Television

Before streaming services, TV lovers had to wait a full week for new stories from their favorite characters; now, entire seasons can be consumed in a matter of hours. When looking for something to watch, either passively while doing chores or as an active form of entertainment, audiences seem to seek out the best sitcoms of all time for a few reasons. First, many popular throwback shows were on the air for years, meaning you can occupy yourself for several weeks working through just one of them.

At the same time, sitcoms are known for being lighthearted in nature, even when exploring serious issues. Shows like Diff’rent Strokes and BoJack Horseman can have you choked up with emotion in one scene and cackling with laughter in the next. No matter if you want a recommendation that’s before your time or something that modern audiences can’t get enough of, our best sitcoms list has something for you, especially as we center the significant contribution of Black media in sitcom history.

17. Frasier (1993-2004)

IMDb: 8.2/10

Rotten Tomatoes: 94%

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With an 11-season run from 1993 to 2004, Frasier was one of the most popular sitcoms of its time. The Kelsey Grammer-led project began as a spin-off as Cheers, following the titular character, Frasier Crane, as he relocates to his hometown, Seattle, to work as a psychiatric radio show host. While back on the West Coast, he spends time with his retired police officer father, Martin (John Mahoney) and younger brother Niles (David Hyde Pierce), who’s also a psychiatrist. In 2023, a revival of the show, directed by Kelly Park, began streaming on Paramount+. It follows Crane as he heads back to Boston following some major life changes.

16. Diff’rent Strokes (1978-1986)

IMDb: 6.6/10

Rotten Tomatoes: N/A

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If you’re not feeling the content on TV these days, you might be interested in throwback shows like Diff’rent Strokes. The series ran from 1978 to 1985 on NBC before moving over to ABC until 1986. It starred Todd Bridges and the late Gary Coleman as Arnold and Wilis Jackson – two young boys from Harlem who move in with a wealthy Park Avenue businessman named Phillip Drummond (Conrad Bain) and his daughter. Drummond was Mrs. Jackson’s boss before her untimely death. Throughout eight seasons, he was able to help his adopted sons tackle tough issues like racism, drug use, alcoholism, kidnapping and sexual abuse.

15. Black-ish (2014-2022)

IMDb: 7.3/10

Rotten Tomatoes: 58%

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As for newer releases that fall into the best sitcoms category, we suggest Kenya Barris’ Black-ish, which ultimately led to the creation of Grown-ish and Mixed-ish. During its eight-season run, several of our favorite Black actors appeared in the show, such as Anthony Anderson, Tracee Ellis Ross, Miles Brown and Yara Shahidi. Elsewhere, Zendaya, Raven-Symoné, Laurence Fishburn and Jill Scott also have credits for working on the show. At this time, the entirety of Black-ish is streaming on Disney+ and Hulu.

14. The Bernie Mac Show (2001-2006)

IMDb: 7.2/10

Rotten Tomatoes: N/A

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Like many of the best sitcoms on our list, The Bernie Mac Show reminds us that being around family isn’t always easy – particularly when you’re left to raise children who aren’t your own. From 2001 to 2006, we watched the late comedy icon and his on-screen wife, Wanda (Kellita Smith) take care of his sister’s three children as she heads off to rehab. Other primary cast members were Jeremy Suarez, Dee Dee Davis, Camille Winbush and Reginald Ballard.

13. The Simpsons (1989-Present)

IMDb: 8.7/10

Rotten Tomatoes: 76%

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Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie have come a long way from when we were first introduced to them in 1989, but at their core, each character’s antics remain the same. For decades now we’ve watched The Simpsons family patriarch evade losing his job at the nuclear power plant while feuding with his overly religious neighbor, Ned Flanders. Somehow, audiences still love to tune in all this time later, in part due to creator Matt Groening’s eerie ability to seemingly predict future events.

