Black Web Series and New Black TV

UPDATE: Please see my Black Web Series page for a full and regularly updated list.

ORIGINAL: So I did a little bit of reporting and found some web series featuring all or mostly black casts! The full story is up at The Root:

“A small but growing number of filmmakers, producers and writers are looking to the Web to make black shows on their own terms. Over the last year, a bevy of new shows have come online about the lives of all kinds of black people: gay and lesbian, rich and poor. Sites that focus on publishing black independent Web shows are cropping up as well, including Rowdy Orbit and BBTV (Better Black TV). This month, BET.com will premiere its first original Web series, Buppies, starring Tatyana Ali, directed by up-and-coming director Julian Breece and produced by Ali and newcomer Aaliyah Williams.

No matter what kind of black show you had, nobody wanted it,”creator Julian Breece said of trying to pitch Buppies to the networks a few years ago. ‘A lot of black people flock to the Web for content …. This is the perfect space to explore black stories that you don’t have the change to do in traditional media.’”

Tatyana Ali stars and exec produces this new web show directed and created by new filmmaker Julian Breece

Full list of shows with descriptions at The Root. Also, please check out my previous article for The Root on black vloggers on YouTube and my interview with Tatyana Ali on Buppies and review of the show.

I’ll be publishing more on the web series listed below later, and the sites distributing them, so check back. I’m focusing — for the sake of my own sanity — on scripted, fictional (or mostly fictional) series. And please, if I missed your web series or one you like, please let me know. The more I know, the better (and I’ll be sure to update this post with shows I hear of).

UPDATED (12/7/09): Updated separate list of shows above.

UPDATED (11/9): Add one two more series.

UPDATED (10/27): Added one more series. I promise I’ll start annotating these soon!

UPDATED (10/22): The official site for Buppies is up. It’s great! Click here for more on Buppies.

UPDATED (10/20): Added a series. Look more information soon, as soon as I get time.

UPDATED (10/16): Added two more series. Plus, one of my favorite blogs, Shadow and Act, covered my article!

UPDATED (10/15): With two more shows, keep them coming!

LIST OF SHOWS

Anacostia

http://www.anacostia-thewebseries.com/

Buppies**

http://buppies.bet.com

The Cabonauts

http://www.cabonauts.com/

Chick

http://www.whoischick.com

Christopher Street

http://www.christopherstreettv.com/

Drama Queenz

http://dramaqueenztheseries.com/

Guidance

http://www.youtube.com/user/GuidanceSeries

Johnny B. Homeless

http://www.jbhtv.com; http://www.JohnnyBHomeless.com

Habesha Life

http://habeshalife.com/

Kindred

http://kindredseries.com/

Lenox Avenue

http://www.lenoxaveseries.com/

The Lovers and Friends Show

http://www.insyteproductions.com/The_Lovers_%26_Friends_Show/

Money Power & Respect

http://www.tpn1.com/webisode.html; YouTube

Net Profits

YouTube

The New 20s

http://www.new20stv.com/

The PuNanny Diaries

http://www.punannydiaries.com/

Road to the Altar

http://www.roadtothealtar.com/

Rowdy Orbit (collection of series)

http://rowdyorbit.com

Semi-Dead

http://www.semi-dead.com

Stirred, Not Shaken

http://stirrednotshakentv.wordpress.com/

Stream

http://www.fearnet.com/shows/stream/index.html

WHO

http://www.ajakwetv.com

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**On Buppies and the “lawsuit:” Earlier reports of a lawsuit between Tatyana Ali and filmmaker Julian Breece were superficially true, the director told be, but the case has been resolved. I judged from the tone of his voice that it was never really a big deal to begin with, all just a misunderstanding. This explains why BET never really took down its Buppies page, which always sort of confused me. Regardless, Buppies will probably be known as the newest major black web show, given the corporate backing of BET and sponsor CoverGirl. So it’s good they got this resolved!