Issa Rae showcases the power of being ‘Seen & Heard’ in new Black television documentary

Issa Rae taps Oprah Winfrey, Shonda Rhimes, Mara Brock Akil, and more, to explore the history of Black television.

Issa Rae has never been shy about telling the stories Hollywood once ignored — and now, she’s putting the entire history of Black television under the spotlight.

The Emmy-nominated creator is executive producing “Seen & Heard: The History Of Black Television,” a two-part HBO Original documentary that chronicles the evolution of Black visibility and storytelling on TV. Premiering Sept. 9 and 10, the project traces the ways Black creators have shaped the medium, and how they’ve had to fight to be recognized as more than stereotypes along the way.

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In the newly released trailer, Rae sets the tone with a reminder that feels both obvious and overdue: “If you’re telling Black stories, then you need to have Black people create their own.”

That sentiment appears to pulse through every frame of the documentary. Heavy-hitters like Shonda Rhimes, Mara Brock Akil, Cord Jefferson, and Tracee Ellis Ross sit alongside cultural giants like Oprah Winfrey, who reflects on coming of age without seeing herself reflected on screen. “I grew up when there was nobody like me on TV,” she says, as vintage clips of her early career flash across the screen.

But the series doesn’t just spotlight struggle; it celebrates the joy, brilliance, and legacy that Black TV has built over generations. From trailblazers who cracked open Hollywood’s doors to shows like “Moesha” that made Blackness the blueprint, “Seen & Heard” captures the movement, not just the moment. “With Moesha, it was Black people everywhere: hair, makeup, wardrobe. It was Black joy,” one voice reflects.

And that joy is a throughline. Whether it’s the global success of Rhimes’ TV empire, the cultural dominance of “Abbott Elementary,” or the unapologetic creativity of Rae herself in “Insecure,” the documentary cements something we’ve always known: Black storytelling transcends entertainment. 

Directed by Giselle Bailey, who worked on “The Legend of the Underground,” and Phil Bertelsen, who worked on “Who Killed Malcolm X?”, the two-part series pulls back the curtain on how Black TV has challenged norms, created space where there was none, and redefined representation.

Watch “Seen & Heard: The History Of Black Television” on September 9 and 10 on HBO.