*Issa Rae is bringing the untold history of Black television to the forefront with her upcoming HBO docuseries, “Seen & Heard.”
During a keynote conversation at SXSW, she shared insights on the project, which examines how major studios have profited from Black audiences—only to abandon them when convenient. Moderator Jacqueline Coley of Rotten Tomatoes described the first episode as a deep dive into this troubling pattern, which Rae said initially sounded like a conspiracy theory until research proved otherwise.
“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,” Rae said, per Variety. “But to have the actual creators, showrunners and writers chronicle the history of that is undeniable.”
She continued, “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.”
The series features major industry figures like Oprah Winfrey, Tyler Perry, Shonda Rhimes, Ava DuVernay, and Norman Lear, offering fresh perspectives on their journeys.
“They have these incredible stories, and they may not have been asked questions about their journey and their vision in this particular way,” she said. “To be able to get Oprah, to be able to give Mara Brock Akil her flowers, to be able to have Tyler Perry talk about his journey creating a studio that so many of us aspire to — watching it myself and hearing some of these stories for the first time inspires me. The end of that documentary inspires me to do more and get my shit together.”
Rae also reflected on how reality TV indirectly fueled her passion for storytelling, calling the genre her “villain origin story.” While sitcoms like “Moesha,” “Girlfriends,” and “Martin” first inspired her, their disappearance left a void that reality television filled—often with negative portrayals of Black women.
“The disappearance of that infuriated me, but then the advent of reality television, specifically where the portrayal of Black women was concerned, made me upset,” she said. “As much as I enjoyed watching it and gathered all my friends to my little college apartment, it was still like, ‘Let’s watch this bullsh*t.’ It was hate-watching.”
One moment, in particular, solidified her desire to create change: a scene from “Flavor of Love” where a contestant named “Something” was forced to relieve herself on the floor after producers refused to let her use the bathroom.
“They were doing a ceremony, so the producers told her she couldn’t go to the bathroom, and she ended up shitting on the floor. On TV. And they still aired it.”
Rae continued: “I was like, ‘This is humiliating, and this is all Black women have on television right now.’ Because ‘Girlfriends’ was gone. All these other shows had just disappeared. That’s when I started film blogging and talking a bunch of shit, and someone was like, ‘You talk a lot of mess. Why don’t you make something?’ So shout out to that person.”
With “Seen & Heard,” Rae hopes to give Black creators the recognition they deserve while pushing the industry to do better.
READ MORE FROM EURWEB.COM: Issa Rae Cancels Kennedy Center Show Amid Trump’s Leadership Shakeup
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