and everything in between, Grown-ish will show that the group and the show are coming into their own.
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Midseason premiere: January 8
Channel: ABC, Hulu (available a day after episode airs)
The series revolves around Dre (Anthony Anderson), a family man who struggles with finding his cultural identity while raising his kids in a white neighborhood. With the help of his wife, Rainbow (Tracee Ellis Ross), the family deals with the issues of colorism, workplace racism, elitism, and more.
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Season Premiere Date: January 13
Channel: HBO, Hulu (with HBO subscription), and Amazon Prime (with HBO subscription)
True Detective is back, and just as before, we are following a new detective and a new case. This year, our detectives are played by Oscar-winner Mahershala Ali and Stephen Dorff. As Arkansas detectives, the two stars will be investigating the disappearance of two children. Like the first season, this iteration will span decades.
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Season Premiere Date: January 17
Channel: CBS All Access, CBS app
Star Trek: Discovery is back for its second season, with lead Sonequa Martin-Green as Michael Burnham. If you missed last season, there is no need to worry, Discovery is an anthology series that tells different stories each season, rather than a continuous one. This season the USS Discovery and its captain, Michael Burnham, must face the demons from her past, and the hunt is on for a set of mysterious signals that appear all across the Federation.
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BLACK MONDAY on SHOWTIME
Series Premiere Date: January 20
Channel: Showtime, Hulu (with Showtime subscription), and Prime (with Showtime subscription)
Don Cheadle, Regina Hall, and Andrew Rannells star in a Wolf of Wall Street-like take on the years leading up to the 1987 stock market crash.
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Midseason Premiere Date: January 21
Channel: The CW, Netflix (Season 1)
Former high school principal turned vigilante once more, Jefferson Pierce/Black Lightning and family return in hopes to defeat Tobias Whale and the arising anti-superhuman bigotry within their community. With a dynamic and African-American-led cast, including Cress Williams, China Anne McClain and Nafessa Williams, Black Lightning teaches us that in order to be a true hero, you must be willing to save those within your community.
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Premiere Date: January 27
Channel: Fox
The live musicals trend continues with a 20th anniversary celebration of the award-winning musical, RENT. It tells the story of a group of impoverished young artists struggling to survive and create a life in New York City's East Village in the thriving days of Bohemian Alphabet City, under the shadow of HIV/AIDS. With a cast including Brandon Victor Dixon, Jordan Fisher, Tinashe, Kiersey Clemons, Mario, Vanessa Anne Hudgens, and more, it will be nothing short of a season of love.
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Season Premiere Date: TBA 2019
Channel: FX, Hulu
Last year, the award-winning show Atlanta was back for its second season, titled "Robbin' Season," on FX and, now it's finally only streaming on Hulu. In just ten episodes, creator and star Donald Glover cleverly refers to the actual period of time in Atlanta, the city, right before the holidays where theft and robberies increase. With the use of the title being both literal and metaphorical, this season is all about the different ways in which someone can be robbed: of autonomy, of dignity, of expectations, of money, of respect, of safety, and so on.
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Season Premiere Date: TBA 2019
Channel: Showtime, Hulu (with Showtime Subscription)
Scheduled to return later this year, The Chi is an American drama series that follows and connects the lives of characters, Brandon, Ronnie, and Kevin, after a fateful turn of events sends shock waves through a community on the Southside of Chicago. Catch up before the sophomore season premiere on Showtime, or with your Hulu subscription.
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Season Premiere Date: TBA 2019
Channel: HBO, Prime (with HBO subscription)
Scheduled to return either in the Summer or early Fall, Insecure will return with characters Issa and Molly continuing to "glow up." Regardless, while you wait, catch up on Issa and Molly's "As Fuck," "Hella," and "Like" misfortunes on the HBO app or with your Prime subscription.
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Season Premiere Date: TBA 2019
Channel: FX, Prime (with FX subscription)
Returning in the Fall of 2019, catch up on the first two seasons of FX's new hit drama, Snowfall. Snowfall is an American crime drama television series that revolves around the first crack epidemic and its impact on the culture of the city.
Excited to see what else 2019 has in store for television and film!
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Featured image by Art Streiber/Freeform

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