Miracles are real: Girlfriends, Moesha, and other Black sitcoms are coming to Netflix

By Shannon Miller  |  July 29, 2020 | 7:02pm
TV Features TV
Miracles are real: Girlfriends, Moesha, and other Black sitcoms are coming to Netflix
L to R: Tracee Ellis Ross in Girlfriends (YouTube) and Brandy Norwood as Moesha (Getty Images) Graphic: The A.V. Club

While the preponderance of streaming platforms makes it a little easier to revisit old favorites like Cheers and Supermarket Sweep, some Black-led comedies have remained largely off the grid, to the dismay of their longtime fans. Fuzzy YouTube uploads may be enough to satiate a few wanting devotees, but others have been calling on the big-name platforms to pick up the likes of Girlfriends and The Parkers for quite some time. After years of seemingly overlooking desperate pleas, Netflix has announced the forthcoming additions of seven popular Black comedies. Fans of Girlfriends, Moesha, Sister Sister, The Parkers, Half & Half, One On One, and the first three seasons of The Game will finally get to stream their favorites with Moesha leading the slate of new arrivals come August 1. The rest will premiere through October 15.

Stars from each sitcom delivered a collective message of gratitude through a short video that was posted with the announcement, emphasizing the impact these show had on Black culture and how the new deal will introduce them to a new audience. “It’s going to give an opportunity for a whole new generation that’s going to be watching on Netflix,” the stars said. “So thanks to everyone who ever made a social media post or left a message asking about these shows. It didn’t go unnoticed.”

The news garnered some excitement on social media along with a handful of questions, like whether the shows will be remaining on the platform permanently or for a limited time. (That’s fair; these things sometimes come with a catch.) Netflix responded, saying that it couldn’t confirm the exact length of time, but it could guarantee a long enough stay to rewatch all of these a few time over.

 
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