Our Favorite (Underrated!) Black-Led TV Shows — from “Living Single ”to “The Vince Staples Show”
- - Our Favorite (Underrated!) Black-Led TV Shows — from “Living Single ”to “The Vince Staples Show”
Stephanie SengweFebruary 4, 2026 at 10:30 PM
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'Living Single'
AJ Pics/Alamy
When it comes to beloved Black-led TV shows, you'll often hear some of the same names, including Martin, Sister, Sister and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, and for good reason: They were groundbreaking in how they represented Black people, approached comedy and tackled some of the issues affecting the Black community. But there is so much more incredible Black-led TV that deserves a second watch.
Dramas such as The Wire and comedies like In Living Color, for example, have not only served as the launch pad for some of Hollywood's most elite stars, but they've also stood the test of time.
From kids' shows to more adult-oriented programs, here are some of our favorite underrated Black-led TV shows.
'The Vince Staples Show'
The Vince Staples Show
Ed Araquel/Netflix
Written by and starring rapper Vince Staples, the Long Beach native's eponymous show premiered in February 2024 as a Netflix original. The series offered an absurdist take on fame, family and everyday life, drawing inspiration from filmmakers such as Tarantino and the Coen brothers.
Despite its cult favorite status, The Vince Staples Show was cancelled in January 2026 after two seasons. "While The Vince Staples Show never found a wide audience — it never charted on Netflix’s Weekly Top 10 — it was well received, scoring 94 percent with critics and 88 percent with viewers on Rotten Tomatoes," reported Deadline.
Watch The Vince Staples Show on Netflix
'Living Single'
'Living Single'
AJ Pics/Alamy
Starring Kim Fields, Kim Coles, Erika Alexander and Queen Latifah, T.C. Carson and John Henton, Living Single was a trailblazing show following the lives of six friends as they navigated careers, dating and adulthood, all while maintaining their close friendships. While underrated, the Fox comedy remains the prototype for shows such as Friends, The Big Bang Theory, Insecure and more that followed.
In fact, Friends drew its inspiration from Living Single, Coles previously told The Breakfast Club.
"Here's a little fun fact that people don't know: The president of NBC at that time had been asked if there was any show [he] wished [he] could have purchased for this upcoming season, he said, 'I wish I had bought Living Single,'" she revealed. (A year later, Friends would premiere on NBC.)
Living Single went off the air after five seasons in 1998.
Watch Living Single on Hulu
'The Carmichael Show'
The Carmichael Show Chris Haston/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty
Jerrod Carmichael is best known for his thoughtful, incisive and often rousing stand-up routine and documentaries, but he had a moment as a sitcom star as well.
His eponymous show followed a fictional version of Carmichael's family, and starred comedy legends David Alan Grier and Loretta Devine as Carmichael's parents. It also featured Lil Rel Howery as Jerrod's brother, Bobby; Tiffany Haddish as Bobby's ex-wife Nekeisha; and Amber Stevens West as Jerrod's girlfriend-turned-fiancée, Maxine.
The Carmichael Show used comedy to tackle hot-button issues such as depression, abortion and gun control. It was canceled in 2017 after three seasons.
Watch The Carmichael Show on Prime Video
'Everybody Hates Chris'
Everybody Hates Chris Richard Cartwright/CBS Photo Archive via Getty
Drawing inspiration from Chris Rock's childhood growing up in Brooklyn in the '80s, Everybody Hates Chris tracks the chaotic, hilarious life of a young Chris (Tyler James Williams) who's trying to find his way in the world.
Much of the comedy comes from Chris' relationships with his distinctive family members — including his epically frugal father (Terry Crews), sassy, no-nonsense mother (Tichina Arnold), his younger, much cooler brother Drew (Tequan Richmond) and the baby of the family, his spoiled sister Tanya (Imani Hakim)— all while navigating being an awkward teenager.
Everybody Hates Chris was a hit with both fans and critics. The show was nominated for a Golden Globe Award, People's Choice Award and two Primetime Emmy Awards, among others. It snagged three NAACP Image Awards and an AFI Award before being canceled in 2009.
In 2024, a reimagined animated version of the show premiered on Comedy Central with Arnold and Crews reprising their roles as Chris' parents. The show is also available on Paramount+.
Watch Everybody Hates Chris on Peacock
'In the House'
'In the House'
Chris Haston/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty
In the House starred LL Cool J, Debbie Allen, Maia Campbell, Jeffery Wood, Alfonso Ribeiro and Kim Wayans, and told the story of an ex-football player who had to learn to live with a divorced mother of two — despite hardly knowing each other and having little in common.
The show ran for four seasons, originally for two seasons as part of the 1995 spring slate for NBC, then on UPN (which is now the CW) for another two seasons, before canceling it as well.
Watch In the House on The Roku Channel
'Romeo!'
Lil Romeo during Nickelodeon's 15th Annual Kids Choice Awards
SGranitz/WireImage
This cult-fave Nickelodeon show was a family affair as Romeo Miller worked with his dad, hip-hop mogul and entrepreneur Percival "Master P" Miller.
