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Here’s Every New Black TV Show You Should Be Watching This Spring

Photo: Courtesy of BET.
Once upon a time, we were a country — a proper country. In the golden age of Black Hollywood, which spanned the late 1990s to the early 2000s, we could flip to channels like UPN and BET to see ourselves reflected on a variety of Black television shows. Despite Hollywood’s halfhearted push towards diversity, it would take years before we’d happen across such widespread mainstream representation again. The 2016 season premiere of HBO original series Insecure ushered in an important new dawn for the industry. The show, which starred Issa Rae as its chaotic lead, portrayed millennial Blackness without gimmicks or pandering. Over the course of its five seasons, Insecure quickly became a cornerstone of Black culture, and its controversial series finale left many of us wondering, “What’s next?”
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We’ll never have another Insecure — though I’d take a cast reunion or a two-hour film, please and thank you! — but luckily for us, Blackness isn’t a monolith, which means that there are limitless relevant stories about our different experiences just waiting to be told. And just in time, a new crop of talented storytellers has emerged to keep us entertained. Whether you’re looking for steamy romance, historical takes, horror anthologies, or reboots of the classics, the current TV landscape is bustling with unique narratives that touch almost every aspect of the culture.
Ahead, some of the best new Black shows that you should definitely be adding to your watchlist this spring. (Now you really can’t say that there’s nothing good to watch on TV.)
1 of 7

Diarra From Detroit


If you've ever been ghosted after a fairytale first date, this one's for you. In Diarra From Detroit, a recently divorced teacher refuses to accept that Chris, the Tinder date she spent one magical evening with, has left her high and dry. She wants an apology, or an explanation, so she sets out to find him. Instead, a twisty mystery unfolds as Diarra embarks on a chaotic journey tracking down a cold case involving a missing boy, and her missing man.

Who’s in it? Diarra Kilpatrick, DomiNique Perry, Morris Chestnut, Claudia Logan, Shannon Wallace, Bryan Terrell Clark

Where can I watch it? Now streaming on BET+ with new episodes dropping every Thursday
2 of 7

The Upshaws (Part 5)


Wanda Sykes. Need we say more? This comedy follows a working-class Black family in Indiana juggling financial insecurity and striving for a better life while dealing with the stress, and laughs, of their daily lives. In this season, Lucretia (Sykes) has moved in with her sister Regina (Kim Fields) and Bennie (Mike Epps) and, of course, hilarity ensues.

Who’s in it? Wanda Sykes, Mike Epps, Kim Fields, Gabrielle Dennis, Page Kennedy, Mike Estime

Where can I watch it? Now streaming on Netflix
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3 of 7

Genius: MLK/ X

Other actors have taken on the insurmountable task of playing beloved civil rights icons Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. in the past. In the newest installment of the Genius franchise, GENIUS: MLK/X, Kelvin Harrison Jr. Is MLK and Aaron Pierre is X and not only do they both live up to the task, they bring nuance and humanity to these larger-than-life historical figures.

Who’s in it? Kelvin Harrison Jr., Aaron Pierre, Weruche Opia, Jayme Lawson

Where can I watch it? Now streaming on Hulu
4 of 7

Loot (Season 2)

Loot is one of the most slept on comedies on TV. There, I said it. Maya Rudolph, one of our greatest living talents, plays Molly Novak, a billionaire who re-enters the workforce after her ex tech tycoon cheats on her and leaves her for a younger woman. After getting billions in the divorce, she throws herself into her charitable organization and finds herself independent, liberated, and ready to save the world.

Who’s in it? Maya Rudolph, Michaela Jaé Rodriguez, Joel Kim Booster, Ron Funches

Where can I watch it? Streaming now on Apple TV.
5 of 7

The Vince Staples Show

The show's official log line goes like this: "Kind of famous and sort of rich, rapper and actor Vince Staples navigates the challenges and surprises of everyday life in his hometown of The Beach." But The Vince Staples Show is hard to sum up in a sentence. We know Staples has chops from playing Maurice on Abbott Elementary but here he gets to show off new layers to his talent, and get vulnerable about his life.

Who’s in it? Vince Staples, Andrea Ellsworth, Watts Homie Quan

Where can I watch it? Streaming now on Netflix
6 of 7

Them (Season 2)

We weren't the biggest fans of Them, Season 1. It felt a little too reliant on racial trauma for hollow horror and entertainment. But one thing we're going to do is give Black creators another chance. Creator Little Marvin is back for another scary installment, and the premise is promising. Them: The Scare is set in Los Angeles in '91 and follows an LAPD Detective who is assigned brutal murder case that has the rest of the precinct shaken.

Who’s in it? Deborah Ayorinde, Luke James, Pam Grier, Joshua J. Williams, Iman Shumpert

Where can I watch it? Streaming now on Prime Video.
7 of 7

Queenie

Based on the book by Candice Carty-Williams, Queenie follows Queenie Jenkins, a 25-year-old Jamaican British woman living in south London, who is navigating between two cultures and fitting in nowhere. A breakup shakes Queenie to her core and she seeks comfort in all the wrong places.

Who’s in it? Dionne Brown, Samuel Adewunmi, Michelle Greenidge, Jon Pointing

Where can I watch it? Hulu (streaming on June 7, 2024)
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