TV’s best Black characters of the 21st century

If there was one word that best described the millennial experience, it’s "struggle." From the world of dating to the economy taking a dive as soon as they graduated from college, it has been a lot for that group of adults who came of age just as the world went totally online. No show highlights those struggles as beautifully as Insecure. Issa Rae’s Issa Dee rode the struggle bus for several seasons before finally finding her footing, showcasing that while the struggle is real, it’s not forever.

Very few television series are revered as much as HBO’s The Wire , and rightfully so. The cast was stacked with top-tier talents, now household names like Idris Elba, Michael B. Jordan, the late Michael K. Williams, and so many more. Williams' Omar Little stood out among the gifted ensemble because, while the anti-hero became a normalized trope a few years before The Sopranos, Omar set himself apart by delivering a modern-day Robin Hood with an abundance of nuanced layers that took the idea of machismo and tossed it out the window. Was he ruthless when out on the streets? Yes, but was he also this sensitive soul who cared for those he loved? Also yes.

At this point, Grey’s Anatomy has joined the list of things that’ll remain after the apocalypse alongside Cher and Twinkies. It’s given ABC years upon years of medical drama and what seems like a million and one characters that have become part of fans’ weekly routine, including Dr. Miranda Bailey. An OG from day one, Miranda Bailey has survived interns who are extra, highs and lows of romance, and so much more — all the while being a straight-up medical professional.

The Good Place did what most television shows do. It made viewers laugh, cry, and deeply care about a group of fictional characters. It also made most who watched question every aspect of their existence regularly — much like the character Chidi Anagonye. A highly intelligent, ethical-obsessed professor sentenced to The Bad Place because of his overwhelming indecisiveness, Chidi represented the show's moral compass. His journey from start to finish was an eye-opening character arc that ended with one of the most enlightening moments one could hope for from a sitcom.

If there is one thing the 21st century is not lacking, it’s superheroes. Thankfully a show like The Boys came into existence to breathe life into the genre. Even better is that The Boys spawned Gen V, which then gave the world the hemokinetic ways of Marie Moreau. She might have her issues, but who doesn’t? That makes her more human than supe, more relatable than not.

For too long, Black men were portrayed a certain way in the media, but thanks to characters like The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’s Uncle Phil and Steve Urkel from Family Matters, Black men started to be written as so much more. If one were to take the intelligence and sensitivity of the aforementioned, the result would be Randall Pearson of This Is Us. He was everything most strive to be in life but also had cracks in his imperfection, and it’s those cracks in his foundation that made him a relatable joy to watch.

Orange is the New Black will be looked back on as the series that helped put binge-watching on the map because every single character show made viewers care. Their stories, both in and out of prison, were nothing less than enthralling. And while one could list several characters from that show, it’s the way the Netflix hit bid farewell to Samira Wiley’s Poussey Washington that made the character one of the forever faces of the series.

When word dropped that The Fresh Prince of Bel Air would be coming back as more of a drama in 2022, people had their reservations as Will Smith truly dominated with the sitcom in the ‘90s. However, the reimagining of the teen from Philly having to flee to the rich streets of Los Angeles worked but no one would have ever guessed it’d be anyone but the character of Will to stand out. Alas, it’s Will’s cousin, Carlton Banks, that shines in Bel-Air. Still a nerd, but in the 21st century way where he’s applauded for his smarts, the modern-day version of Carlton has more grit to his name, facing actual hurdles as a teen and overcoming them in realistic ways that young viewers can relate to.

Olivia Pope managed to become the Carrie Bradshaw of TV dramas due to her impeccable style, but she was so much more. Leading a firm, Pope handled what has to be one of the most stressful jobs in the United States: a political crisis manager. She proved that women will always get things done.

Being part of the LGBTQ+ community has never been easy, and even as the world continues to make progress, it feels as though the US government still wants to come for people in said community. This is why shows like Pose and characters like Michaela Jaé Rodriguez’s Blanca Evangelista continue to be crucial to the landscape of television. When audiences see stories about people unlike them in the media, it helps to further the narrative that they are just people trying to survive in this world like everyone else.

There are often Twitter threads asking, “When was the first time you had a Black male teacher?” More often than not, many respond with college or perhaps high school. With the introduction of Gregory Eddie on Abbott Elementary, one has to wonder how many in the future will be able to say they had their first Black male teacher as early as preschool.

