Issa Rae is turning her lens toward Hollywood’s fraught relationship with Black creativity in her explosive new HBO docuseries, Seen & Heard.
Unveiled during a fiery SXSW keynote speech, the project chronicles the systemic erasure of Black stories in television while holding a mirror to an industry that has long profited from—then discarded—Black audiences and creators.
The importance of Black entertainers and creatives in culture is undeniable, but Hollywood’s history of profiting from Black-led productions only to cancel them gives the impression that diverse narratives are of little value.
Issa Rae announced her upcoming docuseries Seen & Heard at SXSW, highlighting studios’ historical use of Black audiences and their eventual abandonment.
“It’s one thing to say it. You might have heard someone say that in the history of television and the history of particular networks, “… “But to have the actual creators, showrunners, and writers chronicle the history of that is undeniable. We wanted to make a comprehensive history and showcase, with evidence, that this is how they built the success of their networks on our backs, and we almost don’t have anything to show for it as a result. It’s tragic, and history repeats itself.”
On Saturday (March 8), attendees at the South by Southwest (SXSW) Conference experienced the premiere of its inaugural episode. It explored how major networks attract Black audiences through programming designed for marginalized groups, only to abandon them once they achieve a degree of success and stability that allows them to focus on narratives aimed at mostly white viewers. This project was first announced in 2020.
“Black people have such a rich, but often unacknowledged history in Hollywood… We have defined American culture and influenced generations time and time again across the globe,” Issa Rae noted in the press statement.
Prominent figures in television, such as Oprah Winfrey, Tyler Perry, Shonda Rhimes, Ava DuVernay, and Norman Lear, among others, feature prominently in the series. Although their careers have been extensively covered, Rae mentioned that many of them disclosed lesser-known details about their journeys during their interviews.
Seen and Heard, which debuted at the SXSW festival, features notable figures such as Tyler Perry, Issa Rae, Lena Waithe, Shonda Rhimes, Swizz Beatz, and Ava DuVernay, among others, and will soon be available for streaming on HBO.