12. Girlfriends (2000-2008)

IMDb: 7.4/10

Rotten Tomatoes: N/A

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Girlfriends marks Tracee Ellis Ross’ second sitcom that we recommend, though this one came much earlier in the nepo baby’s career. From 2000 to 2008 she starred alongside Jill Marie Jones, Golden Brooks and Persia White on the ensemble series, which ran for six years on UPN before finishing out on The CW. Together, the four Black women navigate life’s ups and downs, from family crises to failed relationships. Currently, the Mara Brock Akil-created show is streaming on Netflix. Talks of a reboot have made headlines in the past, but earlier this year, Ross gave an update indicating we might never see the return of Girlfriends.

11. Family Matters (1989-1998)

IMDb: 6.6/10

Rotten Tomatoes: N/A

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Thanks to Family Matters, the name Steve Urkel is synonymous with “pest.” On the Perfect Strangers spin-off, Jaleel White played a young boy who spent most of his time next door at the Winslow family’s house, where Policeman Carl lived with his wife Harriette. On top of his responsibilities at work, Carl also had to deal with his mother, sister-in-law and of course, Urkel, making his life a ridiculous rollercoaster worth watching for nine seasons.

10. The Golden Girls (1985-1992)

IMDb: 8.2/10

Rotten Tomatoes: 93%

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The Golden Girls – played by Betty White, Bea Arther, Estelle Getty and Rue McClanahan – may not be with us anymore, but that doesn’t make their work on the hilarious sitcom any less worthy of watching. For seven seasons on NBC, the show followed the four strong-willed women as they lived out their golden years together in Miami. If you’re hoping to stream the throwback favorite, you can find it on Hulu at this time.

9. Sanford and Son (1972-1977)

IMDb: 7.9/10

Rotten Tomatoes: N/A

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One of the greatest Black comedians of all time, Redd Fox, found his career soaring to new heights thanks to the success of Sanford and Son. The St. Louis native played the titular character, Fred Sanford on the NBC show – a man who the likes of Frank Gallagher from Shameless would happily look up to. On the small screen, Foxx’s character once faked a heart attack to get out of work, and that doesn’t begin to cover his other shenanigans across the sitcom’s six seasons.

8. Seinfeld (1989-1998)

IMDb: 8.9/10

Rotten Tomatoes: 92%

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Seinfeld is famously “a show about nothing,” loosely based on the real life of Brooklyn-born entertainer Jerry Seinfeld and his three closest friends – George, Elaine and Kramer. All the lead characters are easy to both love and criticize, from George’s constant cynicism about the world around him to Elaine’s ability to find something wrong with every potential suitor who looks her way. As for Kramer, it’s hard to predict what might come out of Jerry’s zany neighbor’s mouth at any given time!

7. Moesha (1996-2001)

IMDb: 5.9/10

Rotten Tomatoes: N/A

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Not only was Brandy the vocal bible for many Black girls throughout the late 90s, but she also brought to life one of the most relatable TV characters of the time, Moesha. The mother of one was just 17 when she landed the leading role on the UPN series, telling the story of a high school student balancing her parent’s divorce, the pressures that come from education and developing feelings. As her father’s new wife steps up to be the woman of the Mitchell household, Moesha has to learn how to trust her, which fans watched for six seasons from 1996 to 2001.

6. BoJack Horseman (2014-2020)

IMDb: 8.8/10

Rotten Tomatoes: 96%

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If adult animation (and shows that make your contemplate life) are more your speed, Netflix’s BoJack Horseman could be just what you need. Though the plot gets dark at times, the humanoid horse (voiced by Will Arnett) has (sometimes) good company by his side, such as his roommate Todd (Aaron Paul), agent/ex-lover Princess Carolyn (Amy Sedaris) and ghostwriter Diane (Alison Brie) who all pull him out of, occasionally lead him into downward spirals as the sitcom goes on.

