It’s Black History Month, and if you’re looking for something to help celebrate Black creators, learn more or just looking for something different to watch – Hulu has a great selection.
In honor of Black History Month, Hulu will continue to shine a light, as it does all year long, on Black stories and storytellers in our “Black Stories Always” hub. This month’s noteworthy TV and film premieres include the third and final season of Wu-Tang: An American Saga, the final season of FX’s Snowfall, Onyx Collective’s docuseries The 1619 Project, the fifth season premiere of Freeform’s Grown-ish, Onyx Collective’s Bruiser, Andscape’s Three Ways and new episodes of the Emmy and Golden Globe Award-winning series Abbott Elementary…and much more!
Explore Hulu’s library of not-just-for-February series and films featuring visionary Black storytellers and creators from titles such as FX’s Kindred, The Wonder Years, Onyx Collective’s Reasonable Doubt, Beba, FX’s Atlanta, NAACP award-nominated Remember Me: The Mahalia Jackson Story; as well as comfort classic sitcoms like 227, Living Single, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and Family Matters.
Now Streaming
THE 1619 PROJECT: HULU ORIGINAL SERIES – NEW EPISODES
Hulu’s six-part 1619 Docuseries is an expansion of “The 1619 Project” created by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones and the New York Times Magazine. The series seeks to reframe the country’s history by placing the consequences of slavery and the contributions of Black Americans at the very center of our national narrative
ABBOTT ELEMENTARY: SEASON 2 – NEW EPISODES (ABC)
A group of dedicated, passionate teachers — and a slightly tone-deaf principal — find themselves thrown together in a Philadelphia public school where, despite the odds stacked against them, they are determined to help their students succeed in life. Though these incredible public servants may be outnumbered and underfunded, they love what they do — even if they don’t love the school district’s less-than-stellar attitude toward educating children.
(Now Streaming, New Episodes Thursdays)
GROWN-ISH: SEASON 5 – NEW EPISODES (FREEFORM)
The Johnson family’s eldest daughter is taking her first steps into the real world as she heads off to college. “Grown-ish” explores the first trappings of adulthood, and Zoey must navigate through the trials and tribulations of these momentous steps. Zoey discovers that once she leaves the nest, things do not always go her way. The series features “that in between place where you’re not quite an adult but facing grown world problems for the first time,” Kenya Barris, the show’s creator and executive producer, said.
(Now Streaming, New Episodes Thursdays)
AFTERSHOCK: ONYX COLLECTIVE / HULU ORIGINAL FILM
Following the deaths of two young women due to childbirth complications, two bereaved families galvanize activists, birth-workers and physicians to reckon with one of the most pressing American crises today: the US maternal health crisis. Directed and Produced by Paula Eiselt and Tonya Lewis Lee. Aftershock, a Hulu Original Documentary from Onyx Collective and ABC News, premiered July 19th on Hulu.
FX’S KINDRED: COMPLETE SEASON
As Dana, a young Black woman and aspiring writer, begins to settle in her new home, she finds herself being pulled back and forth in time, emerging at a nineteenth-century plantation and confronting secrets she never knew ran through her blood.
REASONABLE DOUBT: ONYX COLLECTIVE / HULU ORIGINAL SERIES – COMPLETE SEASON 1
In “Reasonable Doubt,” you’ll judge Jax Stewart for her questionable ethics and wild interpretations of the law … until you’re the one in trouble. Then you’ll see her for what she is: the most brilliant and fearless defense attorney in Los Angeles who bucks the justice system at every chance she gets.
WOKE: HULU ORIGINAL SERIES – COMPLETE SEASONS 1 & 2
Cartoonist Keef Knight is now a popular activist on the rise, but he’s facing a world where “woke” has become big business. Can Keef and his friends bring about real change, or is it just about the dollar$? And can Keef navigate this new world without destroying what he’s become? Inspired by the life and work of artist Keith Knight, WOKE continues to upend Black nerd and activist culture, deftly satirizing with a wink and a smile.
