1990s and 2000s Black cartoons on streaming and home video
Animated cartoons featuring non-stereotyped African American characters started to appear in the early 1970s, featuring characters such as Valerie on “Josie and the Pussycats.” The 1990s and 2000s saw some spike in animated sitcoms starring Black characters, as part of those two decades’ boom in Black sitcoms. Below are some prominent 1990s and 2000s cartoons featuring Black characters, as well as where to find them on streaming services and home video.
My criteria
My criteria for this list:
The shows must’ve debuted or mostly aired between 1990 and 2009, so no 1980s holdovers or 2010s shows.
I’m skipping anything Bill Cosby-related, for obvious reasons.
The show must’ve had more than 13 episodes, to avoid having to sift through a bunch of short-lived wonders.
Information is derived from Wikipedia and JustWatch.
I’m focusing on shows made in or prominently aired in the United States.
Streaming/home video information is as of July 23, 2023.
Some shows aren’t included, as they’re basically “lost media,” lacking any streaming, digital, or physical media releases. (See “Hey Monie” and “Station Zero.”)
The Boondocks
“The Boondocks” is a popular series that ran on Adult Swim from 2005 to 2014, based on Aaron McGruder’s newspaper comic.
On streaming
“The Boondocks” is available to stream on Max.
On DVD/digital video
The complete series is available to buy on DVD.
Class of 3000
Rapper Andre 3000’s animated series “Class of 3000” ran for two seasons on Cartoon Network, from 2006 to 2008. Andre 3000 plays Sunny, a music teacher at a school in Atlanta.
On streaming
“Class of 3000” isn’t available on any streaming service.
On DVD/digital video
The only DVD release is a region 4 release, i.e. for Australia, Mexico, and Central/South America. However, most of the series is available to buy on Apple TV.
The Cleveland Show
A spin-off of “Family Guy,” “The Cleveland Show” ran on Fox from 2009 to 2013 for four seasons.
On streaming
The entire series is available to stream on Hulu.
On DVD/digital video
The entire series is available to buy digitally, as well as on DVD.
Fillmore!
“Fillmore!” is a Disney series that ran from 2002 to 2004 for two seasons, on ABC and (toward the end of its run) Toon Disney (now Disney XD).
The show features two middle-school “safety patrol” officers, Cornelius Fillmore and Ingrid Third, as they investigate cases in and around their school. The series presents this as a parody of 70s TV cop shows.
On streaming
“Fillmore!,” like many of Disney’s 2000s-era TV cartoons, is treated as an afterthought by Disney, and has basically become lost media… in its home country, anyway. However, it’s available to stream in its entirety on Disney+ in the United Kingdom and Ireland. I don’t know why it’s only available in these two countries, and not in the US.
On DVD/digital video
There aren’t any DVD releases for “Fillmore!.” Oddly, the series is available to buy digitally from Apple TV and Amazon in Germany (dubbed in German) and from Amazon in Austria, but not in North America.
Men in Black: The Series
A spin-off of the popular “Men in Black” movies, “MIB: The Series” ran on The WB from 1997 to 2001 for four seasons.
On streaming
Seasons 3 and 4 are available on Crackle.
On DVD/digital video
The first season was released to DVD in 2012, but it seems to now be out of print. The series isn’t available to buy digitally.
The PJs
“The PJs” is a stop-motion primetime animated series that ran for three seasons from 1999 to 2001 (the first two seasons on Fox, the final season on The WB). The series is about the superintendent (voiced in most episodes by Eddie Murphy) of a public housing project, as well as his family and friends.
On streaming
“The PJs” is available on Hulu.
On DVD/digital video
The entire series is available on DVD.
The Proud Family
The popular series, about the teenaged Penny Proud and her family, ran on the Disney Channel for two seasons (totaling 52 episodes) from 2001 to 2005. It also received a made-for-TV movie.
In 2022, a revival series, “The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder,” debuted on Disney+.
On streaming
Both versions of “The Proud Family” are available to stream on Disney+.
On DVD/digital video
The entire original series and its made-for-TV movie are available on DVD.
The Secret Saturdays
“The Secret Saturdays” is a Cartoon Network series that ran for two seasons from 2008 to 2010. The show features the Saturday family, cryptozoologists who hide the existence of cryptids from the world, while keeping both cryptids and humans safe from various threats.
On streaming
The series is unavailable on streaming.
On DVD/digital video
The entire series is available to buy digitally from Amazon. However, it doesn’t have a complete DVD release, just a few “best of” compilation discs.
Static Shock
The popular Milestone Comics superhero Static starred in his own animated series on The WB from 2000 to 2004, for four seasons.
On streaming
The entire series is available to stream on Max.
On DVD/digital video
All four seasons are available on DVD, as well as for digital purchase.
Todd McFarlane’s Spawn
The popular 1990s Image Comics character Spawn received his own animated series, which ran on HBO from 1997 to 1999 for three seasons.
On streaming
All three seasons are available to stream on Max.
On DVD/digital video
A complete series collection is available on DVD. “Spawn” is also available to buy digitally.
Tutenstein
“Tutenstein” is a Discovery Kids series that ran for three seasons from 2003 to 2008. It also received a made-for-TV movie.
Tut, an ancient Egyptian mummy, is revived in the present day at a museum. He tries to adjust to modern life with the help of Cleo, a teenage girl, and Cleo’s cat Luxor (who acts as Tut’s servant; Luxor gained the ability to talk when Tut was revived).
On streaming
The entire series seems to be available on a third-party YouTube channel. The first two seasons and the movie are also available on Hoopla.
On DVD/digital video
Only a handful of episodes are available on a few compilation DVDs. The series isn’t available to buy digitally.
Conclusion
Do you have any favorite 1990s or 2000s cartoons starring Black characters? Or watched any of the above shows?
Image, from left to right: "The Boondocks" (Warner Bros.); "The Proud Family" (Disney); "Static Shock" (Warner Bros.)