5. Sex and the City (1994-2004)

IMDb: 7.3/10

Rotten Tomatoes: 78%

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Before TikTok influencers made New York look like a concrete paradise, it was Carrie Bradshaw and her gal pals who did it first in Sex and the City. Though it came to an end in 2004, the female-forward program has since made a comeback, with a third season of And Just Like That already in the works at Max. The original show follows the fashionable columnist around the Big Apple in her 30s as she navigates the dating scene between reading Vogue and sipping on cosmos. Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattral, Cynthia Nixon and Kristin Davis all star.

4. The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1990-1996)

IMDb: 7.9/10

Rotten Tomatoes: 91%

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Kids growing up now are more likely to remember Will Smith as the man who slapped Chris Rock at the Oscars rather than The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Anyone raised in the 90s, however, knows the father of three as the lead character in the NBC series. Alfonso Ribeiro played Carlton Banks on the six-season project, which also starred James Avery, Karyn Parsons, Joseph Marcell and Janet Hubert. The Fresh Prince was a great creative outlet for Smith, as he mostly got to play himself while navigating a new life in Philadelphia with his wealthy Aunt and Uncle.

3. The Office (2005-2013)

IMDb: 9/10

Rotten Tomatoes: 89%

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We would be remiss to make a list of best sitcoms of all time and not include The Office, though it was inspired by a Ricky Gervais-led UK-based series of the same name, Steve Carell’s Michael Scott won over American audiences with his NSFW leadership tactics. Other prominent cast members include Rainn Wilson, Mindy Kaling, Craig Robinson and Leslie David Baker – some of whom are in talks to appear in the rumored reboot.

2. Insecure (2016-2021)

IMDb: 8.1/10

Rotten Tomatoes: 82%

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39-year-old Issa Rae has been the driving force between many binge-worthy TV shows, including A Black Lady Sketch Show, Rap Sh!t and Insecure. Though audiences love her storytelling and acting talents, all three shows are no longer on air. Of them all, Insecure had the longest run (five seasons) with Rae playing a fictionalized version of herself opposite her on-screen best friend, Molly (Yvonne Orji). From 2016 to 2021, the duo went through more breakups and makeups than we can count with one another and the men in their lives.

1. Living Single (1993-1998)

IMDb: 7.7/10

Rotten Tomatoes: N/A

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People are quick to put Friends on a best sitcoms list, but without Living Single, we could’ve never had Friends. The 1993 series ran for five seasons and is currently streaming on Hulu and Max. Similar to its White counterpart, Living Single follows six friends in New York (Brooklyn, to be specific) as they enjoy life in their 20s. Queen Latifah is well known for bringing Khadijah James to life, but Kim Coles, John Henton, Erika Alexander, Kim Fields and Terrence C. Carson also made the show entertaining.

Laurence Fishburne is diving into Doc Rivers’ experience with disgraced LA Clippers owner Donald Sterling in the upcoming FX limited series Clipped, which will air on Hulu.

The new trailer shows Fishburne portraying Rivers at the time when Sterling became infamous for his off-hand racist comments about Black people caught on tape. Ed O’Neill plays Sterling, with Jacki Weaver playing his wife and business partner Shelly. Cleopatra Coleman also stars as Sterling’s personal assistant V. Stiviano.

Here’s more about the limited series:

Famed coach Doc Rivers (Laurence Fishburne) arrives as coach of the LA Clippers in 2013. With a promising roster of big personalities, Rivers has the building blocks to win the franchise’s first championship. The team’s owner, Donald Sterling (Ed O’Neill), is a well-known problem: he’s cheap, he’s erratic, he’s a bully. But minimizing Sterling’s influence to win a title becomes a personal quest for Doc. Meanwhile, a courtside power struggle escalates between Sterling’s ambitious personal assistant V. Stiviano (Cleopatra Coleman) and his wife and business partner of 60 years, Shelly (Jacki Weaver). FX’s Clipped is an Obama-era story of racial reckoning delivered via meme, in which V. and the Sterlings discover who really has the power in the internet age, and which leaves Rivers and his players wondering if the expulsion of one bad apple brings about the transformative change the media wants to celebrate.

Photo: Kelsey McNeal/FX

Photo: Kelsey McNeal/FX.

