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91 Movies and TV Shows to Stream for Black History Month

To make Black History Month a bit more nourishing for everyone stuck at home, Fast Company has scoured the streaming services for a bounty of entertaining and often enlightening films and TV shows that showcase either Black stories or the talents of Black creators.

Have a look below at 91 movies and TV series to stream during this poignant Black History Month.

Fictional movies and shows rooted in history

Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom on Netflix
Da Five Bloods on Netflix
Mudbound on Netflix
Roots on HBO Max
Watchmen, on HBO Max, is a cultural powerhouse that audaciously grounds the classic graphic novel in a new, racially relevant context. It also provided a prescient history lesson on the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre nine months before a planned Trump rally brought it to the forefront of the national conversation.
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks on HBO Max

Biopics based on Black stories

Fruitvale Station on Netflix
When They See Us, on Netflix, is Ava DuVernay’s powerful, comprehensive 2019 miniseries about the Central Park 5.
Self-Made: Madam CJ Walker on Netflix
Loving, on Netflix, is an Oscar-nominated dramatization of the 1967 U.S. Supreme Court decision, Loving v. Virginia, that invalidated state laws forbidding interracial marriage.
Dolemite Is My Name on Netflix
Hard Lessons on Netflix
Detroit on Hulu
Nina on Hulu
Judas and the Black Messiah on HBO Max, due on February 12, tells the incredible true story of Fred Hampton (played by Get Out star Daniel Kaluuya), a Black Panther leader murdered by police, and the informant (played by Lakeith Stanfield) who helped them do it.
Just Mercy on HBO Max
The Hurricane on HBO Max
Malcolm X on HBO Max
Barry, on Netflix, is not HBO’s thespian hitman series but rather a film about the adventures of a collegiate Barack Obama.
Harriet on HBO Max
Get On Up on HBO Max
Ray on HBO Max
Confirmation on HBO Max
Bessie on HBO Max

Documentaries that tell Black stories

Time on Amazon Prime
I Am Not Your Negro on Netflix
What Happened, Miss Simone? on Netflix
Becoming, on Netflix, takes Michelle Obama’s bestselling memoir from page to screen.
LA 92 on Netflix and Burn Motherf**ker, Burn! on Amazon Prime both document the 1992 uprisings in Los Angeles following the Rodney King verdict that year.
The Last Dance on Netflix
Whitney: Can I Be Me on Amazon Prime
Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child on Amazon Prime
Mr. Dynamite: The Rise and Fall of James Brown on Amazon Prime
Whose Streets, on Netflix, documents the efforts of Black Lives Matter activists to bring national attention to the police killing of unarmed Black teenager Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri.
The Trials of Muhammad Ali on Amazon Prime
Anita: Speaking Truth to Power on Amazon Prime
All In: The Fight for Democracy, on Amazon Prime, chronicles Stacey Abrams’s fight against voter suppression in her native Georgia, a fight that culminated in Georgia going blue in the 2020 election.
The United States vs. Billie Holiday on Hulu starting February 26
Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami on Hulu
Time: The Kalief Browder Story on Netflix
Being Serena on HBO Max

Original movies and series from Black creators

I May Destroy You, on HBO Max, is a belated breakthrough for creator/star Michaela Coel, who is also behind the underrated gem Chewing Gum, which is also coming to HBO Max on February 1.
Moonlight on Netflix
His House on Netflix
Soul Food on Amazon
Chi-Raq on Amazon
Selah and the Spades on Amazon
Middle of Nowhere, on Netflix as of February 11, is Ava DuVernay’s 2012 film about a woman dropping out of medical school to help her incarcerated husband.
Sylvie’s Love on Amazon
Sorry to Bother You on Hulu is a constantly surprising surrealist critique of capitalism, from Boots Riley in his directorial debut.
Eve’s Bayou on Hulu
If Beale Street Could Talk on Hulu
Clemency on Hulu
Insecure on HBO Max
Lovecraft Country on HBO Max
The Book of Eli on HBO Max
Us on HBO Max
Drumline on HBO Max
Atlanta on Hulu
The Forty Year-Old Version on Netflix
Dear White People on Netflix

Topical standup and sketch comedy

Chris Rock: Total Blackout: The Tamborine Extended Cut on Netflix
Astronomy Club, on Netflix: Canceled before it got its due, this slept-on sketch series masterfully skewered the kinds of Hollywood depictions of Black stories that did not make this list.
Wanda Sykes: Not Normal on Netflix
Dave Chappelle: 8:46 on Netflix
Key & Peele, on Hulu, finds Jordan Peele melding comedy and horror with partner in crime Keegan-Michael Key, developing the singular point of view on American racism that now animates his films.

