After weeks of bingeing old series as part of my viewing entertainment, I thought I’d mix in some new projects available in August and September. With these varied hoots (Lamorne Morris is very smart, funny and Black in Woke) and horrors (Lovecraft Country’s deep dive on American racism is scarier than its otherworldly monsters), I’m happily watching these TV series and movies as the summer winds down.
This article appears in the September/October 2020 issue of ESSENCE magazine, available on newsstands August 25.
01
Lovecraft Country - August 16
Black folk driving through Lovecraft
Country in 1954 need these essentials: a
copy of The Safe Negro Travel Guide, a
spare tire and a flashlight
that scares off shoggoths—massive
nocturnal tentacled creatures. That’s what
Atticus (Da 5 Bloods’ Jonathan Majors),
Letitia (a fiercely sublime Jurnee Smollett)
and George (Courtney B. Vance) discover as
they search for Atticus’s father, who sent
his son a mysterious letter about his
whereabouts. Based on Matt Ruff’s 2016
novel, an homage to the H.P. Lovecraft
fantasy horror subgenre married with the
equally terrifying reality of systemic racism
in Jim Crow–era America, the HBO series is
eerily and necessarily right on time. (HBO)
02
Tyler Perry's Madea Farewell Play - August 27
As he approached turning 50, in March 2019 Tyler Perry confirmed he was retiring the big-screen matriarch he created, wrote, directed and played because he wanted “to do things differently.” But “hellur!” the mogul pulls out Madea’s housecoat one final time for this stage version starring himself (above right) and longtime players Cassi Davis, David Mann and Tamela Mann. (BET Plus)
03
Power Book II: Ghost - September 6
For six seasons on Power,
in a big, rich town Ghost and Tommy ruled
the streets. In the end Ghost was no match
for his own blood, son Tariq (Michael
Rainey, Jr.), who killed him. This spin-off
picks up with Tariq’s mom taking the fall for
the murder. But with no money for her get-out-of-jail-free card, the teen follows in his
father’s hustler footsteps by going into
business with drug queen Monet Stewart
Tejada (Mary J. Blige) all while juggling
college. That’s right, Papa had the last word
when Ghost stipulated that Tariq’s hefty
inheritance would arrive after graduation. (Starz)
04
Woke - September 9
When a
White fan of cartoonist Keef (Lamorne
Morris) says he didn’t realize Keef
was Black, the artist blows off the
microaggression as a way of maintaining
harmony. That is until his harrowing run-in
with cops. The incident awakens Keef’s
double consciousness as well as random
animated objects—hey, it’s a comedy—
that encourage him to challenge the
racism he’s long ignored. (Hulu)
05
Antebellum - September 18
In this psychological thriller,
new filmmakers Gerard Bush and Christopher Renz cross horror fantasy
with historical realism in their lead character, celebrated author Veronica
(Janelle Monáe). An unapologetic critic of racial and gender inequalities,
Veronica is sought after as a speaker, but at a conference in New Orleans
she’s kidnapped after a night out with her dear friend (a hilariously
plainspoken Gabourey Sidibe). In flashback sequences that toggle
between Veronica’s tony life with her daughter (London Boyce) and
supportive husband (Dear White People’s Marque Richardson) and her
past life as a field slave on a Louisiana plantation, she’s seemingly caught
between two vivid worlds (much like Dana in Octavia Butler’s Kindred).
However, through these memories a bone-chilling question arises: Which
of Veronica’s lives is real? (Lionsgate)
Available on premium on-demand platforms on 9/18