The limited series is based on the ESPN 30 for 30 podcast The Sterling Affairs and also stars Kelly AuCoin as Andy Roeser, J. Alphonse Nicholson as Chris Paul, Rich Sommers as Seth Burton, Corbin Bernsen as Pierce O’Donnell, Clifton Davis as Elgin Baylor and Harriet Sansom Harris as Justine.

Gina Welch serves as creator and showrunner. She also executive produces with Nina Jacobson and Brad Simpson, Zanne Devine, Ramona Shelburne and Kevin Bray. Bray also serves as director of three of the six episodes.

Clipped will premiere June 4 on Hulu with back-to-back episodes.

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The cast for the third season of Drag Race France has been revealed!

Hosted by RuPaul’s Drag Race alum Nicky Doll, Drag Race France brings 10 more queens to the werk room to compete for the chance to be named France’s newest drag superstar. The queens includes Afrodite Amour, Edeha Noire, Le Filip, Leona Winter, Lula Strega, Magnetica, Misty Phoenix, Norma Bell, Perseo and Ruby on the Nail. Actress and TV host Daphné Bürkiand and LGBTQ+ activist and DJ Kiddy Smile will also return as judges.

This season, the mini and maxi challenges are described as being “as difficult as ever and will test the queens’ charisma, uniqueness, talent and nerve.” This year, a new addition, the Nickyphone, will ring several times this season to give the contestants “surprise challenges.” Another new addition, The Winner’s Frame, will feature the winner of each week framed in the Werk Room, sure to stir up drama and controversy. The premiere episode, Olympic Queens, will also support the upcoming Paris Olympics.

Drag Race France will come to WOW Presents Plus later this year.

Check out the full details of the queens below.

Afrodite Amour 

(IG: @afroditeamour) 

Afrodite Amour, originally from Guadeloupe, started doing drag only a year ago after discovering RuPaul’s Drag Race in 2016. She created an original drag persona mixing West Indian culture, and her charisma and passion for fashion. Her name, Afrodite Amour, is a reference to Greek mythology with a strong personal touch with its spelling “AFRO” that proudly claims her Black identity. Bank manager by day and drag queen by night, she quickly conquered the Lyon scene and performed in Grenoble and Paris. Her commitment to self acceptance and diversity is at the heart of all her stunning performances, proving her determination and passion for this art form.

Edeha Noire 

(IG: @the.edeha.noire) 

Edeha Noire, a true cornerstone of the Lyon queer scene, personifies an eccentric and political drag, joyfully mixing glam and drama. A child of artists, she now shares her knowledge through beginner classes for performance and drag makeup. The Mother of a big drag family in Lyon, she created the collective “Les pleureuses” (The Tearfuls) in 2023 and currently tours in shows all over France. After major health issues, her resilience and generosity are found in her drag and reflect her creative style with a feminine touch. 

Le Filip 

(IG: @le_filip) 

Le Filip, originally from Croatia, started her drag career 10 years ago. After creating her first drag festival with her family “House of Flamingo” she moved to Paris and joined the “Haus of Morue” and immersed herself in the exciting nightlife of the capital. Despite the challenges of homophobia in her home country, Le Filip fights prejudices with determination. Known for her glamor, sharp humor and extravagant performances, she became an icon of the Paris drag scene. From resident of the “Je t’aime Party” to her own standup comedy show “Femme Pathologique” (Pathological Woman), and hosting some of the biggest queer parties, Le Filip has shined on many stages, spreading a message of acceptance, joy and humor through her art. 

Leona Winter 

(IG: @leonawinterofficiel) 

Leona Winter, from Catalonia, was born in Céret 29 years ago and now lives in Narbonne after living in Paris for a few years. For the past 12 years, she has been an emblematic figure of French drag, performing throughout Europe and worldwide. Her journey in the drag scene helped her get over her shyness, leading her to prestigious international stages like Miss EU Continental 2017, Miss Latina Continental 2018 and “The Switch 2: Desafio Mundial” in Chile, where she won the title of most influential queen of the year and as a result got to tour the US and South America. A very talented Drag Queen, her singing led her to represent France in the first season of “Queen of the Universe.”

