Black History Month 2022: Your Complete TV & Streaming Guide

Paige Strout January 30, 2022, 12:00 pm

Black History Month 2022 TV Round-Up, Cicely Tyson as Vivian in 'Bustin' Loose,' Jay Pharoah in 'Phat Tuesdays,' Sonequa Martin-Green as Burnham in 'Star Trek: Discovery' — ©Universal/Courtesy Everett Collection; Greg Noire/Amazon Studios; Michael Gibson/Paramount+ (C)2021 CBS Interactive

Black History Month is almost here, and several of your favorite networks are ready to celebrate with new TV and streaming lineups headed your way this February.

Ovation, PBS, and Smithsonian Channel will honor Black trailblazers and history all month long with new shows, specials, docuseries, and movie presentations. On streaming, viewers can rewatch old and new favorites on Paramount+, such as Key & Peele, Sister, Sister, The Neighborhood, The Ms. Pat Show, The Good Fight, and more featured in the streamer’s Black Voices Collection.

Several new docuseries will premiere next month as a part of Discovery+‘s Black Voice programming hub and on Prime Video, with several free titles becoming available to stream for free on IMDb TV, Fuse Beat, and Pluto TV.

Below, we’ve rounded up everything you should tune into this Black History Month on TV and streaming, from comedies to documentaries to family-friendly favorites.

Hallmark Reunites 'ER's Eriq La Salle & Gloria Reuben in 'A Second Chance at Love'

Paramount+

Paramount+ subscribers can check out the streamer’s Black Voices Collection now, featuring dozens of movies, comedies, dramas, family shows, documentaries, specials, and Paramount+ original titles, along with favorites from CBS, BET, Comedy Central, Showtime, Nickelodeon, and more.

Viewers can stream hit movies like Gemini Man, Queenpins, Baywatch, Shaft, The New Edition Story, 17 Blocks, and more, along with series such as Everybody Hates Chris, Bob Hearts Abishola, The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, The Equalizer, SEAL Team, and many more.

Among the Paramount+ originals and exclusives featured in the collection are The Game (2021), Star Trek: Discovery, Evil, Lynching Postcards, Guilty Party, and several others. If you’re looking for titles the whole family can enjoy, you can check out Kenan & Kel, Moesha, The Haunted Hathaways, True Jackson, VP, The Soul Man, Tyler Perry’s Young Dylan, and more.

'Everybody Hates Chris,' Terry Crews, Tequan Richmond, <a href=

Imani Hakim, Tyler James Williams, Tichina Arnold” width=”855″ height=”570″ /> Everybody Hates Chris (Credit: Scott Humbert/© 3 Arts Entertainment/Courtesy Everett Collection_

Check out the full Black Voices Collection here, including must-see documentaries and laugh-out-loud comedy specials.

Ovation

Ovation’s Black History Month lineup of programming is all about celebrating the work of Black creators. Throughout the month, the network will honor beloved film stars during the weekly “Red Carpet Cinema” block on Friday nights. Those honored in the block’s film presentations include Richard Pryor and Cicely Tyson with Bustin’ Loose, Forest Whitaker and Gregory Hines with A Rage in Harlem, Denzel Washington and Patti LaBelle with A Soldier’s Story, and Morgan Freeman with The Sum of All Fears.

Movies such as Grandma’s House, Sounder, and When It Comes Around will premiere on the Ovation NOW app, in addition to other film titles becoming available to stream for free, including Livin’ for Love: The Natalie Cole Story, Olympia, and The Perfect Mate.

'A Soldier's Story,' 1984, Patti LaBelle as Big Mary

A Soldier’s Story (Credit: Columbia Pictures/Courtesy: Everett Collection)

Below, check out the full list of titles coming to Ovation NOW, celebrating some of Hollywood’s most beloved Black artists.