Drawing some inspiration from real life, Romeo plays an aspiring rapper who's in a band with his siblings—played by Erica O'Keith, Noel Callahan and Zachary Isaiah Williams—and his father, a record producer tries to aid them through the process.
The show aired on Nickelodeon between 2003 and 2006, and reruns ran through 2008.
Romeo! is not currently available to stream.
'The Wire'
The Wire Jim Spellman/WireImage
Considered a masterpiece of television, the launching pad for Michael B. Jordan, Tristan "Mack" Wilds and Idris Elba didn't reach its legendary status until after it was canceled.
"The show unfortunately didn't get the accolades it deserved while we were on the air," Jordan explained while on A Sip with Issa Rae back in 2018. "It worked to my benefit because I did one season and I was gone...but all the right people loved The Wire after I was off. So when I was available to go do other stuff, all the casting directors, producers, were just discovering [it] and that gave me the perfect positioning to book a lot of roles."
Other stars on the roster included the late Michael K. Williams, plus Wendell Pierce, Sonja Sohn, Lance Reddick, Dominic West, Method Man, Aidan Gillen and many more.
The David Simon-written show poignantly depicted the drug problem in the city of Baltimore from the perspective of the police, drug dealers, legal system and more. It ran on HBO from 2002 and 2008.
Watch The Wire on HBO Max
'Kenan and Kel'
'Kenan and Kel' Paramount/Getty
No other show has put orange soda on the map the way Kenan & Kel did.
Premiering on Nickelodeon in 1996, the show was one of two All That spinoffs—the other was the film Good Burger (pictured above)—starring Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell. It followed the titular characters as they constantly got themselves into hijinks, which they had to then solve in each episode.
Kenan and Kel was canceled in 2000 and Kenan went on to join Saturday Night Live, while Kel kept a more low key profile and dealt with some personal issues. However, as reboots and remakes became popular in recent years, the two stars have had several reunions.
The first get-together came in the form of a Good Burger sketch for The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon in 2015, then they appeared in some episodes of the All That reboot in 2019. The comedic pair also did an episode of Nick Cannon's Wild n' Out before bringing their beloved characters to a skit for SNL in 2022.
The long-term collaborators finally gave fans what they wanted and starred in Good Burger 2, which was released in November 2023 on Paramount+.
Watch Kenan and Kel on Paramount+
'All of Us'
'All of Us' Cliff Lipson/CBS Photo Archive via Getty
While most sitcoms in the '90s and early '00s era were all about nuclear families, All of Us was decades ahead of its time in that it chronicled the ups and downs of co-parenting after divorce.
LisaRaye McCoy, Duane Martin, Khamani Griffin, Tony Rock and Elise Neal helmed the half-hour comedy.
According to the show's description on Hulu, All of Us was "inspired by the domestic lives of celebrities Jada Pinkett Smith and Will Smith, the family comedy reflects a new generation's enlightened attitude towards those who juggle ex-spouses, dating and professional lives." The main goal was to dispute the notion that "being divorced means you can't get along with the ex."
All of Us premiered on UPN in fall 2003 and ran until 2007.
Watch All of Us on The Roku Channel
'Half & Half'
'Half & Half' CBS via Getty
Another sitcom that dealt with unconventional family dynamics, Half & Half followed two paternal half sisters—played by Essence Atkins and Rachel True—who were estranged from each other throughout their childhood, but have reunited in adulthood and are trying to forge a bond.
"One of the things that I most remember about being there was that I never wanted to be in my dressing room," Atkins told Shadow and Act about working on the show. "Even when I wasn't in the scene, I was always on the floor. I was always watching, watching the creative process because…we had so much fun."
Watch Half & Half on Pluto TV
'Smart Guy'
'Smart Guy'
Blake Little/Warner Bros./Courtesy Everett Collection
Being a child prodigy is not easy. Such is the plight for 10-year-old boy genius, TJ Henderson (Tahj Mowry) who, because of his uncanny intellectual capabilities, has to jump from the fourth grade all the way to the 10th. The young boy then has to navigate being 10 and being bullied, having crushes on girls, all while older siblings Yvette (Essence Atkins) and Marcus (Jason Weaver) cringe at the thought of him being at the same high school.
Outside of Mowry, Atkins and Weaver, Smart Guy also starred John Marshall Jones, who played their widowed father, as well as Omar Gooding, who played Marcus' friend, Mo Tibbs.
The sitcom produced 51 episodes in three seasons from 1997 to 1999.
Watch Smart Guy on Disney+
'My Brother & Me'
My Brother and Me
Burns & Burns Prod./courtesy Everett Collection
Though it only aired for one season—13 episodes total—My Brother and Me stole the hearts of every kid who watched it in 1994, and gained a cult following in its own right.
The show chronicled the Parker family as they navigated the highs and lows of everyday life. It starred Arthur Reggie III, Ralph Woolfolk IV, Jimmy Lee Newman, Jr., Aisling Sistrunk, Karen E. Fraction and Jim R. Coleman.