THE HAIR TALES: ONYX COLLECTIVE / HULU ORIGINAL
“The Hair Tales” is a dynamic celebration of Black women’s identity, beauty, culture and humanity, uniquely expressed through the stories in our hair. A docu series where 6 diverse phenomenal women – Issa Rae, Rep. Ayanna Pressley, CHIKA, Marsai Martin, Chloe Bailey and Oprah Winfrey lay their intimate hair tales on the table with Tracee Ellis Ross. Surrounded by brilliant voices of academic and cultural leaders, gifted hairdressers, and extraordinary sisters, the series presents a collage of resilience, style and purpose.
FX’S ATLANTA: COMPLETE SERIES
Two cousins work through the Atlanta music scene to better their lives and the lives of their families. Earn Marks is a young manager trying to get his cousin’s career off the ground. Alfred Miles is a rapper who goes by the stage name “Paper Boi,” a hot new artist trying to understand the line between real life and street life. Darius, Alfred’s right-hand man and visionary, rounds out the entourage along with Van. Van is not only Earn’s best friend but the mother of his daughter. Donald Glover and Brian Tyree Henry co-star as Earn and Alfred, respectively.
(Now Streaming)
BEBA (2021)
First-time feature filmmaker Rebeca “Beba” Huntt undertakes an unflinching exploration of her own identity in the remarkable coming-of-age documentary/cinematic memoir “Beba.” Reflecting on her childhood and adolescence in New York City as the daughter of a Dominican father and Venezuelan mother, Huntt investigates the historical, societal, and generational trauma she’s inherited and ponders how those ancient wounds have shaped her, while simultaneously considering the universal truths that connect us all as humans. Throughout “Beba,” Huntt searches for a way to forge her own creative path amid a landscape of intense racial and political unrest.
Poetic, powerful and profound, “Beba” is a courageous, deeply human self-portrait of an Afro-Latina artist hungry for knowledge and yearning for connection
(Now Streaming)
New Releases on Hulu This Month
SHERMAN’S SHOWCASE: SEASON 2B (2/1)
A sketch variety show like none before, Sherman’s Showcase travels through time via music and clips drawn from the forty-year library of a legendary (fictional) musical variety show. Inspired by shows like “Solid Gold,” “Soul Train” and “Laugh-In”.
(Streaming Wednesday, February 1)
LEE DANIELS’ THE BUTLER (2013)
*CELEBRATING 10TH ANNIVERSARY*
After leaving the South as a young man and finding employment at an elite hotel in Washington, D.C., Cecil Gaines (Forest Whitaker) gets the opportunity of a lifetime when he is hired as a butler at the White House. Over the course of three decades, Cecil has a front-row seat to history and the inner workings of the Oval Office. However, his commitment to his “First Family” leads to tension at home, alienating his wife (Oprah Winfrey) and causing conflict with his anti-establishment son.
(Streaming Wednesday, February 1)
THE HELP (2011)
In 1960s Mississippi, Southern society girl Skeeter (Emma Stone) returns from college with dreams of being a writer. She turns her small town on its ear by choosing to interview the Black women who have spent their lives taking care of prominent white families. Only Aibileen (Viola Davis), the housekeeper of Skeeter’s best friend, will talk at first. But as the pair continue the collaboration, more women decide to come forward, and as it turns out, they have quite a lot to say.
(Streaming Wednesday, February 1)
IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK (2018)
n early 1970s Harlem, daughter and wife-to-be Tish vividly recalls the passion, respect and trust that have connected her and her artist fiancé Alonzo Hunt, who goes by the nickname Fonny. Friends since childhood, the devoted couple dream of a future together, but their plans are derailed when Fonny is arrested for a crime he did not commit.
(Streaming Wednesday, February 1)
SOUL OF A NATION PRESENTS BLACK IN VEGAS (ABC NEWS STUDIOS) (2/2)
The return of Emmy Award-winning “Soul of a Nation” with a one-hour special, “Black in Vegas,” explores the history of Black entertainers in Las Vegas and celebrating those who are now ruling the historic strip. The ABC News Studios primetime special details the countless household names who have made Las Vegas their home ― from Usher, Mariah Carey and Janet Jackson to Boyz II Men, Lionel Richie and Smokey Robinson, joining top comedians Marsha Warfield, George Wallace, Eddie Griffin and other top artists.
