As somebody who’s Black, I’m happy that I grew up with a number of Black sitcoms.
A lot of these shows were on Fox, the WB, and UPN, and as somebody who didn’t have cable as a kid, this meant that I could get most of my laughs in for free on any given night. Not only that, but these shows featured characters that I could relate to .
Luckily, a lot of my favorite old shows are currently on Netflix. So, here are 7 classic Black TV shows that you can stream right now with your Netflix subscription .
(Image credit: You Go Boy! Productions)
Martin
Maaaartinnn (How y’all feel?). Starring Bad Boys’ own Martin Lawrence (Before he became the partner of Mike Lowrey), Martin is about a disc jockey (Lawrence) who lives with his girlfriend, Gina (Tisha Campbell), and it basically follows all of their day-to-day activities.
It sounds pretty boring, but what makes this show legendary is all of the various characters, many of whom were played by Lawrence himself, such as Sheneneh, Roscoe, and my personal favorite, Dragonfly Jones.
But, there were other great characters who would often stop by as well, like Bro Fo ‘Real, played by the late great Charlie Murphy, Reverend Leon Lonnie Love (David Alan Grier), and Bruh Man (“From the fifth flo’), played by Reginald Ballard.
Honestly, while shows like Seinfeld or Modern Family made their bread and butter on the situations it threw its characters in, the characters themselves in Martin were always the ones who were creating the situations, which doesn’t seem like much of a distinction, but it is. This was a show where the comedy was purely character driven. And, we wouldn’t have it any other way.
Stream Martin on Netflix
(Image credit: Fox Television Studios)
The Hughleys
I’m pretty old, but not old enough to have watched The Jeffersons on a regular basis (I mostly watched repeats on Nick at Nite). That said, what I had instead was The Hughleys, which has a similar premise, as it’s about a family from the inner city who “move on up” to a suburban neighborhood.
Starring D.L. Hughley as a successful vending machine salesman, his wife on the show, Elise Neal, and their two children (Ashley Monique Clark and Dee Jay Daniels), a lot of the humor was all about Hughley’s character adjusting to his new neighbors, with often funny results.
What made the show for me though was Hughley’s two friends, Milsap (Played by Living Single’s – which is another great Black sitcom – John Henton), who was Hughley’s old friend, and Dave (Eric Allan Kramer), who was Hughley’s new friend from the suburbs.
I also really like the progression of the show, as Hughley’s character slowly comes to accept his new life in the neighborhood. It’s a show that rewarded you for sticking with it (which was hard since it switched channels midway during its initial run). Thankfully, you can watch all four seasons, in their entirety, on Netflix.
Stream The Hughleys on Netflix
(Image credit: Wayans Bros. Entertainment)
My Wife And Kids
As somebody who’s a big fan of all of the Wayans’ family movies , I was happy when one of my favorite Wayans’ siblings, Damon, got his own show.
Kind of similar to The Hughleys in that it’s about a well-off Black family living in the suburbs (This time in Connecticut rather than The Hughley’s Los Angeles), what makes My Wife and Kids unique is that its patriarchal figure always thinks he has more power than he actually does.
In fact, the title of the show is apt, as the “wife” (Played by Martin’s Tisha Campbell) is the one who’s really in charge, as she’s an industrious day-trader. Meanwhile, the “kids” in question all have their own interesting quirks, and I especially like Junior (George O. Gore II), as he’s both a pain in the butt, but also endearing with his love of gangster rap.
Overall, My Wife and Kids is a down to earth show, and one that is great to binge after a long day at work.
Stream My Wife and Kids on Netflix
(Image credit: Bent Outta Shape Productions)
The Jamie Foxx Show
I think a lot of people tend to think of Jamie Foxx as the serious actor (I mean, who doesn’t love Django Unchained ?), but not Jamie Foxx as the serious comedian. Because that’s how I first learned about him.
Yes, I know he was a prominent cast member on In Living Color , but my first real love of Jamie Foxx came from his self-titled show on WB.
The series is about Foxx’s character, Jamie King, who wants to be a singer, and is working at his aunt and uncle’s hotel to make ends meet.
That said, a majority of the show is Foxx hitting on the desk clerk, Fancy (Garcelle Beauvais), and mocking the stuffy accountant, Braxton (Christopher B. Duncan). It’s the dynamics between all of them though that makes the show work, as a great deal of it takes place in the hotel itself. It’s a really silly show, and one that I feel not enough people talk about these days.
Stream The Jamie Foxx Show on Netflix
(Image credit: Saradipity Productions)
The Parkers
The Parkers had me thinking in high school that college would be this really fun place… and it was. For the most part. Starring Mo’Nique (with her terrifying performance in Precious still shocking me given how she’s such a good mother on The Parkers), and Countess Vaughn as her daughter, The Parkers is wholesome in the best sort of way.
The story of a single mom (Mo’Nique) who is finally getting the opportunity to get the college education she never got while raising her daughter, a lot of the comedy comes from her ditzy (but kind) progeny (Vaughn) not liking to have to share her time in college with her mom.
Like most of the shows on this list, the supporting cast really makes this show memorable. I especially like the “relationship” between Mo’Nique’s character, and Professor Stanley Oglevee (Dorien Wilson). Throughout the series, the Professor is pretty damn mean to Mo’Nique’s character, Nikki, who is obsessed with him, but over time, he warms up to her, and watching this budding romance unfurl is one of the highlights of the series.
Plus, as a spin-off to Moesha (Yvette Wilson appeared on both shows), it feels like it shares a much bigger story, so that’s fun.
Stream The Parkers on Netflix
(Image credit: Comedy Central)
Chappelle’s Show
The GOAT. Yes, I know most younger audiences would probably pick Key & Peele (which I also adore) as their go-to sketch comedy, but for me, Chappelle’s Show will always be the best sketch comedy show of all time.
Chappelle’s brand of humor is on full display here, as we get stand-up bits in-between his often outrageous skits.
Some of these skits are honestly emblazoned on my brain – like the Charlie Murphy True Hollywood Stories ones – and when I watch them over again, I find myself often mouthing some of the punchlines (Skins…or blouses) every single time.
Seriously, if you are of a certain age, you can just bust out some of these lines, and you will get another person cracking up and mimicking other characters on the show (like I honestly bust out my Tyrone Biggums impression more times than I should). We get two seasons of the show on Netflix, but not the much-shortened third season, which is probably for the best.
Stream Chappelle’s Show on Netflix
(Image credit: Fox)
The Bernie Mac Show
Lastly, I want to talk about The Bernie Mac Show, which was recently added to Netflix. One of my favorite series of the early 2000s, The Bernie Mac Show featured the titular comedian in a premise where he’s raising his sister’s three children while she cleans up in rehab.
Bernie Mac is one of my favorite comedians ever, and his acerbic (sometimes even aggressive) sense of humor really works in relationship with his wife on the show (Kellita Smith), and the three children he’s helping to raise, my favorite of which being Vanessa (Camille Winbrush) as she’s the only one who really doesn’t put up with Bernie Mac’s commands.
What really sticks out about the show though is Mac’s fourth wall breaking moments, where he addresses America on the events occurring on the show. A lot of these moments were played for laughs, but some of them were quite sentimental, indicating that his nieces and nephew were changing him for the better.
It’s a wonderful show, and I’m happy that it’s newly been added to the platform.
Stream The Bernie Mac Show on Netflix
Those are just seven classic Black TV shows that are currently on Netflix. For more news on other content you can stream on the platform, be sure to swing by here often.