New HBO docuseries highlights overlooked Black creators
Issa Rae is shedding light on the legacy of Black television with her upcoming HBO docuseries, Seen & Heard.
During a keynote conversation at SXSW, Rae shared insights into the project, which chronicles the often-overlooked contributions of Black creators in the entertainment industry.
Moderated by Jacqueline Coley of Rotten Tomatoes, the discussion focused on the series’ first episode, which explores how networks once capitalized on Black audiences—only to abandon them when it was no longer profitable.
“It’s one thing to hear people say it,” Rae explained. “You might have heard someone mention that networks built their success on Black programming and later discarded it. But to hear it directly from the creators, showrunners, and writers who lived it? That’s undeniable. We wanted to make a comprehensive history with evidence showing exactly how these networks profited from us and then left us with almost nothing to show for it. It’s tragic, and history keeps repeating itself.”
Giving Black TV pioneers their flowers
The documentary features industry giants such as:
- Oprah Winfrey
- Tyler Perry
- Shonda Rhimes
- Ava DuVernay
- The late Norman Lear
While their achievements are well known, Rae revealed that the series uncovers lesser-known aspects of their journeys.
“These people have incredible stories, but they may not have been asked about their experiences in this particular way,” she said. “Being able to hear Oprah’s reflections, giving Mara Brock Akil the recognition she deserves, and learning firsthand about Tyler Perry’s path to building a studio that so many of us aspire to—it was inspiring. By the time I finished watching the documentary myself, I was like, ‘I need to step up and get my shit together.’”
Reality TV: The ‘villain origin story’
Rae also shared that reality television played a surprising role in motivating her early career—but for all the wrong reasons. Calling it her “villain origin story,” she recalled how the mid-to-late 2000s saw a decline in Black scripted TV while reality shows dominated the airwaves.
She grew up on classic Black sitcoms like Moesha, Girlfriends, and Martin, but as those shows disappeared, she felt frustrated by the portrayals of Black women that took their place.
“The lack of scripted Black TV infuriated me,” Rae said. “And the rise of reality TV—especially how it depicted Black women—made me even angrier. It was all we had. As much as I enjoyed watching it, I knew it was trash. My friends and I would gather in my tiny college apartment to hate-watch it.”
One particularly infamous moment from Flavor of Love—the dating show starring Flavor Flav—solidified her determination to create something better.
“There was a contestant named ‘Something’—because Flav gave them all ridiculous nicknames—and she had to use the bathroom during a ceremony,” Rae recalled. “Producers wouldn’t let her go, and she ended up shitting on the floor. On national TV. And they aired it.”
For Rae, it was a wake-up call.
“I remember thinking, ‘This is humiliating. And this is all Black women have on television right now.’ Girlfriends was gone. Everything else had disappeared. That’s when I started film blogging, just talking a bunch of shit. And someone finally said, ‘You talk all this mess—why don’t you make something?’ So shoutout to that person.”
Now, with Seen & Heard, Rae is doing exactly that—making sure Black creators, their contributions, and their legacies are no longer ignored.