14 Best TV Shows From Black Directors to Watch Right Now
When it comes to bringing a TV show together, the people behind the camera are just as important as the ones in front. Television directors are critical when it comes to the creative vision and execution of any story, whether it be horror, comedy, drama, or documentary, like the array listed below.
From Ava DuVernay to Donald Glover, this list consists of the works of some of the most visionary creatives in the industry.
In honor of Black history month and good TV everywhere, we’ve compiled a list of the best shows on television to stream right now with a Black director behind the camera.
Swarm directed by Donald Glover (2023) / Prime Video
This psychological horror series is half satire and wholly terrifying. Swarm follows Dre (Dominique Fishback), a young woman whose obsession with a pop star – reminiscent of a Queen B we all might know – takes a dark turn. With notable cameos like Billie Eilish and jaw-dropping plot twists, the series went on to receive three Emmy nominations, and Glover even received a NAACP nomination for Outstanding Director. Viewers beware: this show is insanely good and insanely scary.
Insecure directed by Melina Matsoukas (2016) / Netflix
Critically acclaimed throughout its entire five-season run, Insecure by Issa Rae and directed by Melina Matsoukas follows Issa (Rae) and her best friend Molly (Yvonne Orji) as they navigate the awkward experiences of contemporary Black women, from their dating lives to their careers. In the show Issa works at a nonprofit that supports students of color while Molly is an attorney. Director Matsoukas received two NAACP nominations for outstanding director. This show is for all the women who hype themselves up in the mirror before the big meeting, date, or whatever else they’ve got going on in their lives.
She’s Gotta Have It directed by Spike Lee (2017) / Netflix
Based on the 1986 film of the same name, She’s Gotta Have It directed by Spike Lee follows Brooklyn-based artist Nola (DeWanda Wise) who struggles staying true to herself while juggling her friends, her job, and her three open relationships. The original film by Lee was his first feature with a small budget, and adapting to a 10-episode first season, followed by a second, did wonders for the storybuilding. No longer confined to her identity just being about her sex life, Nola follows her own rules through a modern lens, offering poignant commentary and takes on the complexities of being a modern woman.
When They See Us directed by Ava DuVernay (2019) / Netflix
Based on the true story of the Central Park Five, this drama series recounts the coerced testimonies of five falsely convicted young men – Antron McCray (Caleel Harris), Raymond Santana (Freddy Miyares), Kevin Richardson (Asante Blackk), Korey Wise (Jharrel Jerome), and Yusef Salaam (Ethan Herisse). They were exonerated 13 years later after a serial rapist confessed to the crime. Stitching together personal interviews, court transcripts, and public records, DuVernay aimed to tell the story from the perspective of the men themselves – a perspective that had never been told before. Nominated for 16 Emmys with a stacked cast and crew, When They See Us is a harrowing story that explores the systemic racism that plagues our justice system and is still relevant today.
The 1619 Project directed by Roger Ross Williams (2023) / Hulu
Adapted from the New York Times journalism project of the same name by Nikole Hannah-Jones, the six-episode series traces American history all the way back to the arrival of the first slave ship in early American colonies, demonstrating the thesis that slavery has shaped every aspect of American life since that moment. Tackling themes of policing, justice, and capitalism, the docuseries shifts between Hannah-Jones interviews, analyses of American history, and the different facets of the Black experience in America from democracy to music.
Dear White People directed by Justin Simien (2017) / Netflix
Set at a fictional Ivy League institution, Dear White People follows several of the Black students on campus and their experiences in a modern-day lens, each episode focused on one student in particular from a school reporter to a radio show host (Logan Browning). Adapted from the 2014 film of the same name also directed by Simien, this series was initially ill-received by general audiences, many people online accusing the show of being racist towards white people. That didn’t stop the critics, however, from giving the show rave reviews throughout its four-season run for its writing, cast, and important commentary.
Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story directed by Paris Barclay and Clement Virgo (2022) / Netflix
The first season of a true crime anthology series, Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story recounts the life of the serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer (Evan Peters) and how police incompetence contributed to the longstanding repetition of his crimes. Not for the faint of heart, the series was criticized for its own apathy towards the families of the real-life victims, speaking to the poignant nature and long-lasting impacts of true crime stories everywhere. Despite its controversies, the series went on to receive four Golden Globe nominations and seven Emmy nominations as well.
Pose directed by Janet Mock (2018) / Hulu
Nominated for numerous Golden Globe and Emmy awards including Best Television Series and Outstanding Lead Actor, Pose dives into New York City’s ballroom culture, an LGBTQ+ space that emerged in the 1980s in predominantly Black and Latino communities. The series begins with following Blanca (Michaela Jaé Rodriguez), a transwoman who after being diagnosed as HIV-positive decides to leave the House of Abundance to start anew at the House of Evangelista. The series tackles the AIDS epidemic as well as transphobia and racism, while highlighting the power of chosen family and what it takes to be a mother.
The Other Black Girl by Mariama Diallo (2023) / Hulu
Based on a novel of the same name, The Other Black Girl follows the story of Nella (Sinclair Daniel), an editorial assistant at a book publishing company who also happens to be the only Black person in the office. Often feeling lonely and marginalized, Nella is pleasantly surprised when her company hires another Black woman named Hazel (Ashleigh Murray) to join the team. However, when her job takes an ominous turn, Nella finds that there may be something more sinister at play – yes, even more sinister than corporate microaggressions.
The Changeling by Melina Matsoukas (2023) / Apple TV+
Matsoukas’ second show on this list and also based on a novel of the same name, The Changeling is a horror fantasy series set in an alternate New York City where Apollo (Lakeith Stanfield), a bookseller from Queens, and Emmy (Clark Backo), a librarian from Virginia, fall in love, get married, and have a baby. But unbeknownst to them, this triggers an inexplicably horrific act and the disappearance of Emmy, leaving it to Apollo to track down his wife through an enchanted world.
Daisy Jones & the Six by Nzingha Stewart (2023) / Prime Video
Based on the novel of the same name, this musical drama follows the rise and fall of the fictional titular band as they become the biggest band in the country in the 1970s. Inspired by the real-life drama of the band Fleetwood Mac, the two lead singers, played by Riley Keough and Sam Claflin, must navigate their fraught relationship while balancing the duties of family and performing. Musical in every sense of the word, this series features original music as well as recordings done by the band themselves.
P-Valley directed by Millicent Shelton and Katori Hall (2020) / Starz
From its incredible dance sequences to its complex characters, P-Valley offers a look into the Black culture of the South, following the lives of the employees who work at a strip club in Mississippi. The show dives into important themes like change, tragedy, and autonomy, while still highlighting the nuances of the Black experience. With an array of characters that everyone can connect with and numerous notable nominations such as the Emmy for Outstanding Contemporary Hairstyling, P-Valley knows how to work an audience – and a pole.
A Black Lady Sketch Show directed by Dime Davis (2019) / Max
Fans of sketch comedy, look no further. A Black Lady Sketch Show boasts an insanely talented and hilarious cast of Black women bringing their own comedy to forefront, including Robin Thede, Ashley Nicole Black, Gabrielle Dennis, Quinta Brunson, and Skye Townsend among other featured comedians as well. The show also boasts an impressive guest star list including stars like Angela Bassett, Nicole Byer, Laverne Cox, and more. Check out our own list of our favorite sketches from the show, ranging from a deranged soul food restaurant to advising a coworker to stop wearing makeup.
Watchmen directed by Stephen Williams (2019) / Max
The latest of the franchise, this superhero drama series takes place 34 years after the comic series, setting itself in 2019 the year the show premiered. In its modern spin, the series focuses on events surrounding the racist violence in Tulsa, Oklahoma conducted by a local white supremacist group. Due to this, the police conceal their identities with masks to prevent being targeted while ongoing vigilantism is afoot. Boasting a studded cast including Regina King, Don Johnson, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Jean Smart, and Tim Blake Nelson, among others, Watchmen turns the traditional superhero storytelling on its head, lacking clear super protagonists or antagonists and instead exploring the larger themes of power, police, and social injustice.
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