Lula Strega 

(IG: @lula.strega) 

Lula Strega grew up in Marseille before discovering drag through RuPaul’s Drag Race and the Parisian drag scene when she moved there 4 years ago. Two and a half years ago, she left her cinema studies to be a full time drag queen and perform on different stages around the country. Lula is a bucolic, bewitching queen. A star of the stage, she loves to make people’s minds travel by telling stories with captivating “mise en scene.” Her drag name is a reference to the movie Sailor and Lula by David Lynch, a director she admires. Strega means witch in Italian, a nod to her roots.

Magnetica 

(IG: @mmmagnetica) 

A French-Bolivian queen living in Paris, Magnetica shakes the drag scene of the capital. She takes inspiration from the Club Kid movement and her childhood heroes, to play with gender and different forms in her drag. A finalist of the Drag Me UP competition, her audacious style and striking humor captivates the audience. She started drag 2 years ago, after discovering the art through RuPaul’s Drag Race. She explores its different forms through being ultra graphic and surprising, always pushing the limit of the art. Used to the Parisian stages, you can find her in many drag shows and emblematic cabarets as a performer and host. 

Misty Phoenix 

(IG: @misty_phoenix_) 

At 23, Misty Phoenix conquered the French drag scene in only two and half years. Her passion comes directly from her parents, who organized shows where everyone was dressing up as a celebrity. Her father, very involved in her art, adds his own special touch to her performances by creating accessories and motorized pieces for her. With training at the dance conservatory, Misty mixes her energy and her creativity to become a dynamic performer, one that seems to be out of comics books. Her name, Misty Phoenix, mixes the Marvel Universe and Greek mythology, symbolizing both renaissance and transformation. In the last 2 years, she has made a mark on the Parisian scene by winning season 3 of Drag Me UP and joining many drag shows in Paris. 

Norma Bell 

(IG: @normabelloff) 

Norma Bell discovered drag in 2019 when moving to Paris from her native Reunion Island. From her beginnings, she captivated audiences with her charisma and stage presence, locking in her showgirl status. She very quickly got to perform on many Parisian stages including Drag Me UP, Brunch and Queens and Kingchefs and Dragqueen, where she met her new family. Her drag name is a subtle pun that mixes societal norms and the beauty of the art of drag, with a touch of humor with references to bells. A professional makeup artist, Norma displays her intensive and eclectic drag through consistently detailed looks. 

Perseo 

(IG: @dragperseo) 

At 21, Perso is the youngest queen of this season. Originally from the Canary Islands, she discovered drag at 6 years old thanks to the famously renowned Gala Drag Queen de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria – where she also met her future drag mother. She chose the name Perseo in homage to the star constellation. Passionate about dance, she was admitted into the prestigious Dance School of the Opera de Paris at 15 and moved to Paris to pursue her career. As a drag artist, Perseo sees her art as an ode to freedom of expression, mixing Canaria Island and Paris influences for unique and captivating performances. 

Ruby On The Nail 

(IG: @ruby_onthenail) 

Born in Marseille, Ruby started her drag journey in 2017 in Paris as a way to express her femininity. She was inspired by her two older sisters, and an unexpected passion for the stage. With this love for performance, she fast tracked through the Parisian queer stages where she shined as a host and performer, particularly in the lipsync art that she mastered to perfection. She created her own bi-weekly drag show “La Boîte à Bijoux,” that recently celebrated its 60th edition! Ruby describes herself as a pretty, zany and rebellious drag queen, embodying an unique mix of extravagance, beauty and comedy that causes her to be a force and bring joy daily.

CBS has renewed the The Equalizer starring Queen Latifah for a fifth season.

