The Golden Age of Blackness is Coming to Netflix: Why it’s Essential

Sister Sister (1994)

On July 29th of this year, Netflix announced that several Black television shows would be coming to its platform through its Black content page known as, “Strong Black Lead.” Shows like Moesha, Girlfriends, Half & Half, The Parker’s, and other Black sitcoms that were largely popular in the late 90s early 2000s are now coming to streaming for both younger and older generations to enjoy. Along with the fantastic news, some of our favorite stars got to share their excitement with us! Some of the people who brought in the announcement included Traces Ellis Ross (Girlfriends), Flex Alexander (One on One), Jackée Harry (Sister, Sister), Essence Atkins (Half & Half), and many others.

Not only did these shows have the ability to make viewers laugh, but they also were a celebration of Blackness and the many forms that it comes in—we were able to see Black people who were diverse in complexion, character, and socioeconomic class.

One of the many people we can thank for this is Jasmyn Lawson, Netflix’s manager of editorial and publishing. By working with Netflix’s Strong Black Lead department, Lawson and others have been able to push for more Black content, whether it be amplifying Black voices in front of the cameras or Black creators and artists behind them. Instead of simply saying that they value what Black people have to offer, they’re making sure to put their money where their mouth is and give them a seat at the table and more opportunities than before.

In a statement to Deadline, both Jasmyn Lawson and Bradley Edwards had this to say about putting these fan favorites on the platform. “We admit it, we grew up watching a lot of TV. And some of the beloved black sitcoms of the Nineties and early aughts had a huge impact on us. These shows made us laugh, and cry and sing along with those catchy theme songs. And most importantly, we felt like we saw ourselves on screen — in some cases for the very first time. Every week we were able to tune in to see people, families and friends that looked like us and characters whose everyday ups and downs reflected black life in an authentic way.”

With sitcoms such as Sister, Sister and One on One, many young Black kids growing up got to see themselves on the big screen and relate to the everyday struggles of characters like Tia and Tamera, or Breanna and Arnaz. In a time where people in media are fighting for Black representation to come in the various forms that it exists in, it’s nice to remember a time when the lives of Black America were reflected in television and when there was no brown paper bag test. Many platforms, including Netflix, have repeatedly been called out for the lack of range in skin tones and hair texture surrounding characters. People have even asked, “Where did all of the dark skinned representation go?” 

Although these sitcoms are not creations of Netflix, showing them on such a large scale for all of the world to see is definitely a step in the right direction.

Black television in the late 90s early 2000s was the blueprint for many of the shows we enjoy today. Without Living Single and Girlfriends, you can best believe that there would be no Insecure. If The Game didn’t exist, we might not have All American today. Such memorable television has paved the way for many of the shows that we enjoy today. 

Another reason that these sitcoms are essential is because while they were shows that revolved around Black lives, they weren’t centered around Blackness as a whole—we got to see shows about Black people, not just people being Black. Some of the most refreshing storylines don’t use Blackness as the plot, but rather only as a part of the character’s identity instead. While we exist in our Blackness, there’s far more to who we are and who we will become than just our race. 

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