WTF is happening with Black TV Shows: Rap Sh!t canceled, Power Book II: Ghost final season, Grand Crew canceled
Hollywood cancellation of Black TV shows is losing a major audience.
The inevitable has happened, and it was coming eventually. The cancellation of majority-centered Black television shows has come, leaving only a few standing. This loss is not just a blow to the entertainment industry but a significant setback in the fight for diverse representation on screen.
Hollywood has a history that echoes the lack of regard for black content, often at the expense of their checkbooks. In the 1990s and early 2000s, UPN, FOX, and the WB emerged as new TV networks hungry for an audience. And that audience, it turned out, was Black. This led to a wave of programming unapologetically geared towards telling black stories on television, a time when black audiences felt honestly heard and seen.
From Martin, Living Single, and New York Undercover to Moesha, The Parkers, and Girlfriends. It was a point in time where black audiences felt heard and seen. But it was all gone in the blink of an eye as those same networks shifted their programming in a new direction.
Today, the television landscape is vastly different. Streaming platforms like Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, Disney Plus, Max, Peacock, and Paramount Plus dominate the industry. However, these platforms are not immune to the same patterns of exclusion. They, too, are canceling and removing content that caters to not only Black audiences but also other minority communities, perpetuating a cycle of underrepresentation.
Canceled TV Shows
Southside - Max
Grand Crew - NBC
A Black Lady Sketch Show - HBO
Kindred - FX/Hulu
Truth Be Told - Apple TV
Swagger - Apple TV
The Wonder Years - ABC
Winning Time - HBO
The Game - Paramount Plus
Sweet Life: Los Angeles - Max
Legendary - Max
Rap Sh!t - Max
Our Kind of People - Fox
Riches - Amazon Video
Run the World - Starz
Power Book II: Ghost - Starz
And the list goes on and on.