Watch My Brother & Me on Prime Video
'Malcolm & Eddie'
Eddie Griffin and Malcolm-Jamal Warner
Columbia/Tristar Tv/Kobal/Shutterstock
Starring former The Cosby Show actor Malcolm-Jamal Warner and comedian Eddie Griffin as the titular characters, Malcolm & Eddie premiered on UPN in fall 1996 and ran for four seasons, airing its final episode in May 2000.
But while the chemistry onscreen seemed effortless, creative differences behind-the-scenes made things a bit contentious.
"It was a hard show for me to do, it was a hard time for me. I had come from a history-making show that showed that people of color could be funny without being stereotypical," Warner, who died in 2025, told PeopleTV. "There was so much fighting that I did on this show, with writers, producers and the studio. There was a particular vision they had for the show that was different from the vision I had for the show."
He and Griffin also didn't always agree on what was funny, but they found ways to work through their differences.
"There were often creative conflicts that we had, so it wasn't always harmonious between him and I," Warner recalled. "But wherever we were eye-to-eye-wise, every single show for four years, we would get together, put our hands together, put our heads together and we'd pray."
Warner tragically died from drowning in 2025. He was 54.
Watch Malcom & Eddie on Tubi
'The Bernie Mac Show'
'The Bernie Mac Show' Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty
The one guarantee about family is that they're sure to turn your life upside down.
Such is the case for the fictional Bernie Mac, who takes in his sister's three kids because she has to go to rehab. All of a sudden his laid-back, quiet life with his wife, Wanda (Kellita Smith) now is all about school runs, princess parties and conflict management, thanks to his teenage niece Vanessa (Camille Winbush), eccentric nephew Jordan (Jeremy Suarez), and sweet-toothed younger niece Bryanna (Dee Dee Davis).
The Bernie Mac Show was a hit, airing on Fox for five seasons from 2001 to 2006. (Mac died of complications from pneumonia in 2008.)
Writer Larry Wilmore was the first Black writer to win the Emmy for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series for the show's pilot episode, but would later be fired for creative differences with the network.
"At the time, I had to fight for all of the creative breakthroughs, and ultimately I was fired for it," Wilmore told THR. "[The network] never got it. Now everybody does what we were doing: single-camera, an unpredictable editing style, a focus on tone, emotion and characterization instead of just plot twists."
Watch The Bernie Mac Show on Netflix
'The Game'
'The Game' Johnny Nunez/WireImage
You know a show is good when it has had not one, not two, but three different comebacks because people keep asking for more.
Unlike most shows, The Game —which follows the wild lives of star football players and the women who make their worlds go round —debuted as an original on The CW in 2006. The sitcom aired for three seasons before being canceled in 2009. However, due to popular demand, Viacom struck a deal with CBS and brought the show to BET where it ran for another six seasons before ending in 2015.
Throughout its course, The Game starred fan favorites such as Tia Mowry, Brandy, Lauren London, Jay Ellis, Pooch Hall, Hosea Sanchez, Wendy Raquel Robinson, Coby Bell and Brittany Daniel.
In 2021, it was announced that the show would be coming back again to our screens via Paramount+, though Robinson and Sanchez were the only ones to return to the series. That version ended in 2023.
Watch The Game on Netflix
'In Living Color'
In Living Color Everett
The brainchild of Keenen Ivory Wayans, In Living Color was a sketch comedy series that featured a multitude of characters.
Not only did the show pave the way for the careers of Wayans' siblings Damon, Shawn, Marlon and Kim, it also launched the careers of some of Hollywood's best talents, including Jim Carrey, Rosie Perez, Jennifer Lopez, Carrie Ann Inaba, David Alan Grier and Tommy Davidson.
In Living Color is not currently available to stream
'The Wayans Bros'
The Wayans Bros
Warner Bros. Television/Courtesy Everett Collection
Before they gave us Scary Movie, Scary Movie 2, and White Chicks, Shawn and Marlon Wayans starred in their own show on The WB.
Much like Malcolm and Eddie, Shawn and Marlon Williams were polar opposites, with one being straight laced and cool, while the other constantly created havoc. The two brothers ran a newsstand and restaurant, along with their eccentric father, played by the late John Witherspoon.
Though the show was popular among viewers, it was canceled abruptly after five seasons, not even receiving a finale episode.
In 2018, Marlon posted a photo to Instagram asking if people would be interested in a show reboot, and the response was overwhelmingly positive. However, nothing official is in the works, though the brothers are working together again on Scary Movie 6.
Watch The Wayans Bros. on Prime Video.
'My Wife and Kids'
'My Wife and Kids'
PictureLux/The Hollywood Archive/Alamy Stock Photo
With Damon Wayans and Tisha Campbell at the helm, it's no wonder My Wife and Kids was a hit with adults and young kids alike.
The feel-good sitcom followed Michael Kyle (Wayans) and Jay (Campbel) as they navigated the peaks and pits of parenting two teenagers and a four-year-old. My Wife and Kids debuted on Mar. 2001 and ran for five seasons before being canceled in 2005.
Watch My Wife & Kids on Hulu.
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