10 Best Shows Like Colin In Black And White

Netflix’s new biographical sports drama Colin in Black and White is a six-part miniseries that chronicles the formative years of the former NFL player and polarizing political activist Colin Kaepernick. Created by Kaepernick (who narrates) and Ava DuVernay, the series is a coming-of-age story about the trials and tribulation of growing up as a biracial child in California and how his childhood shaped his adulthood.

Colin in Black and White joins a long line of compelling TV sports shows as well as coming-of-age dramas that specifically explore the Black experience in America. While it’s difficult to find exact matches (stars don’t often narrate TV shows about their own lives), fans of the new Netflix series still have plenty of similar series to indulge in.

10 All American – Stream On Netflix

Fusing topical social commentary with compelling characters, All American traces Spencer James (Daniel Ezra), a star football player from South Central Los Angeles recruited to play for the rival football team from Beverly Hills. Based on the real-life of Spencer Paysinger, All American details the difficulty of James adjusting to new surroundings in a privileged white world.

Beyond the insightful glimpse into the culture clash James experience in going back and forth between Crenshaw High and Beverly Hills High, the show features some riveting football action sure to appeal to fans of Colin Kapernick’s professional career as a Super Bowl quarterback.

9 Survivor’s Remorse – Stream On Amazon Prime Video

Produced by LeBron James, the Starz original series Survivor’s Remorse follows Cam Calloway (Jessie T. Pusher) and Reggie Vaughn (RonReaco Lee), two talented NBA upstarts whose hardscrabble lives in a Boston neighborhood change when signed by the Atlanta Hawks.

In addition to the fun basketball action, the show explores the struggles of Cam and Reggie overcoming their abusive childhood and lack of opportunity in an impoverished neighborhood. Upon finding success, Cam and Reggie vow to make their city a better place by supporting Black businesses, purchasing homes for old friends, supporting local churches, etc.

8 Pitch – Stream On Hulu

While Fox’s sports drama Pitch mainly focuses on the discrimination Ginny Baker (Kylie Bunbury) faces as the first female pitcher making it to the big leagues, her identity as a strong Black woman is also a giant part of her success story. Like Colin in Black and White, the show details the improbable odds of a marginalized athlete finding the utmost success.

The aspirational and inspirational show chronicles Ginny’s relentless hard work and will to succeed at the highest level, navigating the pitfalls of rookie success and failure while also dealing with gender clashes and culture shock in the locker room, and more.

7 Ballers – Stream On HBO Max

Fans of Colin in Black and White will almost certainly enjoy HBO’s exuberant sports dramedy Ballers, especially the storyline involving Ricky Jarret (former NFL player John David Washington). The hotshot wide receiver for the Miami Dolphins struggles with balancing his healthy body and success on the field with the lavish lifestyle of material excess.

If Ricky’s storyline doesn’t resonate, then Spencer Strasmore’s (Dwayne Johnson) transition from a professional player saddled by injuries to a budding sports agent just might. Both Johnson and Washington bring authenticity to their roles as former football players that couldn’t be more convincing.

6 Games People Play – Stream On Fubo

BET’s sports drama Games People Play offers a captivating glimpse at three professional Black women navigating the periphery of the ultra-competitive sports world. Nia (Karen Obilom) is an ambitious sports reporter, Vanessa (Lauren London) is a basketball wife, and Laila (Parker McKenna Posey) is a shameless groupie looking for fame.

With varying motives and degrees of success and failure in their respective sports professions, the show presents trenchant insight into what it takes to excel in such a cutthroat world of competitive sports. The main characters are relatable and easy to root for.

5 The Underground Railroad – Stream On Amazon Prime Video

At first glance, it may not seem like Colin in Black and White and The Underground Railroad have much in common. However, to really understand the larger societal issues raised by Kaepernick in his time as an activist and movement leader, Barry Jenkins’ historical drama is the place to start.

The 10-part miniseries follows the courageous Cora (Thuso Mbedu), an enslaved man who is able to escape, and finds the strength to lead a revolutionary exodus from the American south. While the subject matter is difficult, the Pulitzer Prize-winning source material is too compelling to pass up.

4 When They See Us – Stream On Netflix

Fans of Ava DuVernay will want to check out her 4-part miniseries When They See Us, an eye-opening biographical drama that recounts the racial discrimination of the Central Park Five, a quintet of Black boys falsely accused of beating a jogger to death.

While the series has little to do with sports, the timely topic is the very same that Colin Kaepernick was blackballed from the NFL for trying to raise awareness about in 2016. Racial profiling, police brutality, and a broken justice system are all on display in several powerful scenes in a mandatory series for Kapernick supporters.

3 The Chi – Stream On Fubo

For one of the most honest, accurate, and rewarding coming-of-age stories chronicling the Black experience in America, tune in to The Chi. Created by Lena Waithe, the series tracks a stellar collection of characters struggling to survive and succeed in the violent southside of Chicago.

When a violent crime kicks off the series, various citizens in the crime-ridden part of the city come together, find solace, plan for a better future, and hope to find a way out of such a dire neighborhood. With tender and touching characters, the show depicts a marginalized demographic with empathetic insight.

2 David Makes Man – Stream On HBO Max

Created by Tarell Alvin McCraney (Moonlight, High Flying Bird), the HBO Max series David Makes Man is a terrific yet underrated coming-of-age tale about David (Akili McDowell), a prodigious 14-year-old grieving the murder of his best friend in Florida. Wanting nothing more than to escape his impoverished upbringing, David takes care of his hardworking mother while learning harsh life lessons.

Despite the absence of sports, David’s upbringing is similar to Kaepernick’s as he experiences racial slurs at school and other discriminatory actions that lead to his status as an urban planner out to make a tangible difference in his community.

1 Snowfall – Stream On Hulu

The FX series Snowfall mixes gritty realism with a gripping historical context relating to the nefarious crack cocaine epidemic targeting the Black and Brown communities in the 1980s Reagan era. While less sports-driven, the coming-of-age series presents an intriguing look at how crime and race intersect.

Co-created by the late great John Singleton, the lives of various Los Angelinos weave together as they face an increasingly violent and unstable series of events in their ever-changing homeland. At its core, Snowfall is a stark reminder of the need for change in the justice system that Colin in Black and White also explores.