Black VoicesArts and EntertainmentNetflixBlack Voices

5 Quirky U.K. Shows Starring Black Women To Stream After Binging 'Chewing Gum'

Long live awkward black girls.
Zeba Blay
By 

Senior Culture Writer, HuffPost

Michaela Cole in "Chewing Gum."
Michaela Cole in "Chewing Gum."
Youtube

Earlier this year, Michaela Coel’s hit show “Chewing Gum” enjoyed a surge of popularity after quietly making its Netflix debut in October. Written by and starring Coel, the show takes us along on the awkward, hilarious shenanigans of Tracey, a sheltered 24-year-old black woman living on a London estate.

What’s refreshing about the show is not just its subject matter, or the fact that it’s written by a black woman, but that it is a coming-of-age story that’s decidedly offbeat ― unafraid of the often unpretty and just plain gross parts of growing up.

“Chewing Gum” shines most when it explores the messy reality of exploring sexuality for the first time. We watch the sheltered and religious Tracey endeavor to finally lose her virginity, tackling everything from the art of seduction, to the first kiss, to some very awkward ― and funny ― first-time sex.

Season two of the cult hit (which originally aired on the U.K. channel E4) is set to premiere on Netflix on Tuesday. If you’re craving more after binge-watching that, here are five more shows starring black women with a similarly raunchy and irreverent spirit:

"Being Human"
BBC
Lenora Crichlow played the charming, emotional and secretly fierce-as-hell Annie on this supernatural comedy about a werewolf, a vampire and a ghost who end up sharing a flat together. Here, the roommates have a house meeting that turns into a meltdown.

Stream it on: Netflix
"Crazyhead"
Susan Wokoma (who played Tracey's deeply religious little sister on "Chewing Gum") shows a totally different side in this horror-comedy about two best friends who are figuring out their 20s while also fighting literal demons and ghouls. This trailer gives a glimpse of how badass Wokoma's baseball bat-wielding character, Raquel, really is.

Stream it on: Netflix
"Misfits"
E4
Antonia Thomas got her start on the first two seasons of the edgy, hilarious "Misfits" in 2009. The E4 show was about five young offenders who mysteriously get some seriously messed-up superpowers while doing community service. Thomas plays Alisha, a complex "mean girl" who gets the unwanted power of sparking desire in anyone she touches.

Stream it on: Hulu
"Fresh Meat"
Channel 4
Rising U.K. actress Zawe Ashton plays badass university freshman Vod in this offbeat ensemble comedy that aired from 2011 to 2014 on Channel 4. The show focuses on Vod and her group of fellow outcasts at the fictional Manchester Medlock University, where they must navigate the pressures and pleasures of their newfound freedom.

In this clip, Vod has a meltdown after a drug test.

Stream it on: Netflix
"Some Girls"
BBC
"Some Girls" was a feel-good raunchy sitcom that aired on BBC Three between 2012 and 2013. It followed four very different teenage best friends figuring out school, family and sex with an unapologetically frank and hilarious approach. The leader of the gang is Viva (played by Adelayo Adedayo), an over-achiever with ambitions of becoming a child psychologist -- until an unexpected pregnancy shakes things up. In this clip, the four friends have a cheeky after-school talk about boys.

Stream it on: YouTube

Before You Go

29 Classic Black Movies To Watch In Honor Of Black History Month

|
Submit a tip

Popular in the Community

Close

What's Hot