In honor of Black History Month, Hulu is proud to continue highlighting Black stories and storytellers through our refreshed “Black Stories Always” hub throughout February and all year round. This upcoming month brings exciting TV and film premieres, including Hulu Original “Love & WWE: Bianca & Montez,” Nat Geo’s “Genius: MLK/X” and “The Space Race,” Andscape’s “Sacred Soil: The Piney Woods School Story,” and the season three premiere of acclaimed series and winner of Emmy and Golden Globe Awards, “Abbott Elementary!”
As part of Hulu’s “Black Stories Always” campaign, explore their extensive film and TV content showcasing talents of Black creators. Titles include FX’s “Snowfall,” Andscape’s “Cypher,” Onyx Collective’s “Reasonable Doubt,” fan-favorites including “The Bernie Mac Show,” “My Wife and Kids,” “The Wonder Years,” the beloved film “Soul Food” and many more. This year marks the iconic anniversaries of “Family Matters” (35 years), “Sister, Sister” (30 years) and “Black-ish” (10 years), as well as the 10th anniversary of the Academy Award-winning film “12 Years A Slave.”
NEW PREMIERES
LOVE & WWE: BIANCA & MONTEZ: COMPLETE SEASON 1 (HULU ORIGINAL)
(Streaming Friday, February 2)
Love & WWE: Bianca & Montez is a fun, exciting peek into the personal lives of WWE’s hottest couple. Bianca Belair and Montez Ford’s Road to WrestleMania is a wild ride, as Montez continues his ascent and Bianca fights to hold on to her title. With the support of their tight knit group of friends, family and fellow superstars, the dynamic duo somehow always manages to pull off the impossible.
GENIUS: MLK/X: LIMITED SERIES PREMIERE (NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC)
(Streaming Friday, February 2)
In a first for the franchise, the new season of the Emmy® Award-winning anthology series will focus on two iconic geniuses: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (Kelvin Harrison Jr.) and Malcolm X (Aaron Pierre). “Genius: MLK/X” will explore the formative years, where they were molded by strong fathers and traumatic injustices, to their rich, parallel stories as they shaped their identities and became the change they wished to see in the world. The docudrama series offers an intimate look into their complex lives as husbands, fathers, brothers and sons, taking them off the iconic T-shirts to show their humanity. With their formidable wives, Coretta Scott King (Weruche Opia) and Betty Shabazz (Jayme Lawson) leading by their sides, King and X are two visionaries who ultimately rose to pioneer a movement.
OUR AMERICA: IN THE BLACK (ABC)
(Streaming Saturday, February 3)
This thought-provoking documentary special chronicles the efforts of Microsoft Philanthropic specialist Darrell Booker in his national quest to raise awareness about building financial health and wellness in the Black community. In the series, Booker explores how technology can serve as a great equalizer to mitigate these disparities while engaging with individuals who are actively working toward financial literacy programs that pave the way for economic mobility and generational wealth creation.
ABBOTT ELEMENTARY: SEASON 3 PREMIERE (ABC)
(Streaming Thursday, February 8)
A workplace comedy following a group of dedicated, passionate teachers — and a slightly tone-deaf principal —as they navigate the Philadelphia public school system. Despite the odds stacked against them, they are determined to help their students succeed in life, and though these incredible public servants may be outnumbered and underfunded, they love what they do — even if they don’t love the school district’s less-than-stellar attitude toward educating children.
THE SPACE RACE: DOCUMENTARY PREMIERE (NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC)
(Streaming Tuesday, February 13)
“The Space Race” uncovers the little-known story behind the race to put the first black man into space, a complex web of Cold War propaganda and Civil Rights mishaps that span the United States, Russia, and Cuba. Referred to by historians as “the last battle of the cold war,” we’ll hear from three men who were championed and often used by each country as tokens in an ideological war that shaped our history.
SACRED SOIL: THE PINEY WOODS SCHOOL STORY (ANDSCAPE) (HULU ORIGINAL)
(Streaming Friday, February 23)
“Sacred Soil: The Piney Woods School Story” is a documentary film set against the culturally historical backdrop of one of America’s oldest Black boarding schools. This film amplifies the journeys of several Piney Woods School students and staff members, providing a never-before-seen window into the ever-evolving, complex layers of the school and its students. Vividly, yet beautifully “Sacred Soil: The Piney Woods School Story” captures the emotional, physical, and mental tolls required to be young, Black, and educated in America by honoring the students’ perspectives of themselves and their school.
CLASSIC FILMS, SITCOMS, & ANNIVERSARIES
SOUL FOOD (1997)
(Streaming Thursday, February 1)
When Ahmad Simmons’ (Brandon Hammond) diabetic grandmother, Josephine “Big Mama” Joseph (Irma P. Hall), falls into a coma during an operation to amputate her leg, it throws the Joseph family into chaos. Ahmad watches as his mother, Maxine (Vivica A. Fox), and aunts Teri (Vanessa L. Williams) and Tracy (Nia Long) struggle to adjust to the family matriarch’s sudden absence, fall into old rivalries, share memories, and work to maintain the long-standing tradition of Sunday family dinners.
