(Credit: Amazon Studios, Disney+)
It's always the right time to celebrate Black people’s accomplishments in America by looking back at their important past work and applauding today's great work. That work includes entertainment.
In the past, we'd subsist on Black History Month programming from cable or network television, where we’d enjoy the few shows or movies that the various channels happened to license. Those offerings weren't bad per se, but you can only watch Boomerang and Do the Right Thing so many times.
In 2025, however, video streaming services serve up a buffet of licensed and original top-notch programming. There's more space for Black content than ever before, as streaming services scramble to differentiate themselves. With that in mind, these are the films and television shows we plan to watch in celebration of Black History Month.
The 1619 Project
You’ve seen the articles, bought the books, and witnessed the controversy. Now, the Pulitzer Prize-winning 1619 Project is on Hulu as a streaming documentary series. Journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones and her collaborators wrote a series of essays digging deep into how slavery is inseparable from United States history. This show turns those essays into anthology-style episodes.
A Black Lady Sketch Show
Robin Thede and her collaborators prove that America’s most overlooked demographic can make some of its best comedy. Everything from dating to politics to hair gets skewered. Stream A Black Lady Sketch Show on Max.
Abbott Elementary
Quinta Brunson’s mockumentary series, Abbott Elementary, is an award-winning comedy sensation. Set in a predominately Black and drastically underfunded Philadelphia elementary school, the show follows flawed, well-intentioned educators who do the best for their students. Stream new episodes on Hulu or revisit the older seasons on Max.
American Fiction
Jeffrey Wright shines as a grumpy Black author in this biting yet humanistic Oscar-winning satire of race and the book publishing industry, based on the Percival Everett novel Erasure. Stream American Fiction on Amazon Prime Video.
Black Art: In the Absence of Light
Black Art: In the Absence of Light is a celebration of African-American art, a film based on David Driskell’s Two Centuries of Black American Art exhibition. Veteran documentarian Sam Pollard directs this look at that pioneering exhibition and all the artists that it inspired. You can find Black Art: In the Absence of Light on Max.
Bridgerton
When Shonda Rhimes announced that she was leaving ABC—where she created Grey’s Anatomy and Scandal—to sign a $100 million deal with Netflix, it sent shockwaves throughout the entertainment industry. Bridgerton was the first show to emerge from that deal. The show stars Phoebe Dynevor and Regé-Jean Page as Daphne Bridgerton and Simon Basset, Duke of Hastings, respectively, who fall in love during Regency-era London’s high society gatherings. The spin is that Simon is Black, and this era is a racially integrated alternate reality. Think Pride and Prejudice, but with Black people. Bridgerton is based on Julia Quinn’s nine-novel book series, reads that are available on Amazon Kindle or Audible. Want more? Check out the prequel spin-off Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story.
Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist
If you’re looking for some 1970s Blaxploitation energy in your true crime drama, check out the story of Chicken Man. After Atlanta’s top gangsters get robbed during Muhammad Ali's comeback fight, everyone's trying to crack the case and stay alive. Stream Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist on Peacock.
Freaknik: The Wildest Party Never Told
You had to be there. Atlanta’s infamous Freaknik festivals were as lewd and ludicrous as you can imagine, a spring break rite of passage for Black college students in the 1980s and 1990s. Revisit the beautiful madness by streaming Freaknik: The Wildest Party Never Told on Hulu.
High on the Hog: How African-American Cuisine Transformed America
Food and culture are inextricably linked. In the culinary documentary series High on the Hog, chef and writer Stephen Satterfield explores how Black culinary traditions play a vital role in understanding Black history. From Texas BBQ to Carolina rice fields to recipes passed down from George Washington’s slaves, the show is as devastating as delicious.
I May Destroy You
Creator Michaela Coel produces, writes, co-directs, and stars in this award-nominated television series. I May Destroy You follows writer Arabella Essiedu as she seeks to write a book following her sexual assault. Coel's own experience with sexual assault inspired the series. The entire 12-episode season is available on Max.
I’m a Virgo
Revolutionary musician turned revolutionary filmmaker Boots Riley turns the superhero genre on its head with I’m A Virgo. This show introduces us to a 13-foot-tall Black teenager, played by Jharrel Jerome, and the story only gets stranger and more insightful from there. Stream I’m a Virgo on Amazon Prime Video.
Kizazi Moto: Fire Generation
Kizazi Moto: Fire Generation is an exciting and inspirational animated anthology series highlighting up-and-coming African artists. These Afrofuturist shorts range from journeys into the spirit world to apocalyptic surfing competitions. Stream Kizazi Moto on Disney+.
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Ma Rainey's Black Bottom is the final film appearance of Chadwick Boseman, the actor who made a name for himself playing Black historical figures in films like 42, Get on Up, and Marshall (oh, you may have also seen him in Black Panther).
Viola Davis stars as the eponymous Ma Rainey, a blues singer in the 1920s who’s about to record an album with white producers. Boseman is Levee Green, the trumpeter for Ma’s band who wants to break out with his own compositions—something that the band is none too happy to hear. Director George C. Wolfe delivers this fantastic film, a movie produced by Denzel Washington and based on August Wilson's play. You can watch Ma Rainey's Black Bottom on Netflix.
Origin
With Origin, an adaptation of the Isabel Wilkerson book Caste, director Ava DuVernay attempts nothing less than interrogating the source of racism itself. From Jim Crow to the Holocaust to Untouchables, humanity’s dark desire to subjugate others gets put under a microscope. Stream Origin on Hulu.
Sorry to Bother You
Boots Riley's debut film is a leftist masterpiece that tackles not just race but also how capitalism seeks to reduce us to nothing but beasts of burden. It’s also incredibly funny, with great performances from Lakeith Stanfield, Tessa Thompson, and Danny Glover. You can stream Sorry to Bother You for free on Hulu.
South Side
Former Comedy Central show South Side just aired its final season on Max, so there's never been a better time to check out this laid-back, hilarious look at Black life in working-class Chicago. Officers Goodnight and Turner may be the best comedy cops of all time.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
Miles Morales’ Spider-Man journey continues in this gorgeous multiverse epic about defying fate. Meet all sorts of new Spider-People while reuniting with old friends. We're anxiously awaiting any news on the final movie in the animated trilogy. In the meantime, stream Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse on Netflix.
Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song
Criterion Channel has way too many excellently curated Black art films to list. Roots & Revolution: Reggae on Film! Harry Belafonte films! The Learning Tree by Gordon Parks. But if we have to recommend one, check out Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song, the legendary film that originated the controversial Blaxploitation genre. In fact, Criterion has an entire block of Melvin Van Peebles films.
The Underground Railroad
The Underground Railroad, Colson Whitehead's incredible novel, becomes Barry Jenkins' incredible miniseries. In a world where the Underground Railroad is a literal subterranean train, an escaped slave from the American South must contend with larger and increasingly surreal forms of oppression on the road to freedom. Stream The Underground Railroad on Amazon Prime Video.
Unprisoned
Tracy McMillan turns her real-life family tragedy into cathartic comedy with Unprisoned. When her father is released from jail, single mother and therapist Paige awkwardly attempt to integrate him into her life. Kerry Washington and Delroy Lindo make a great estranged duo. Stream Unprisoned on Hulu.
Explore More Black Art
There are more places and spaces where you can educate and entertain yourself. If you want to watch more Black art on streaming, here’s a list of the best streaming services to make that a reality. Learn how historians are doing their best to preserve Black internet culture. And if you want to hear the words of civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr., here are the services where you can find his speeches.
Mike Williams contributed to this article.