The #1 entertainment program among Black viewers, The Equalizer ranked No. 8 overall season-to-date with 7.89 million viewers, according to Nielsen Most Current Data and reached over 10 million viewers in live plus 35-day multiplatform viewership, CBS states.

“The Equalizer, led by the incomparable Queen Latifah, has all the best elements of a powerful drama,” said Amy Reisenbach, president of CBS Entertainment. “The series is stacked with suspense, heroism, high stakes and formidable characters our audience roots for. We look forward to another dynamic season.”

A reimagining of the original ’80s crime drama series,  The Equalizer chronicles the life of Robyn McCall (Queen Latifah), an enigmatic woman with a mysterious background who uses her extensive skills as a former CIA operative to help those with nowhere else to turn.

Queen Latifah stars in the series alongside Lorraine Toussaint, Tory Kittles, Adam Goldberg, Liza Lapira and Laya DeLeon Hayes.

She also executive produces alongside Andrew Marlowe, Terri Edda Miller, John Davis, John Fox, Debra Martin Chase,Shakim Compere, Joseph C. Wilson, Loretha Jones and original Equalizer co-creator Richard Lindheim. Wilson and Glass are the co-showrunners.

Aja Naomi King, is jumping into yet another murderous drama, joining the NBC drama pilot Grosse Point Garden Society as a lead.

Deadline reports that King will star in NBC’s drama pilot Grosse Point Garden Society. She will join Melissa Fumero, Ben Rappaport and AnnaSophia Robb as series leads. Insecure’s Alexander Hodge and Matthew Davis will also star as part of the main cast.

King, Fumero, Robb and Rappaport will portray a suburban garden club from different backgrounds who get caught up in murder and mischief as they struggle to make their conventional lives bloom.

The How to Get Away with Murder plays Catherine, “an unhappily married mother of two younger children” who also works as a realtor. Her character description states that she “works off some of her loneliness with a very juicy secret.” Could it be an affair? Could she be a murderer? We will find out soon.

King’s recent roles include Black British rom-com Boxing Day and Apple TV+ drama Lessons in Chemistry starring Brie Larson.

It took a while, but a lot of the RuPaul’s Drag Race fandom are finally boarding the Plane; Plane Jane, that is.

The reformed villainess of Season 16, told Blavity’s Shadow and Act that she understands that it takes a while for people to get a sense of her real personality.

“In the beginning, you know, I was a little harsh, but you know, I like to say that I’m an acquired taste,” she said. “Just as the show and the edit portrayed and such as in real life as well, I feel like you really need to get to know me. I feel like anybody is really the same.”

“You don’t really know a person’s true colors until you spend a little bit more time with them,” she continued. “And luckily, due to my talent and my drag skills within the context of the competition, I was able to stick around for the entire time. So America got a healthy dose of Plane Jane, honey. And now they can’t get enough, and rightfully so.”

Part of what turned the tide was her hilarious collaboration video on Mistress Isabelle Brooks’ YouTube channel. The video showed a goofier side of Plane Jane, and it couldn’t have come at a better time, since as Drag Race episodes began to show the layers to Plane Jane’s humor and personality.

Plane Jane reiterated that the shade and reads are never coming from a place of hate.

“It’s never serious with me. It’s never personal,” she said. “You know, that collab I did with Mistress definitely helped some of the fanbase be like, ‘Okay, she’s not an evil, nefarious person. She’s just a funny, shady drag queen,’ and that’s really all there is to it.”

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Plane Jane had a lot of iconic moments this season, one of them being when she was among the queens comforting Q after Q’s brave confession of living with HIV. The statement from Plane Jane — “Mama, kudos for saying that, for spilling” — has become a viral moment online, spawning countless memes. Plane Jane said that she’s happy fans caught onto the hilarity of her comment in the midst of a serious topic.

