8 Black TV Shows You can Binge for BHM or Anytime.

Hannah Cole
3 min readFeb 10, 2021

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In celebration of Black History Month, I decided to put a small list together of some of my favorite television shows starring a few of our favorite celebrities. Here is a shortlist of shows I enjoy and I hope you will too.

The PJs

One of the first Black animated primetime shows, Eddie Murphys ‘The PJs’ comically captured a satirical view of his early childhood experiences. One of my favorite characters from the series is the ‘Haiti Lady’ and is voiced by Cheryl Francis Harrington. You can stream ‘The Pjs’ on Pluto TV.

Black Jesus

From the creator of the ‘Boondocks, ‘ Black Jesus’ follows...Jesus around Compton as he spreads his positive message of love and peace. It is so chaotic but in a good way. The jokes and situations are shockingly funny and the shows positive message is genuine. Black Jesus can be streamed on Adult Swim.

Living Single

Queen Latifa blessed us with this gem in the early 90s and I find myself identifying with and having a better understanding of some of the plot themes now that I am an adult. Living Single is syndicated on a few networks but you can also stream on Hulu.

Boondocks

If you have never seen any of the Boondocks episodes then I envy you. I am a little late to this series myself, catching the repeats on Adult Swim after the show ended in 2014. The Boondocks captured many nuances of black culture unlike any show has before it or since. You can stream on HBO Max.

№1 Ladies Detective Agency

This highly underrated comedy-drama with Jill Scott and Aniki Noni Rose is based on a novel series by Alexander McCall Smith. Jill Scott is Precious Ramotswe who has opened Botswana’s first female-owned and operated detective agency. The show was also filmed there. The cases she is tasked with are funny and intriguing. This show reminds me a little of ‘Monk’, but with depth. You can stream the. №1 Ladies Detective Agency on HBO Max.

Hangin With Mr. Cooper

This is a wholesome family-friendly sitcom that stars comedian Mark Curry as an injured basketball star turned Jr. High School, basketball coach. The show also stars Holly Robinson Peete and Dawn Lewis from ‘A Different World’. Raven Simone joins the cast in season 2. Hangin’ With Mr. Cooper can be viewed on Hulu.

South Central

This is a show that might be lost in time. I enjoyed this as a child and maybe you will enjoy it now. It stars young Larenz Tate as a teen living with his single mother and teenage sister and younger brother. The theme is a little dark, it deals with gang violence and poverty. But, it has a few gems and it’s exciting to see some of our faves at the start of their careers. You can watch episodes of South Central on YouTube.

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