History Greenlights Kevin Hart’s ‘The Black Man’s Guide to History’

Kevin Hart will star in and executive produce a two-hour event special for History this year that looks at lesser-known, yet important, black history stories, the network announced Friday at the Television Critics Association winter press tour.

Kevin Hart Presents: The Black Man’s Guide to History begins with the actor and comedian finding his daughter upset after watching the film 12 Years a Slave, believing that black history appears to only be about slavery and oppression. This prompts Hart to begin educating her through scripted reenactments about historical figures people may not have heard about, such as Matthew Henson, the first person to go to the North Pole, but who did not receive the credit; Robert Smalls, a former slave who led a revolt on a Confederate warship and pretended to be the captain to evade capture, eventually going on to to become a member of the U.S. House of Representatives; Mae Jemison, the first black female astronaut; and Henry “Box” Brown, a slave who courageously mailed himself to a free state in a box.

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History says The Black Man’s Guide to History will be “filtered through the lens of Kevin Hart,” so you know there will likely be some humor mixed in with the education. In fact, in a release, Hart says that “not only is [the show] entertaining, and it’s hysterical, but it also is an important program for our country right now. We hope to make people laugh and learn a bit, too.”

Kevin Hart Presents: The Black Man’s Guide to History, Airing in 2017, History