THREE WAYS (2023): ANDSCAPE (2/10)
A sex comedy told in three ways…
Sexually awkward Stacey Johnson decides to take control of her life, cancel her ex, and conquer her fears by having a threesome with her new beau and a mysterious woman she’s never met. What could possibly go wrong?
KULIPARI: AN ARMY OF FROGS: COMPLETE SEASON 1 – SPECIAL EDITION (2/13)
Based on the popular children’s book trilogy written by former NFL player Trevor Pryce, Kulipari: An Army of Frogs is an action packed adventure series that takes place in a hidden mystical kingdom. For years the frogs of the Amphibilands have lived in safety protected by an elite group of super powered frogs called the Kulipari. The inhabitants of the Amphibilands now find their homeland threatened by an army of Spiders and Scorpions. Our unlikely hero, Darel, a young frog that has always dreamed of joining the Kulipari despite his lack of experience and limited fighting skills, now finds himself at the forefront of the battle lines. Darel, with the help of a motley crew of friends, must now overcome his fears and embrace his dream of becoming a Kulipari warrior in order to save the entire frog population from extinction.
The series is produced by The Outlook Company, a minority-owned, innovative digital animation and production studio in Baltimore.
(Streaming Monday, February 13. Season 2 titled Kulipari: Dreamwalker Special Edition streaming later in February.)
CRAIG OF THE CREEK: COMPLETE SEASON 4 (2/15)
Craig of the Creek follows a young boy, Craig, and his two friends, Kelsey and JP, as they go on adventures within a world of untamed, kid-dominated wilderness in the creek.
(Streaming Wednesday, February 15)
WU-TANG: AN AMERICAN SAGA: HULU ORIGINAL – THIRD AND FINAL SEASON PREMIERES 2/15 ON “WU-WEDNESDAY” WITH THE FIRST THREE EPISODES
Off the release of their debut album and their continued rise to fame, we follow the Wu-Tang Clan over the course of their five-year plan as they face and overcome different challenges. While each of the members go on separate journeys to figure out where they fit in the music world, RZA struggles to stay on top of things in order to fulfill the promise he made to his Wu brothers. As money, fame, ego, and business threaten to tear the group apart, they must find a way to come together and cement their legacy.
HOLD YOUR FIRE (2021)
In 1973, four young African-American men stealing guns for self-defense in Brooklyn were cornered by the NYPD. A violent gun battle killed a police officer, beginning the longest hostage siege in NYPD history. The NYPD’s 130-year-old policy was to deliver an ultimatum, then respond with deadly force. Could visionary police psychologist Harvey Schlossberg convince his superiors to do the unthinkable — negotiate with “criminals” — and save twelve hostages from an impending bloodbath? In never-before-seen film and gripping interviews with survivors, HOLD YOUR FIRE uncovers what really happened in this landmark event with the potential to revolutionize American policing.
(Streaming Saturday, February 18)
FX’S SNOWFALL: SIXTH AND FINAL SEASON PREMIERE (2/23)
It’s October 1986 in this sixth and final season, as civil war threatens to destroy the Saint family. Franklin (Damson Idris) is desperate, forced to rob his Aunt Louie (Angela Lewis) and Uncle Jerome (Amin Joseph) after being wiped out by former CIA officer Teddy McDonald (Carter Hudson). Meanwhile, Louie has taken over Franklin’s role as Teddy’s sole buyer, undercutting her nephew and creating a competing empire in the process.
Franklin is now faced with losing everyone he loves and everything he’s built, and coming through it all will mean out-maneuvering the KGB, the DEA and the CIA, as well as avoiding the LAPD’s fully militarized, fully corrupt, C.R.A.S.H units.
When everyone has their backs against the wall, who will they become in order to survive?
BRUISER (2023): ONYX COLLECTIVE / HULU ORIGINAL FILM (2/24)
In director Miles Warren’s searing feature debut about fathers, families and the effects of toxic masculinity, 14-year-old Darious (Jalyn Hall) explores the boundaries of his manhood through tumultuous interactions with Malcolm (Shamier Anderson), his strict but loving father, and Porter (Trevante Rhodes), a charismatic drifter. When Darious learns Porter’s true identity, he is thrust into a conflict between the two men that may rip his family apart and threaten his safety.