Classic sitcoms, old and new

Sister, Sister on Netflix
The Parkers on Netflix
Moesha on Netflix
A Different World on Amazon Prime
The Bernie Mac Show on Amazon Prime
Black-ish on Hulu
Living Single on Hulu
Family Matters on Hulu
The Carmichael Show on Hulu
The Wayans Bros on HBO Max
Fresh Prince of Bel-Air on HBO Max

Other movies and shows that tell Black stories

The Princess and the Frog, on Netflix, marks the introduction of Disney’s first-ever Black princess.
Pose, on Netflix, is the acclaimed series about ballroom culture in the 1980s, with a cast that actually reflects the Black trans originators who created it, while Legendary, on HBO Max, is a reality competition series that reveals how the culture flourishes to this day.
American Son on Netflix
Coming to America, on Amazon Prime, not to be confused with the sequel, Coming 2 America, due on Prime in March.
Fast Color on Amazon Prime
Kevin Hart’s Guide to Black History on Netflix
Bookmarks: Celebrating Black Voices on Netflix (Common)
The Read with Kid Fury and Crissle on Amazon Prime
Black Earth Rising on Netflix is a U.K.-set series about the prosecution of an African militia leader in the International Criminal Court. It’s another acting showcase for Michaela Coel, which originally arrived in between the two series she created herself.
Black Boy Joy on HBO Max
Purple Rain on HBO Max

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The Weeknd Still Not Being Asked to Participate in Grammys 2021, Interim Chief Confirms

The 2021 Grammys were postponed from January 31, 2021 to March 14, 2021, and the interim Grammy chief Harvey Mason Jr. has given an interview about the move.

The change was made due to rising Coronavirus cases in the United States and specifically, in the Los Angeles area.

“Doing it on January 31st, with the numbers and what was happening in L.A., just didn’t feel like the right move,” he said to Variety.

If you don’t remember, The Weeknd, who had one of the biggest albums of the year with Blinding Lights, was shut out of the nominations. At the time, The Weeknd called out the Grammys as corrupt. He also claimed the Grammys and him had been planning a performance for weeks at the time of the snub.

Now, Harvey was asked if The Weeknd would be more involved in the show now after all this controversy. He responded, “Not that I’m aware of.”

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Lil Nas X Reveals the Pandemic Delayed His Plans to Collab With Miley Cyrus

Lil Nas X revealed in a new interview on Wednesday (Jan. 6) that the global crisis impacted his plans to record with none other than Miley Cyrus.

“I had plans to work on this one song with Miley earlier last year, and then the pandemic happened,” he told host Andy Cohen during an appearance on SiriusXM’s Andy Cohen Live. “So we didn’t get to, like, meet up or anything. But, you know, maybe it’ll happen now.”

While the rapper didn’t share which song he had hoped to turn into a collab with Miley, he did spill about the last time he’d been in touch with her dad, Billy Ray Cyrus, who collaborated with him on his breakout No. 1 hit “Old Town Road” back in 2019. “The last thing that texted Billy Ray Cyrus was, like, how was he doing, maybe a month or so ago? Yeah.”

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Megan Thee Stallion Becomes First Artist to Have 3 Songs Atop Billboard’s New ‘Triller Chart’

Megan Thee Stallion’s 2021 is off to a tremendous start. The “WAP” rapper is officially the first artist to dominate the Billboard Top Triller U.S. chart.

Thanks to her hit “Cry Baby” that features vocals from DaBaby, she’s back on top of the chart that tracks how often a song is used in videos — like on TikTok — and the engagement they generate.

Prior to her most recent number one, Meg sent “Don’t Stop ft. Young Thug” and “Body” to the top of the chart in October and December, respectively, of last year.

“Cry Baby” has also enjoyed some heavy streaming activity and was listened to 10.8 million times in the U.S. last week.

The 25-year-old rapper was previously locked in a dead heat atop the Triller chart with influencer Dixie D’Amelio.

This is a newer chart that Billboard launched, as it only has been tracking since July 2020.

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Dr. Dre Shares Encouraging Message From Hospital While Recovering From Aneurysm

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Cardi B Doesn’t Let Her Daughter Kulture Listen to ‘WAP’ [VIDEO]

Based on how popular Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion’s “WAP” was in 2020, pretty much everybody has heard the hit single. That actually might not include Cardi’s own daughter, Kulture, though, as it looks as though Cardi doesn’t like Kulture listening to the explicit song.

