Let us look into The Best Black Shows on Netflix, African American culture, their Socio-economic status and lifestyle, black films cover a wide range of topics. African-American films have been around for a long time since the breakthrough of ‘The Cosby Show’. There are still some shortcomings when it comes to honest entertainment, but as the saying goes, “Something is better than nothing.” If you’re looking for really interesting black TV series, we have coverage for you. Here is a list of the best African American movies on Netflix that can be streamed today.

The Best Black Shows on Netflix

15. Greenleaf (2016)

14. All American (2018)

April Blair’s ‘All American’ premiered on The CW on October 10, 2018. Based on the true storey of great football player Spencer Paysinger, it follows the life of a young high school boy from South L.A. He has been chosen to play for Beverly Hills High School. However, because he is from Crenshaw, he has difficulty adjusting to his new family in Beverly Hills.

13. Black Lightning (2018)

‘Black Lightning,’ created by Salim Akil, debuted on The CW in 2018. The major plot revolves around the DC Universe superhero character of the same name. Cress Williams plays the protagonist, while other cast members include China Anne McClain, Nafessa Williams, Christine Adams, Marvin Jones III, Damon Gupton, James Remar, and Jordan Calloway. The show follows Black Lighting’s life, his heroics, and the consequences for his family. After nine years, he returns to his vigilante duties after a local gang known as The 100 causes heightened levels of crime and corruption in his community.

12. Grand Army (2020)

Katie Cappiello created ‘Grand Army’ from her well-known work, ‘Slut: The Play.’ The show features many concurrent plotlines that follow various students at Grand Army High School, a prestigious public high school in Brooklyn, New York. The series explores the interactions of its characters, as well as their hopes, dreams, and heartbreaks. In ‘Grand Army,’ there are several strong black characters. Dominique “Dom” Pierre, played by Odley Jean, is a hardworking student who must combine education and her responsibilities to her family. There’s also Jayson Jackson, played by Maliq Johnson, a talented young musician who is forced to face the wrath of a vengeful system as a result of a foolish prank.

11. Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous (2020)

Darius Bowman (Paul-Mikél Williams) inherited his late father’s love of dinosaurs. It has been a lifelong ambition of both of them to visit Jurassic Park. Darius has taken on the task of keeping the dream alive since his father’s death. Darius earns the opportunity to join an adventure camp on the opposite side of Isla Nublar with five other youngsters after successfully completing an allegedly unwinnable computer game. He can’t keep his excitement in check at first. However, as is common on that island, dinosaurs escape their cages and cause widespread devastation. If the teenagers are to live, they must band together.

Aside from Williams, the cast of ‘Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous’ includes Sean Giambrone as Ben Pincus, Kausar Mohammed as Yasmina “Yaz” Fadoula, and Jenna Ortega as Brooklynn. It is critical to show young boys and girls that their idols can look like them.

10. #blackAF (2020)

There aren’t many self-deprecating sitcoms that are as sophisticated as Kenya Barris’ ‘#blackAF.’ The show presents a fictitious version of Barris’ life, including his relationships with his wife Joya (Rashida Jones), their children, and other family members. Barris belongs to the upper crust of society as a famous film and television producer, but his newfound wealth has come with it a slew of problems. The family, particularly Joya, is frequently unable to control their spending, which has been a source of tension between her and her husband.

The fundamental subject that ‘#blackAF’ discusses, like the rest of Barris’ creations, revolves around black identity. The family is dysfunctional to a painful degree, yet its members recognise when it is critical to set aside temporary disagreements and stand together.

9. When They See Us (2019)

‘When They See Us,’ created by Ava DuVernay, is a true-crime miniseries about the infamous 1989 Central Park jogger case, in which five youths from minority groups were falsely convicted of severe assault and rape of a white woman in Manhattan’s Central Park. The series follows the five protagonists through their arrests, convictions, incarcerations, and early post-incarceration years.

The concept of titling the series ‘Central Park Five’ was rejected by DuVernay. While it was true that the public knew Kevin Richardson (Asante Blackk), Antron McCray (Caleel Harris), Yusef Salaam (Ethan Herisse), Korey Wise (Jharrel Jerome), and Raymond Santana (Marquis Rodriguez) by this collective title, she believed that it dehumanised them. The miniseries takes a frank look at systemic racism in America, even in ostensibly progressive New York City. The four-part series has received overwhelmingly excellent reviews since its debut, firmly establishing DuVernay as a significant social-justice director.

8. Dear White People (2017)

‘Dear White People,’ a Netflix Original drama, is a comedy show about a group of black college students studying at an Ivy League university. The show focuses on subjects such as racial differences in America and socioeconomic stratification. Justin Simien wrote and directed this adaption of the 2014 film of the same name. The show’s concept is one episode per week, with each episode focusing on a different character and delving into their backstory, problems, and how they deal with and solve them.

