Representation on TV: January Highlights Include ‘The 1619 Project’ and ‘All American’

Welcome to January’s Representation on TV Highlights! This month’s highlights include South Side, The 1619 Project, All American, and more.

We have exciting news from Netflix, Onyx, and The Television Academy. Read on to get all details.

In the News

Onyx Picks Up New Comedy from Gabourey Sidibe

• Inspired by her real-life experience, Sidibe will star in the series and act as an executive producer. Thembi Banks (Only Murders in the Building), Steven Canals (Pose), and Julie Bean (grown-ish) are also producers on the show.
• Banks and Bean will serve as co-showrunner, with Banks writing and directing the pilot.

Onyx To Produce Docuseries About Black Twitter

• The three-part series will chronicle the rise of Black Twitter as an influential and powerful force in American politics and culture.
• Insecure’s Prentice Penny is directing the series. This is his first project under his new deal with Onyx.

The Television Academy Appoints 2023 Executive Committee

• Casey Bloys, George Cheeks, Pearlena Igbokwe, Gloria Calderón Kellett, Lisa Nishimura, and Zack Van Amburg were all named to this year’s committee.
• The committee advises the Television Academy on diversity initiatives and other issues faced by leadership throughout the year. 

Netflix Launches “Created By” Initiative 

• The program will host 14 mid-level film and series writers nominated by a collection of organizations working to advance representation in media. 
• Those selected will receive script development deals and an invitation to participate in Netflix’s showrunner training lab.

GLAAD 2023 Award Nominations

• Some of this year’s TV nominations include P-Valley, Harley Quinn, Umbrella Academy, A League of Their Own, Interview With A Vampire, The Owl House, and The White Lotus.
• GLAAD’s award ceremonies will be held on March 30th in New York and May 13th in LA.

 

On TV Screens:

South Side

South Side is a half-hour comedy created by Bashir Salahuddin and Diallo Riddle. It follows two friends, Simon and Kareme, ready to make it big but stuck working at a Rent-T-Own in South Side Chicago. 

Simon and Kareme are the show’s most prominent characters, but it’s really an ensemble series populated by a colorful collection of oddballs. Every character has their own schemes and ambitions that make for some sublimely funny shenanigans.

Elevated by an excellent cast, the show uses absurdist humor to critique culture and politics with wit and insight. 

Whether it’s ambitious aldermen, bumbling cops, or Simon and Kareme’s ill-fated attempts at entrepreneurship, South Side always finds a way to make viewers laugh.  

All three seasons of South Side are available to stream on HBO Max.

The 1619 Project

Hulu’s six-part docuseries, The 1619 Project, is an expansion of the Pulitzer Prize-winning work by journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones. It reframes US history by placing the consequences of slavery and the contributions of Black Americans at the center of the nation’s narrative.

Hosted by Hannah-Jones, the episodes examine different parts of US history, culture, and politics to show how the legacy of slavery continues to shape American life today.

Hannah-Jones described the series as the story of America. “You can’t understand the story of America without understanding the story of slavery. It’s not a documentary about Black people. It’s a documentary series about America.”

Like the original work, the series challenges viewers’ assumptions about US institutions and culture. It asks them to expand their understanding of the American story, who shaped it, and how.

The 1619 Project is currently streaming on Hulu, with new episodes premiering Thursdays. 

All American

January was a big month for fans of the football drama, All American. Not only did it return with new episodes, but it also snagged an early season 6 renewal.

The show — inspired by real-life professional football player Spencer Paysinger — follows the ups and downs of a rising high school athlete from South Central LA recruited to play for Beverly Hills High.

All American consistently tackles timely topics, such as The Black Lives Matter movement, racial profiling, mental health, and police brutality.

Yet, as showrunner Nkechi Okoro Carroll makes clear, the show is about more than heavy issues or a singular Black experience. “We get to talk about the spectrum of Black experiences as opposed to just one particular Black experience.”

“We feel a responsibility to portray the joy and the resilience. It’s important to us that they get to still be kids on the show, even with everything going on,” she adds.

All American has slowly built and devoted fan base that made it one of The CW’s signature shows. Until recently, teen dramas had mainly been white. They depicted a limited range of experiences and perspectives. All American is helping to change that. 

All American currently airs Mondays at 8/7c on The CW. 

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