Kay-B G

For almost two decades, W. Kamau Bell has spent his career making audiences laugh as a stand-up comedian, and think introspectively as host of CNN’s United Shades of America. Now, with his Sundance 2022 debut, Bell tackles the subject of Bill Cosby in his highly anticipated and much talked about documentary, We Need to Talk About Cosby. I’ll be honest: As a Black woman, this documentary was hard to watch because of the detailed accounts from some of Cosby’s survivors about their assaults.

Snowfall star Damson Idris portrays the multi-layered & headstrong drone pilot Lieutenant Thomas Harp in the Netflix film Outside the Wire. While this is his first foray into a big-budget action film, Idris is no stranger to complex and deeply memorable roles. As the lead of Snowfall, FX’s hit drama where he plays the complex and ambitious Franklin Saint, as he navigates the drug game in 1980s Los Angeles, during the crack epidemic.

Simone Missick has been captivating audiences for years with varied and multi-dimensional characters that transcend a multitude of genres. With stellar performance after performance underneath her belt—including her work as Misty Knight on a number of Netflix's Marvel series—none has spoken to me quite like her portrayal of Lola Carmichael on the hit CBS series All Rise. As the series lead, Missick portrays a trailblazing judge who is an example for all people, but particularly Black women.