7. On My Block (2018)

‘On My Block,’ a Netflix Original created by Lauren Lungerich, Eddie Gonzalez, and Jeremy Haft, is a highly unique coming-of-age show. It debuted with all ten episodes on March 16, 2018. The series, which stars Sierra Capri, Jason Genao, Brett Gray, Diego Tinoco, and Jessica Marie Garcia in the key roles, is around four teens who have been friends since childhood and join a new high school in a violent inner city of Los Angeles. The storey portrays how their ties are tested by this odd environment and how they strive to adjust to their surroundings. Following its debut, this show gained critical acclaim for its diverse ensemble, plot arcs, and performances.

6. All About the Washingtons (2018)

‘All About the Washingtons,’ created by Jeremy Bronson, is a comedy-drama that premiered on Netflix on August 10, 2018. Bronson is also the executive producer. The showrunner is Andrew Reich, and the primary characters are Joseph “Rev Run” Simmons, Justine Simmons, and Kiana Ledé. Despite the fact that the show only lasted one season, it is worth seeing. The plot revolves around Joey and Justine Washington, a married couple dealing with the ups and downs of raising a family. According to the official synopsis, the storey begins “when Joey decides to retire from a long career as famed hip-hop royalty, his wife Justine seizes the opportunity to pursue a career of her own now that Joey is available to focus on raising the kids and keeping the house in order.”

5. The Get Down (2016-17)

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‘The Get Down,’ produced by Baz Luhrmann and Stephen Adly Guirgis, is a compassionate, incisive, and fascinating musical drama set in the 1970s. It debuted on Netflix on August 12, 2016, for one season and two sections of five episodes each. The plot takes us to the South Bronx neighbourhood of New York City in the late 1970s and focuses on disco and R&B records. These songs can be played repeatedly and are commonly utilised as backing tracks by dancers.

The beginning of each episode features MC Books, a prominent rap artist who describes his experiences during his lifetime in front of a large crowd while playing at his concert in 1996, highlighting the emergence of hip-hop and disco music by focusing on a team of youngsters. This brief and snappy opener rap recaps the previous episode and establishes the storey arc for the current episode. The plot, which is told in flashbacks and combines real footage and newscasts from the 1970s, goes somewhat like this: Zeke, Books’ younger self, is a child poet in 1977 who lives with his aunt Wanda. His parents died a long time ago.

Along the way, he encounters Shaolin Fantastic, a graffiti artist and wannabe DJ. The trio joins forces with Zeke’s mates to become “The Get Down Brothers.” The group’s primary goal is to become famous in the music world and take over the city. We also meet Mylene, Zeke’s long-term sweetheart, who has her own dreams of becoming a disco singer and leaving the Bronx. However, she runs across a number of difficulties when trying to persuade her devout father. The series covers the group’s journey into maturity and depicts their future in the music industry, including peeks of the poverty and violence endured by those living in the Bronx.

4. Raising Dion (2019)

‘Carol Barbee created Raising Dion, a superhero drama series based on Dennis Liu’s comic book series of the same name. It follows Nicole, a single mother who raises Dion, a boy with magical abilities inherited from his deceased father. Nicole guards Dion as he learns to harness his powers and strives to become a hero. The series premiered on October 4, 2019, to favourable reviews from critics. Despite its action-packed plot, the series addresses difficult issues such as single parenthood, morality, and the need of strong mentor figures. As a result, it strikes the ideal balance between relatable and compelling storytelling suitable for the entire family.

3. She’s Gotta Have It (2017)

‘She’s Gotta Have It,’ produced by Spike Lee, is a comedy-drama show based on the 1986 film of the same name. Season 1 was published on Netflix on November 23, 2017 and consisted of ten 30-minute episodes. The plot centres around Nola Darling, who lives in Brooklyn and strives to pursue her true dreams while being engaged with her friends, struggling at her career, and juggling between her three boyfriends (Jamie Overstreet, Greer Childs, and Mars Blackmon), none of whom she is prepared to give up on.

2. Orange Is the New Black (2011)

‘Orange Is the New Black,’ aka ‘OITNB,’ is a black comedy-drama based on Piper Kerman’s memoir titled ‘Orange Is the New Black: My Year in a Women’s Prison’ (2010). It follows the lives of female prisoners at the all-women Litchfield Penitentiary, a minimum-security federal prison in upstate New York. This novel, told through the perspective of Piper Chapman, who is condemned to 15 months in prison, provides significant insights into prison politics, living conditions, bureaucratic corruption, and survival strategies.

Although the cast is not entirely black, several of the inmates are of African American descent. We meet Taystee, “crazy eyes” Suzanne, and Cindy, all of whom have gotten a lot of attention for their outstanding performances. This multi-award-winning (and possibly most-watched) Netflix series has also been praised for its ensemble cast, which did an excellent job portraying characters from many ethnicities and demographics in the United States.

1. Always a Witch (2019)

‘Always a Witch’ is set in the 17th century and revolves around Carmen, a 19-year-old woman who is also a witch. She works as a slave but falls in love with a white man. She is sentenced to death by being burned alive at the stake for committing a heinous crime. An elderly wizard, on the other hand, makes a suggestion: she will be sent to the current day, where no one believes in witches, if she swears not to use her magical skills again. Carmen accepts, knowing that this is her only chance to flee. She begins her new life in 21st-century Columbia by enrolling in college and making new acquaintances. But she is, after all, a witch. How long can she keep her truth hidden?