BELOVED (1998) *25TH ANNIVERSARY*
(Streaming Sunday, February 4)
In 1873 Ohio, Sethe (Oprah Winfrey) is a mother of three haunted by her horrific slavery past and her desperate actions for freedom. As a result, Sethe’s home is haunted by a furious poltergeist, which drives away her two sons. Sethe and her daughter (Kimberly Elise) endure living with the spirit for 10 more years, until an old friend, Paul D. Garner (Danny Glover), arrives to run it out. After Garner moves in, a strange woman named Beloved (Thandie Newton) enters their lives, causing turmoil.
SISTER, SISTER: COMPLETE SEASONS 1-6 (1994) *30TH ANNIVERSARY*
(Now Streaming, All Episodes)
Tia Landry (Tia Mowry) and Tamera Campbell (Tamera Mowry-Housley) are twins separated at birth who learn of each other’s existence and come together as teenagers.
FAMILY MATTERS: COMPLETE SEASONS 1-9 (1989) *35TH ANNIVERSARY*
(Now Streaming, All Episodes)
What matters most? Family, of course! Over its nine hit seasons, Family Matters brings us a hilarious slice of middle-class Americana — along with one of TV’s wackiest characters, nerdy genius Steve Urkel (Jaleel White). The extended Winslow family redefines the word “togetherness” as their home splits at the seams with chaos, confusion and laughter.
BLACK-ISH: COMPLETE SEASONS 1-8 (2014) *10TH ANNIVERSARY*
(Now Streaming, All Episodes)
“Black-ish” takes a fun yet bold look at one man’s determination to establish a sense of cultural identity for his family with comedic stories that shine a light on current events through the lens of the Johnson family.
EVEN MORE TV AND MOVIES YOU LOVE
REASONABLE DOUBT: COMPLETE SEASON 1 (ONYX COLLECTIVE)
(Now Streaming, All Episodes)
In “Reasonable Doubt,” you’ll judge Jax Stewart for her questionable ethics and wild interpretations of the law … until you’re the one in trouble. Then you’ll see her for what she is: the most brilliant and fearless defense attorney in Los Angeles who bucks the justice system at every chance she gets.
BLACK CAKE: COMPLETE SEASON 1 (HULU ORIGINAL)
(Now Streaming, All Episodes)
Based on The New York Times-bestselling book by Charmaine Wilkerson, “Black Cake” is a family drama wrapped in a murder mystery with a diverse cast of characters and a global setting. The story takes place in Jamaica, Italy, Scotland, England and Southern California. In the late 1960s, a runaway bride named Covey disappears into the surf off the coast of Jamaica and is feared drowned or a fugitive on the run for her husband’s murder. In present day California, a widow named Eleanor Bennett, loses her battle with cancer, leaving her two estranged children, Byron and Benny, a flash drive that holds previously untold stories of her journey from the Caribbean to America. These stories, narrated by Eleanor, shock her children and challenge everything they thought they knew about their family’s origin. e one in trouble. Then you’ll see her for what she is: the most brilliant and fearless defense attorney in Los Angeles who bucks the justice system at every chance she gets.
THE OTHER BLACK GIRL: COMPLETE SEASON 1 (HULU ORIGINAL)
“The Other Black Girl” follows Nella, an editorial assistant, who is tired of being the only Black girl at Wagner Books so she’s excited when Hazel is hired. But as Hazel’s star begins to rise, Nella spirals out and discovers something sinister is going on at the company.
THE 1619 PROJECT: COMPLETE SEASON 1 (HULU ORIGINAL)
(Now Streaming, All Episodes)
Emmy Award-winning six-part limited docu-series “The 1619 Project,” is an expansion of “The 1619 Project” created by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones and The New York Times Magazine.
In keeping with the original project, the series seeks to reframe the country’s history by placing the consequences of slavery and the contributions of Black Americans at the very center of our national narrative. The episodes — “Democracy,” “Race,” “Music,” “Capitalism,” “Fear,” and “Justice”— are adapted from essays from The New York Times No. 1 bestselling “The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story” and examine how the legacy of slavery shapes different aspects of contemporary American life.
The series, hosted by Nikole Hannah-Jones, is a Lionsgate Production in association with One Story Up Productions, Harpo Films and The New York Times. It was executive produced by Nikole Hannah-Jones; Academy Award®-winning director Roger Ross Williams; Caitlin Roper, an editor of The 1619Project and The New York Times’ executive producer for film and television; Kathleen Lingo, The New York Times’ editorial director for film and television; and Oprah Winfrey. Peabody Award-winning executive producer Shoshana Guy served as the showrunner.
SNOWFALL: COMPLETE SEASONS 1-6 (FX)
(Now Streaming, All Episodes)
This was how crack began. Over the course of five seasons, FX’s “Snowfall” has chronicled how an off-the-books CIA operation contributed to the destruction rock cocaine leveled upon the vibrant community of South Central L.A.