In an Instagram Live video from after Christmas, Cardi is seen lip-syncing along to the song in her home, and a few seconds in, she notices Kulture entering the room in the background. When she turns around and spots her daughter, she quickly stops the song and exclaims, “No no no no no no no.” She then takes a drink, acting like nothing had happened.

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Diddy Surprised His Mom With New Bentley and $1M for Her 80th Birthday [VIDEO]

It must be nice to have a son who is also a famous rap star and multimedia mogul. For her 80th birthday, Sean “Diddy” Combs’ mom Janice received some truly extravagant gifts from her son, according to TMZ. Despite the ongoing pandemic, the Combs clan came together at a Los Angeles mansion for a celebration that saw the hip-hop tycoon surprise his mom with a brand-new Bentley. And while those can cost a lot to maintain, Ms. Janice should be covered for a bit because Diddy also gave her a check for $1 million.

While TMZ notes that the party included a rather large family gathering — which is discouraged under current COVID safety guidelines — the outlet also guessed that the attendees were all tested to ensure a lower chance of anyone giving an unwanted gift to the birthday lady.

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Rihanna Is Planning a Cookbook Full of Her Favorite Caribbean Recipes

Not only is Rihanna a musician, beauty guru, and fashion icon but now, she’s trying her hand at being a chef. The singer is looking to bring traditional food from her Barbadian roots to the table with an upcoming cookbook.

Rihanna revealed her plans in an interview with the UK tabloid Closer this week. Apparently, the inspiration to start a cookbook came from having the time to make home-cooked meals in lockdown. The singer said she “loves food from my Barbadian roots,” primarily the use of fresh fish. But even with the healthy options, Rihanna said Caribbean cooking can also lend itself to comfort food like mac ‘n’ cheese, shepherd’s pie, and rum punch (which are among her favorites).

Elsewhere in the interview, Rihanna spoke about how quarantine offered her a much-needed break from her busy schedule. “I love what I do – but I am always busy and quarantine gave me the time to do things I wouldn’t always have been able to do – watch an entire box set in a day, cook, go for walk,” she said. “It’s important we do little things we enjoy and are kind to ourselves.”

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21 Savage Played Secret Santa for Over 30 Kids in Georgia

21 Savage surprised a bunch of kids and their families when he played secret Santa … giving them exactly what they wanted from their Christmas wish lists.

The rapper and his Leading By Example Foundation hooked up over 30 kids from the Wade Walker Park Family YMCA in DeKalb County, GA for some much-needed relief and joy.

Lorna Loh, the Executive Director at that YMCA, tells TMZ … last week the kids were asked to write letters to Santa with their wish lists. Unbeknownst to the kiddos — and their families — the YMCA staff went on a shopping spree and bought everything on their lists … courtesy of 21 Savage and the foundation.

Some of the most popular items requested were LOL surprise dolls, Legos and Hot Wheels. The kids who benefited are in the YMCA’s virtual learning program … many of whom are on financial assistance, so you know this gesture went a long way.

Then, on Monday, parents brought the kids to the YMCA where the surprise was revealed. The kids were stunned, to say the least. Parents also got a surprise … the foundation provided each of them with 12 lb. turkeys along with the sides and trimmings for a true Christmas feast.

21 Savage was not at the occasion but his presence certainly was felt. He’s also no stranger to the YMCA — last Thanksgiving he was there to serve 300 Thanksgiving meals to needy families.

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COMING TO AMERICA 2: Eddie Murphy And Arsenio Hall Return to New York in Trailer [VIDEO]

It took 33 years to get Coming 2 America, the much-anticipated sequel to Coming to America, one of Eddie Murphy’s funniest early hits. Much of the original cast is back, including Murphy as Prince Akeem, Arsenio Hall as Semmi, James Earl Jones as King Jaffe, Shari Headley as Lisa, and Paul Bates as Oha.

In Coming 2 America, Akeem returns to Queens, New York, with an initially-reluctant Semmi at his side, after learning that he has a son. Here’s more:

Set in the lush and royal country of Zamunda, newly-crowned King Akeem (Eddie Murphy) and his trusted confidante Semmi (Arsenio Hall) embark on an all-new hilarious adventure that has them traversing the globe from their great African nation to the borough of Queens, New York – where it all began

Coming 2 America, which also stars Jermaine Fowler, Leslie Jones, Tracy Morgan, KiKi Layne, Shari Headley, and Teyana Taylor, premieres on Amazon Prime Video on March 5.

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