Netflix Acquires Rights to 7 Popular Black Sitcoms
If you’ve been in the mood for Black sitcoms, Netflix has the fix for you: The streaming service has acquired the rights to seven classic Black sitcoms, the first of which will hit Netflix August 1.
“Moesha” will become available on Netflix on August 1, following by the first three seasons of “The Game,” August 15; “Sister Sister,” September 1; “Girlfriends,” September 11; “The Parkers,” October 1; “Half & Half,” October 15; and “One on One,” October 15.
Netflix announced the news via a video on its @strongblacklead Twitter account, where stars from the aforementioned shows celebrated the sitcoms’ impending arrival on the streaming service. The news should help scratch the itch for nostalgia, given that all of the aforementioned shows were major hits in the last decade or two.
While its standard for streaming services to announce high-profile licensing deals for specific shows, it’s rare to see such a large number of well-known shows hit a given streaming service in such a short period of time.
Black-focused shows have enjoyed a surge in popularity on Netflix in recent months amid the nation’s ongoing protests regarding systemic racism and police brutality — “Dear White People” and “When They See Us” saw particularly large viewership bumps in early June. Justin Simien, the former series’ creator, noted that he had mixed feelings about his show’s renewed popularity in interview shortly after the viewership gains were announced and said he wished that it didn’t take a “series of murders, by the state, of black people” for “Dear White People” to find a new audience.
While the renewed focus on Black-focused Hollywood projects was sparked by a tragic event, some streamers have made moves to highlight Black voices in recent months. For example, Netflix recently created a Black Lives Matter category that features a variety of acclaimed titles, including “Moonlight,” “Malcom X,” and the aforementioned “Dear White People.”
Netflix also recently pledged $5 million to Black creators, youth organizations, and businesses as part of the company push to create “long-term opportunities” for Black entrepreneurs. That initiative included y giving funds to a variety of Black-focused organizations, including Ghetto Film School, Film Independent Project Involve, Firelight Media, and Black Public Media.
