9 Black TV Creatives to Watch
When it comes to television, there’s an abundance of talent behind your favorite shows, and what better time to shine a light on them than during Black History Month?
While viewers may be familiar with some creatives behind their favorite shows, we’re recognizing some of the best and brightest Black creatives to look out for. Whether it’s comedic-leaning writers like Abbott Elementary‘s Quinta Brunson and The Bear‘s Ayo Edebiri or Power helmer Courtney A. Kemp, we’re reflecting on the impressive accomplishments of today’s Black TV creatives and looking ahead to what’s next for them.
Scroll down for a deeper look at what these talented writers, showrunners, performers, and more are up to.
Ayo Edebiri
While Edebiri may not run her own show, she’s become more than just a cast member in one of TV’s biggest hit shows of the last year: She’s also a skilled comedy writer, lending her talents to shows like Dickinson and What We Do in the Shadows. She also voices Missy in Netflix‘s Big Mouth and featuring as Sydney in FX‘s The Bear, Edebiri’s star is sure to continue burning bright.
Bashir Salahuddin & Diallo Riddle
These collaborators are the funny guys behind IFC‘s Sherman’s Showcase and South Side, two series that deserve more love than they already receive. Their creative partnership has been going strong for quite some time, stretching back to their years as writers on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.
Quinta Brunson
While she may not need the spotlight for people to find her fabulous series Abbott Elementary, we’ll never waste an opportunity to dote on ABC‘s comedy queen Quinta Brunson. Along with creating, starring in, writing, and executive producing the Golden Globe and Emmy-winning series, Brunson’s TV work brings to light one of society’s most important topics: education. What’s not to love?
Katori Hall
P-Valley is an undeniably fun and complex show exploring the lives of strip club dancers on Starz, and at the helm is creator Katori Hall, who has directed, featured in, written, and executive produced the show. Originally based on her play Pussy Valley, Hall’s garnered fans that include Lizzo and guest star Megan Thee Stallion.
Daveed Diggs
He may be known by most for playing Lafayette in the original production of Hamilton, but Daveed Diggs is known for more than just musicals. Along with starring in Snowpiercer, he’s also one-half of the creative team behind Starz’s Blindspotting, a series follow-up to his 2018 film of the same name featuring co-creator Rafael Casal and Jasmine Cephas Jones.
Robin Thede
It’s not every day you come across a sketch comedy series that can deliver episode after episode, but HBO‘s A Black Lady Sketch Show is the remedy to that. Created by Robin Thede, the series draws in a large number of talented Black women who come together to entertain viewers through hilarious sketches. Without Thede leading the way, who knows when and if viewers would have discovered some of the show’s talented performers who were less established before.
Donald Glover
Sure, he’s had a great career so far, but we can’t help but feel like Donald Glover, a.k.a. Childish Gambino, is just starting out. Fresh off Atlanta, Glover’s in the midst of a creative run with Amazon, serving as the co-creator, executive producer, writer, and director of Swarm, and he’s also set to star in the streamer’s series adaptation of Mr. & Mrs. Smith. In other words… we can’t wait to see what’s next for the multi-hyphenate talent.
Courtney A. Kemp
It’s rare to build a TV franchise empire, but Courtney A. Kemp has accomplished just that at Starz following the debut of Power in 2014. Since then, Kemp has continued to expand the show’s universe with spinoffs including Power Book II: Ghost, Power Book III: Raising Kanan, and Power Book IV: Force.
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