Comedy Greats

Celebrity Conversations: David Alan Grier and Keegan-Michael Key

Comedy Legends: Richard Pryor and Eddie Murphy

Inside the Actors Studio: Will Smith

Stars of the Silver Screen: Whoopi Goldberg

Eddie Murphy: Laugh Til It Hurts

Everybody Loves Chris Rock

Tyler Perry: Man of Many Faces

Will Smith: The Prince of Hollywood

Trailblazers

Celebrity Conversations: Barry Jenkins, Antoine Fuqua, and Djimon Hounsou

The Directors: Spike Lee

Icons of Our Time: Muhammad Ali

Inside the Actors Studio: Halle Berry, David Oyelowo, Lupita Nyong’o, Will Smith, and Alfre Woodard

London Live: Jennifer Hudson

Beyoncé & Jay-Z: Power Love

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr: Enough is Enough

Obama: Building the Dream

Legends

Celebrity Conversations: Samuel L. Jackson

The Directors: Spike Lee

Icons of Our Time: Muhammad Ali

Stars of the Silver Screen: Whoopi Goldberg, Denzel Washington and Morgan Freeman

Comedy Legends: Richard Pryor

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr: Enough is Enough

Obama: Building the Dream

Tina Turner: Simply the Best

Whitney Houston: We Will Always Love You

Music Icons

The Art of: Music and Hip Hop

Berlin Live: Leela James, Morcheeba, and Naturally 7

Front and Center: Jon Batiste, Gary Clark, Jr, Nile Rodgers, and Seal

The Great Songwriters: Bill Withers, Chuck D, and Seal

Inside the Actors Studio: Will Smith

Legends of Opera: Jessye Norman

London Live: Jennifer Hudson

Speakeasy: Carlos Santana & Harry Belafonte, Cyndi Lauper & Billy Porter, David Crosby & Wynton Marsalis, Gary Clark, Jr & Jimmy Vaughn, Lenny Kravitz & Sean Lennon, Nile Rodgers & Valerie Simpson

Beyoncé & Jay-Z: Power Love

Hamilton: One Shot to Broadway

Listen to the World: The Musical Instrument Museum

Livin’ for Love: The Natalie Cole Story

Shakura S’Aida: Rhino Jazz Festival 2014

Tina Turner: Simply the Best

Whitney Houston: We Will Always Love You

Will Smith: The Prince of Hollywood

Zac Harmon: Rhino Jazz Festival 2016

Where to Watch the Best of Sidney Poitier on TV & Streaming

Celebrating Black History Month

The Art of: Fashion, Hair, Hip Hop, Music, Pop Up, and Sneakers

The Color of Medicine

Echoes Cross the Tracks

Hamilton: One Shot to Broadway

Listen to the World: The Musical Instrument Museum

PBS

PBS has a jam-packed lineup of specials, movies, and episodes airing next month, including new episodes of Finding Your Roots, American Masters, American Experience, Frontline and Independent Lens.

Premiering on certain PBS stations in February are the documentaries Through the Banks of the Red Cedar, which dives into the story of America’s first integrated football team, and Just a Mortal Man: The Jerry Lawson Story, which celebrates the lead singer of the beloved a capella group The Persuasions.

Check out the full schedule below.

January 28

Muhammad Ali: Round One: The Greatest (1942-1964), 9/8c (Encore)

February 1

In Their Own Words, “Chuck Berry,” 9/8c (Encore)

February 4

Muhammad Ali: Round Two: What’s My Name? (1964-1970), 9/8c (Encore)

February 7

Independent Lens: Owned: A Tale of Two Americas, 10/9c (Premiere)

February 8

Finding Your Roots, “Fighters,” 8/7c (Premiere)

American Masters, “Marian Anderson: The Whole World in Her Hands,” 9/8c (Premiere)

American Masters: Marian Anderson: The Whole World in Her Hands (Credit: World History Archive / Alamy Stock Photo)

February 11

Muhammad Ali: Round Three: The Rivalry (1970-1974), 9/8c (Encore)

February 15

Finding Your Roots, “Forgotten Journeys,” 8/7c (Premiere)

American Experience, “The American Diplomat,” 9/8c (Premiere)

Frontline, “American Reckoning,” 10/9c (Premiere)

February 18

Muhammad Ali: Round Four: The Spell Remains (1974-2016),9/8c (Encore)

February 22

Finding Your Roots, “Songs of the Past,” 8/7c (Premiere)

Fannie Lou Hamer’s America: An America Reframed Special, 9/8c (Premiere)

John Lewis – Get in the Way, 10:30/9:30c (Encore)

February 25

American Masters, “Miles David: Birth of the Cool,” 9/8c (Encore)

Smithsonian Channel

Narrated by Emmy Award-winner Courtney B. Vance, Smithsonian Channel will premiere the new, four-part docuseries One Thousand Years of Slavery – The Untold Story every Monday in February, beginning February 7.