“I mean, it’s obviously hilarious. It’s funny that what myself and Q, the other active player in that, what we thought was a passing comment that sort of offered nothing more than just a pat on the back for her, a hug, a shoulder for her to cry on, if you will, just two sisters supporting each other … became viral, dare I say. We had no idea what happened. And I think it’s just really funny that the audience was able to sort of pick up on that interaction and be like, ‘Wait a second. That’s not really very typical of how people talk. That’s only very typical of how gay and queer people talk to each other nowadays.’ And that’s really hilarious.”

Plane Jane brought a lot of her Russian heritage to the mainstage during the challenges, and she did the same on the finale red carpet when she showed up as a glam Baba Yaga. She said that before Drag Race, she didn’t show a lot of her Russian heritage in her acts.

“It wasn’t necessarily an aesthetic that I paid homage to. I was just kind of brunching and gigging and dragging, but Drag Race gave me a really, really great opportunity to show more of my culture and represent it more in my drag and come up with more conceptual looks,” she said. “Arguably, a lot of people liked to call me out this season on having a few similar silhouettes here and there, hence “Bodysuit,” my finale number. But I also wanted to step out of my box and really do some cool, conceptual things with my drag because that’s part of who I am as a creative artist as well.”

“Showcasing my heritage and upbringing and my background, and bringing in that cultural aesthetic into my drag, was great,” she continued, “And I feel like it resonated with a lot of Russian queer people and a lot of Slavic queer people, so that’s really awesome.”

Plane Jane’s next takeoff after Drag Race is to meet all of her fans around the United States and internationally.

“I’m kind of in a million different places all at once right now. We’re trying to figure out what’s next while also touring — touring the United States and also planning out tours abroad,” she said. “This year, I feel like I’m just going to travel. I’m going to go from city to city and country to country and meet all the fans. But ultimately, I want to do more television. I have a one-woman show in the works, and I would love to incorporate some more well-thought-out ballroom dance numbers. I would love to just do it all — and I think that because of Drag Race now, the world is my oyster, honey.”

RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 16 is now streaming via MTV on-demand.

André Holland is Black Panther Party leader Huey Newton in the first trailer for Apple TV+’s The Big Cigar.

The series, also starring Alessandro Nivola, Tiffany Boone, PJ Byrne, Marc Menchaca, Moses Ingram, Rebecca Dalton, Olli Haaskivi, Jordane Christie and Glynn Turman, debuts May 17 with its first two episodes.

Here’s the official description:

Based on the magazine article of the same name by Joshuah Bearman (Argo), who also serves as executive producer, The Big Cigar tells the incredible true story of Hollywood revolution meeting social revolution. It’s a wild caper about Black Panther founder Huey P. Newton escaping from the FBI to Cuba with the assistance of famed producer Bert Schneider in an impossibly elaborate plan – involving a fake movie production – that goes wrong every way it possibly can.

Janine Sherman Barrois is the series’ showrunner. The series is from Warner Bros. Television, where Sherman Barrois and her Folding Chair Productions banner have an overall deal. Sherman Barrois and Jim Hecht (who penned the first episode) executive produce alongside Bearman, Joshua Davis and Arthur Spector through their production company, Epic.

Watch the trailer below. After the two-episode premiere, new episodes will air weekly on Fridays through June 14.

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Thandiwe Newton is joining the ooky-spooky world of Wednesday for Season 2

Variety exclusively reports reports that the Westworld actress is joining the second season of Netflix’s popular series based on The Addams Family. Her character is being kept a secret for now. Variety reports that she is also the second new cast member announced after Steve Buscemi.

Wednesday stars Jenna Ortega as teenage Wednesday Addams. Wednesday attends a supernatural boarding school to begrudgingly follow in the traditions of her parents, Gomez and Morticia Addams (Luis Guzmán and Catherine Zeta Jones). While at school, she learns more about her emerging psychic abilities and how it not only connects her to an ancestral prophecy, but also to how Wednesday can defeat a killer monster roaming the school grounds.

The series also stars Emma Myers, Joy Sunday, Gwendoline Christie, Christina Ricci, Hunter Doohan, Moosa Mostafa, Iman Marson, Isaac Ordonez and Victor Dorobantu.