CYPHER: DOCUMENTARY FILM (ANDSCAPE) (HULU ORIGINAL)
(Now Streaming)
GRAMMY-nominated lyricist and fast-rising star Tierra Whack first gained recognition at the age of 15 when she stunned viewers with her slick poetry while rapping for a YouTube channel on a Philadelphia Street. The video rapidly drew thousands of views and marked the first of Tierra’s many performances for the camera. Years later, director Chris Moukarbel begins documenting her astronomical rise, going behind the scenes of concerts and music videos as she navigates fame and receives exalted praise from stars like Erykah Badu. One night, after a particularly tiring set, a seemingly innocuous fan interaction begins a series of increasingly unsettling events that swirl around Tierra and her team — even following them to Dubai. They soon start questioning who is filming whom and whether being seen (or watched) is a desirable and unavoidable part of fame.
GROWN-ISH: COMPLETE SEASONS 1-6 (FREEFORM)
(Now Streaming, All Episodes)
After following in his big sister Zoey’s footsteps and taking on her alma mater, Andre Johnson Jr., aka Junior, makes moves to step out of his sister’s shadow and become a big man on campus.
MY WIFE AND KIDS: COMPLETE SEASONS 1-5 (2001)
(Now Streaming, All Episodes)
Michael Kyle is a modern-day patriarch who rules his household with a unique parenting style. He teaches his children life lessons with his own brand of humorous wisdom. Janet, Michael’s wife, maintains a fine balance between taking care of their home, building her career and trading punchlines with her husband. Their three children are high-school student Michael Jr. who is a regular recipient of his father’s witty, disciplinary ways; their moody, adolescent daughter, Claire whose favorite hobby is asking Dad for money, and six-year-old Kady, who rarely lets Daddy have the last word.
THE BERNIE MAC SHOW: COMPLETE SEASONS 1-5 (2001)
(Now Streaming, All Episodes)
In an unsentimental sitcom based on his life, comedian Bernie Mac plays a stand-up comic who, with his workaholic wife Wanda, takes in his sister’s three kids while she’s in rehab.
THE WONDER YEARS: COMPLETE SEASONS 1-2 (ABC) (2021)
(Now Streaming, All Episodes)
The story of the Williams family during the late 1960s, all through the point of view of imaginative 12-year-old Dean. With the wisdom of his adult years, Dean’s hopeful and humorous recollections of his past spotlight the ups and downs of growing up in a Black middle-class family in Montgomery, Alabama, and the friendship, laughter and lessons along the way.
12 YEARS A SLAVE (2013) *10TH ANNIVERSARY*
(Now Streaming)
“12 Years A Slave” is based on an incredible true story of one man’s fight for survival and freedom. In the pre-Civil War United States, Solomon Northup (Chiwetel Ejiofor), a free black man from upstate New York, is abducted and sold into slavery. Facing cruelty (personified by a malevolent slave owner, portrayed by Michael Fassbender), as well as unexpected kindnesses, Solomon struggles not only to stay alive, but to retain his dignity. In the twelfth year of his unforgettable odyssey, Solomon’s chance meeting with a Canadian abolitionist (Brad Pitt) will forever alter his life.’
HOW STELLA GOT HER GROOVE BACK (1998)
(Streaming Thursday, February 1)
Unlucky-in-love stockbroker Stella (Angela Bassett) jets to Jamaica with her gal pal Delilah (Whoopi Goldberg) for some fun in the sun. There, the 40-year-old working woman has an island fling with Winston (Taye Diggs) — a handsome 20-something. When it’s time to return to California, Stella realizes that she’s developed real feelings for her new man. But, with their distance from each other, not to mention their disparity in age, does a real relationship stand a chance?
JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH (2021)
(Streaming Thursday, February 1)
Offered a plea deal by the FBI, William O’Neal infiltrates the Illinois chapter of the Black Panther Party to gather intelligence on Chairman Fred Hampton.
BABY BOY (2001)
(Streaming Thursday, February 1)
The story of Jody (Tyrese Gibson), a misguided, 20-year-old who is really just a baby boy finally forced-kicking and screaming to face the commitments of real life. Streetwise and jobless, he has not only fathered two children by two different women-Yvette (Taraji P. Henson) and Peanut (Tamara LaSeon Bass) but still lives with his own mother. He can’t seem to strike a balance or find direction in his chaotic life.
ANTEBELLUM (2020)
(Streaming Monday, February 5)
Successful author Veronica Henley is finishing a book tour before she returns home to her husband and daughter. But a shocking turn of events is about to upend Veronica’s existence, plunging her into a horrifying reality that forces her to confront her past, present and future — before it’s too late.
JOHNSON: COMPLETE SEASONS 1-3
(Streaming Wednesday, February 7)
Four Black men, Omar, Greg, Keith and Jarvis met in grade school and have been best friends ever since, and they all just so happened to have the same last name, Johnson…no relation.
