Skip to content
  • Essence GU
  • Beautycon
  • NaturallyCurly
  • Afropunk
  • Essence Studios
  • Soko Mrkt
  • Ese Funds
  • Refinery29
  • WeLoveUs.shop
  • 2026 ESSENCE Festival Of Culture
  • Celebrity
  • Fashion
  • Beauty
  • Lifestyle
  • Entrepreneurship
  • News
  • Shopping
  • Video
  • Events
  • Subscribe
Home • Celebrity

Black Hollywood's TV Takeover

Gone are the days when we had to wait to see our favorite leading ladies, and men, on the big screen. Halle Berry, Viola Davis, and Octavia Spencer are just a few of the names we'll find on primetime in the coming months. Here's a look at Black Hollywood on the small screen.
By Yolanda Sangweni · Updated October 27, 2020
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready…
01
Halle Berry

The Oscar winner will star in the Steven Spielberg-produced sci-fi thriller, Extant, coming to CBS July 9.

Black Hollywood's TV Takeover
CBS
02
Anika Noni Rose, Tichina Arnold, and More

This all-star casting of Terry McMillan’s book, A Day Late, and a Dollar Short, coming to Lifetime on April 19, features Mekhi Phifer, Kimberly Elise, Anika Noni Rose, Ving Rhames, Tichina Arnold, and Whoopi Goldberg (not pictured).

Black Hollywood's TV Takeover
Rafy/ Lifetime
03
Viola Davis

Davis (pictured here on set in Philadelphia), will play criminal defense professor Annalise DeWitt in the Shonda Rhimes ABC pilot, How to Get Away with Murder, premiering this fall.

Black Hollywood's TV Takeover
Gilbert Carrasquillo/Splash News
04
Taraji P. Henson and Terrence Howard

The two Hustle & Flow co-stars recently reunited to star in Lee Daniels’ Fox hip hop drama, Empire, set to premiere this fall.

Black Hollywood's TV Takeover
Taraji P. Henson/ Instagram
05
Lee Daniels
Lee Daniels
Black Hollywood's TV Takeover
Getty Images
06
Naturi Naughton and Omari Hardwick

Naughton and Hardwick play James “Ghost” St. Patrick and Tasha St. Patrick in the the Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson-produced crime drama Power, set to premiere on Starz on June 7.

Black Hollywood's TV Takeover
Starz
07
Toni Braxton

Braxton will play legendary backup singer Darlene Love on the OWN network’s upcoming biopic, My Name is Love: The Darlene Love Story, premiering in December.

Black Hollywood's TV Takeover
Getty Images
08
Gabourey Sidibe

The Oscar nominee will reunite with Precious director Lee Daniels for the hip hop drama, Empire, coming to Fox this fall.

Black Hollywood's TV Takeover
09
Aisha Tyler

CBS has selected Tyler’s New York Times best-selling book Self-Inflicted Wounds: Heartwarming Tales of Epic Humiliation for adaptation as a comedy series and is currently searching for writers for the project.

Black Hollywood's TV Takeover
10
Teyonah Parris

The Mad Men regular will star in Lebron James’ autobiographical comedy, Survivor’s Remorse, set to debut on Starz this fall.

Black Hollywood's TV Takeover
Michael Rowe
11
Octavia Spencer
Octavia Spencer
Black Hollywood's TV Takeover
Jason Merritt/WireImage
12
Romany Malco

Malco will play the lead in Kevin Hart’s forthcoming comedy pilot, Keep It Together, coming to ABC this fall. Hart is expected to have a recurring role if the pilot moves to a series.

Black Hollywood's TV Takeover
Jim Spellman/ Getty