5 Black-led shows to watch during Black History Month

Black History Month is not merely a time to reflect. It is also a period to rejoice in the stories, voices, and creativity that are defining culture at the current time. TV has always served as one of the most effective methods of narrating a human story, and black creators, writers, and performers have been elevating the standards year after year.

The five following shows are not great only during Black History Month, but are great throughout. All of them have garnered great reviews and the sincere affection of audiences. They revolve around various genres and various aspects of the Black experience, but what they all have in common is that they are impossible to put down.

So pick up your remote, locate your streaming app, and be ready to find your next addiction.

5 Black-led shows to watch

Godfather of Harlem (MGM+ / Peacock)

Godfather of Harlem is a must-watch this February if you are a person who loves your television with a side of history. Forest Whitaker plays the role of Bumpy Johnson, the crime boss who was a real person who dominated the streets of Harlem in the 1960s. However, this show is not merely a crime drama. It is a blend of the civil rights movement, the emergence of the Black Power movement, the music, the politics, and the street life of one of the most iconic neighborhoods in America.

Forest Whitaker brings a bigger-than-life performance, which serves as the pillar of the whole series. The series combines real historical characters and fictional characters, and in doing so, it has made the fictional world both cinematic and, at the same time, very true to its time. It has been praised by fans as an entertaining show that does not simplify the history, and by critics as a sharply written show with an amazing production design. Godfather of Harlem is a show that you can always watch and learn something, and at the same time, you will find yourself glued to the screen.

BMF (Black Mafia Family) (Starz)

BMF (Black Mafia Family) is a powerful drama, which is founded on the true story of two brothers, Demetrius “Big Meech” Flenory and Terry “Southwest T” Flenory, who established one of the largest drug empires in American history, beginning with the streets of Detroit in the late 1980s. The show is executive-produced by 50 Cent, and it does not soften what it portrays, but instead does more than that: it shows why. The relationship between the two brothers, the strain of poverty, and the lure of easy money are all created with a realistic touch.

Those who love the show will always testify to the chemistry between the main characters and how the show can make you feel rather attached to characters who are engaging in the wrong activities. BMF is now considered one of the most-viewed programs on Starz and has had a devoted and enthusiastic fan base.

The Underground Railroad (Amazon Prime Video)

The Underground Railroad is directed by Barry Jenkins, who is the Oscar winner behind the movie Moonlight. The show is adapted from a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Colson Whitehead, which stars a young enslaved woman, Cora. She manages to escape a plantation in Georgia and finds out that there is a literal underground railroad: a real train system running underground that takes people to freedom. It begins there and follows a gorgeous and even surreal alternate history of American history.

The role of Cora, which Thuso Mbedu plays, is one of the most impressive acting performances in recent television history. The Underground Railroad is aesthetically beautiful and heart-wrenching, and it poses big questions regarding freedom, identity, and what America has ever meant to the Blacks. Critics referred to it as a masterpiece, and those who have watched it think that it changed the way they would perceive the history of this nation.

Snowfall (FX / Hulu)

Snowfall is a must-watch show in case you want to know what the reality is regarding what has happened to the black communities in America in the 1980s. The show was created by a renowned filmmaker, John Singleton, and it is filmed in South Central Los Angeles. It tells a story of a young Black man, Franklin Saint, who finds himself drawn to the crack cocaine dealing business when the crack epidemic is at its peak. However, it is not a drug show. It is a story of a family, community, and nation that did not take care of its own citizens.

Another thing that makes Snowfall different among all the crime dramas is that it is not about the drug dealing per se, but rather the poverty and oppression cycles that the drug trade offered an outlet for. You see Franklin make decisions that tear your heart, but you understand all of them, every single one. The show also explores something very unfamiliar to many: the role of the CIA in the crack epidemic and in funding the activities in Nicaragua by permitting cocaine to pour into American cities. It is the type of history that never got into a majority of textbooks, and Snowfall tells it with a lot of strength.

Queen Sugar (OWN / Hulu)

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Some shows entertain you. Queen Sugar does more, as it makes you feel that you are a member of a family. Produced by a renowned filmmaker, Ava DuVernay, and executive produced by Oprah Winfrey, Queen Sugar is a story of three adult siblings, Nova, Charley, and Ralph Angel, who have been reunited due to a tragedy within their family in rural Louisiana. Their struggling sugar cane farm of their late father is the core of the story, and the question is whether they can save it, save themselves, and save one another.

Nova is an activist and journalist who defends her people. Charley is a go-getter who is trying to live her life following a highly scandalous event. Ralph Angel is a young parent who is attempting to recreate his life following his release from prison. Three extremely different individuals, three extremely different directions, are united through shared history and land. Queen Sugar is a strong and beautiful representation of a Black American family, one that does not fear the difficult stuff. The series explores mass incarceration, land ownership, racism, community, love, and the real meaning of coming home.

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