Netflix may be raising its prices, but maybe this black-ass content during this black-ass month will be worth it.
Note: This list is usually published here a couple of days prior to the new month, but what better moment to be on CPT (Colored People’s Time) than Black History Month? Logic.
OK, on to the content.
Netflix’s Strong Black Lead campaign is even stronger for the month of February, naturally. More like “Brolic Black Lead.”
First, the OGs—Netflix originals.
Dropping right on the first day is a television series that’ll be on my weekend binge list, Siempre Bruja, which follows 18-year-old Colombian slave and witch Carmen, who travels in time to save her loved one. That shit looks badass.
On Feb. 8 there’s High Flying Bird, a story about the NBA lockout with that fast-paced Steven Soderbergh flavor. Written by Tarell Alvin McCraney, the film stars André Holland, Zazie Beetz and Melvin Gregg.
Kevin Hart is giving folks a black history guide in his one-hour comedy special, Kevin Hart’s Guide to Black History. Think Drunk History, but with Hart yelling facts. Also available Feb. 8.
Netflix has garnered a lovely reputation for its quality documentaries and it’s not slowing down during the blackest month. ReMastered: The Two Killings of Sam Cooke is a profile on the most influential black musician of the civil rights movement. The doc will look into the controversial circumstances of his shooting death, concluded to be by a sex worker but believed by many people to be a mob conspiracy implemented by music industry heads. This is a watcher, for sure.
If you’re into fantasy, get into The Umbrella Academy series, starring Emmy Raver-Lampman, on Feb. 15. Also, check Free Rein, a family TV series starring Jaylen Barron. The episode “Valentine’s Day,” which tests friendships on Galentine’s Day, drops this month.
Velvet Buzzsaw is a satirical thriller set in Los Angeles with on-screen blackness including Daveed Diggs (Hamilton, Black-ish) and Zawe Ashton (Wanderlust). Available Feb. 1.
USA Network’s Unsolved: Tupac & Biggie drops Feb. 27.
So what’s going to have you slumped on your couch with snacks this month until Netflix asks if you’re still watching?