Erica Sinclair from Stranger Things is the younger sibling one dreams of having but also dreads. She is a boss but will tear down anyone in her way. In a show with a lot going on, Erica managed to make her initial appearances count. So much so that her character became an integral part of the action. She may be young, but Erica calls attention to the fact that girls do run the world.

Atlanta is, without a doubt, one of the wildest series ever. What started as the story of a down-on-his-luck man trying to manage his cousin’s rap career morphed into this dark yet whimsical tale that weaved in horror, social issues, and more. At the center of that is Donald Glover’s Earn. While Earn did achieve his goals by the end, what made him memorable were his hardships during the premiere season when he said, “I just keep losing. I mean, some people just…are supposed to lose? For balance in the universe? I mean, like, are there just some people on earth who…are supposed to be here just to make it easier for the winners?”

One thing about the 21st century is that there is an excess of superheroes. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but there can be some questionable content because of it. Luke Cage is not one of those questionable ones, though. Luke Cage only garnered two seasons on Netflix, but in that time, the series managed to take a beloved comic book character and bring him to life in a way that illustrated a hero that had to grapple with their past while balancing life as the hero to Harlem. The juxtaposition of his characterization caused many to fall and continue to fall for the show.

Back in the ‘80s and ‘90s, if a teen show were to deal with things like addiction or mental health, it’d be a “Very Special Episode” where things were resolved pretty quickly or in a manner that felt unlike what would happen in reality. Euphoria doesn’t approach either of those topics lightly, and neither does Zendaya. In a time when many came of age during a pandemic when mental health was at an all-time low, Rue clearly represents how heavy the world can feel as a modern-day teen.

New Girl could have easily been just like Friends and opted not to diversify their cast, but they did not. Nor did they make Winston Bishop the token. He was part of the crew and, throughout the series, was allowed to let his weird flag fly. Be it his overzealous pranks or his relationship with Ferguson, the cat of an ex he took in.

Found is one of those procedural dramas that can have someone hooked within seconds. What drives that instantaneous addiction isn’t just the missing person cases at hand, but also the lead, Gabrielle Mosely. She demands attention with not only her stunning fashion, but her dedication to placing importance on people who slip through the cracks when it comes to coverage for missing people; which mirrors reality.

The show did not bear his name, but it didn’t take long for Titus Andromedon to make Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt as much his as it was hers. Every line was comedic gold, and every facial reaction lives on in GIF formation.

By the end of The Walking Dead, the series had introduced and said goodbye to dozens of characters, and each had something that made them appealing, whether it was for good or bad reasons. All that said, there was no one ever quite like Michonne. Her introduction in the series took it to new levels, and her strength, loyalty, and determination were nothing less than remarkable.

This wasn’t the first time Andre Braugher played a man of the law, and while some diehard Homicide: Life on the Street fans may argue that show was better, it’s hard to deny how perfect the award-winning actor was in Brooklyn Nine-Nine as Captain Raymond Holt. Holt was one of the more stern characters on a show that featured the likes of Chelsea Peretti and Andy Samberg, but he managed to bring a level of deadpan to the role that in many ways elevated the overall humor of the show.

Many, many moons ago, executives didn’t think little boys would enjoy a series led by a female character. Melissa Joan Hart proved them wrong with Clarissa Explains it All, and because of that show, the world got a plethora of tween TV hits, but it wasn’t until That’s So Raven that a young Black female was placed in the titular role. Without Raven Baxter, the world may have never gotten the likes of The Proud Family, True Jackson, VP, or K.C. Undercover, but it’s safe to assume Raven saw that level of success coming.

Like many teenagers, Eric Effiong was not perfect on Sex Education. He made relationship mistakes left and right, but all of that said, he was never not one of the most endearing characters to ever appear on a teen show. Audiences couldn’t help but fall in love with how he cared for his best friend, his struggles at home regarding his sexuality, and the freedom he felt whenever he just got to be himself.

On the one hand, Black-ish wasn’t breaking the mold. The Huxtables had presented the idea of a Black family led by two professionals back in the ‘80s. However, it gave audiences more than the family dynamic and the somewhat cheesy “special episodes” every once in a while. Black-ish took inspiration from the world around it and managed to interlace real-life headlines into the lives of the Johnsons. As for the family, the Johnsons were made up of characters representing various ideas of what it meant to be Black in America in the 21st century.