“This four-part limited series uncovers the truth of a 1,000-year story of slavery around the world, as leading Black actors, celebrities and influencers such as Debbie Allen, Valerie Jarrett, Lorraine Toussaint, Soledad O’Brien, CCH Pounder, Senator Cory Booker, Marc Morial and Dulé Hill, among others, go on journeys to confront their personal connection to slavery and its legacy today,” states the series’ description. “From Africa to the Caribbean, from New Orleans to Istanbul, this special series explores slavery’s lasting and personal impact on individuals and society in order to reframe history.”

Courtney B. Vance lends his voice to narrate all four episodes. Other contributors featured throughout the series include actors David Harewood (Supergirl) Hugh Quarshie, and Ray Fearon, U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s sister Rachel Johnson, and Martin Luther King Jr.’s daughter Dr. Bernice King.

The series comes from Angela Bassett and Vance’s production company Bassett Vance Productions and is a follow-up to the U.K. series One Thousand Years a Slave.

Discovery+

In January, Discovery+ announced the Black Voices programming hub, which features several series, movies, documentaries, and specials that shine a spotlight on the African American community. Included in this collection are the new series Remix My Space With Marsai Martin, and the two new docuseries Profiled: The Black Man and Uprooted.

Premiering on Saturday, February 12, Profiled: The Black Man is a new, four-part series that dives into the origins of stereotypes against Black men in America. The series, executive produced by Tina Knowles-Lawson, will feature commentary from many notable figures, including civil rights activist DeRay Mckesson, activist Tamika Mallory, hip-hop star Sway Calloway, and Pose star Billy Porter.

The three-part series Uprooted tells the story of the mysterious death of 19-year-old Keith Warren in 1986. Found hanging from a tree, his death was ruled a suicide by police with no criminal investigation, so his sister Sherri has spent the past 34 years searching for the truth and continues to fight against the corrupt ways of the U.S. justice system. The docuseries premieres on Friday, February 18.

Check out Discovery+ for the full list of Black Voices titles.

Prime Video

As told by the likes of Anthony Anderson, Tiffany Haddish, Regina King, Steve Harvey, and more, the three-part documentary Phat Tuesdays: The Era of Hip Hop Comedy follows the story of Guy Torry as he pushed against the comedy scene of the 1990s and launched The Comedy Store’s legendary all-Black comedy night. Quickly becoming the hottest comedy spot in Los Angeles, Phat Tuesdays helped comedians such as Martin Lawrence, D.L. Hughley, Robin Harris, Nick Cannon, Chris Tucker, Bill Bellamy, and more become stars. The documentary premieres on Friday, February 4 for Prime Video subscribers.

IMDb TV

In addition to the free lineup of Black History Month titles available to stream now on IMDb TV, the streamer premiered the original true crime docuseries Moment of Truth last year, which follows the 1993 murder of NBA star Michael Jordan‘s father, James Jordan. The five-part series also dives into the lives of convicted killers Larry Demery and Daniel Green, and how racism and police corruption in their North Carolina hometown affected the case.

Fuse Beat

Looking for more free content to stream this February? Like IMDb TV, Fuse Beat is another free, ad-supported streaming service that celebrates Black culture with its lineup of movies, shows, documentaries, comedy specials, and musical performances. Titles viewers can stream for free now include Don’t Cancel Me With Amara La Negra, T-Pain’s School of Business, Don’t Be Nice and more.

Pluto TV

Sticking with free streaming platforms, the many channels of Pluto TV will celebrate Black entertainment with vast lineups of titles airing on the streamer next month.

The Black Cinema channel will air a feature presentation every day in February at 8 p.m. EST, while the Pluto TV Documentaries and History channels will air a wide array of historical documentaries, including I Am Not Your Negro, Michelle Obama: Hope Becomes Change, Obama: Building the Dream, The Obamas: Believe, Jackie Robinson My Story, and Muhammad Ali: The Greatest.

BET Her will air a variety of titles, from classic shows like Sister, Sister, Showtime at the Apollo, Soul!, and Moesha, to the BET originals BET Music Blocks, BET Presents The Encore, and DJ Cassidy’s Pass The Mic, all featuring Black women at the forefront. For kids, The BBC Kids channel will air episodes of Horrible Histories that tell the stories of Black historical figures Jesse Owens, Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr., and President Barack Obama.