2000s black sitcoms on streaming and home video
As a follow up to my previous post about where to watch 1990s Black sitcoms, here’s my look at 2000s sitcoms starring African Americans, and how to find them on streaming services or physical/digital media.
Note a few of these shows were cancelled in 2006, which was the year that UPN and The WB merged to form The CW. The loss of one network and The CW preferring to focus on teen dramas like “Smallville” (versus Black sitcoms) didn’t help.
My criteria
Again, to keep this list manageable, my criteria:
The shows must’ve debuted or mainly aired between 2000 and 2009, so no 90s holdovers (like “Kenan & Kel,” which ran from 1996 to 2000) or shows that debuted after 2009 (like “Black-ish,” which ran from 2014 to 2022).
Live action shows only; I’ll probably cover animation in another post.
I’m skipping anything Bill Cosby-tied for, well, obvious reasons.
The show must have had at least three seasons, so I don’t have to tackle a bunch of one- or two-season TV shows. (Sorry, “Noah’s Arc” and “Barbershop.”)
Information is derived from Wikipedia, The Streamable, and JustWatch.
I’m focusing on shows made in or prominently aired in the United States.
Streaming/home video information is as of July 6, 2023.
A few shows would’ve met the criteria, but aren’t available on DVD or streaming. Nickelodeon’s sitcom “Romeo!,” which ran for three seasons, is one example; its only has two episodes on two Nickelodeon compilation DVDs.
All of Us
“All of Us” is a series that ran from 2003 to 2007 for four seasons (the first three on UPN, the final season on The CW).
On streaming
All four seasons are streaming on Hulu.
On DVD/digital video
The full run is available digitally. Unfortunately, there are no DVD releases.
The Bernie Mac Show
The late comedian Bernie Mac starred in his own sitcom, which ran from 2001 to 2006 on Fox.
On streaming
The full run of the show is available on Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, and free ad-supported service Tubi.
On DVD/digital video
Unfortunately, only the first season is available on DVD. On top of that, the show isn’t available to buy digitally. Given "Bernie Mac" was one of the most popular 2000s Black sitcoms, its lack of availability on home video is glaring.
Eve
A sitcom starring rapper Eve, this series ran for three seasons from 2003 to 2006 on UPN.
On streaming
Unfortunately, “Eve” isn’t available on any streaming service.
On DVD/digital video
“Eve” also isn’t available on DVD. However, all three seasons are available to buy digitally.
Everybody Hates Chris
A popular sitcom based on the childhood life of comedian Chris Rock, “Chris” ran for four seasons from 2005 to 2009 (the first season on UPN, the rest of the run on The CW).
On streaming
Contrary to the name, it seems every streaming service loves “Chris.” It’s available to stream on Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, Peacock, and Paramount+. It’s also available on free services Plex (in full), Tubi (in full), Pluto TV (three seasons), the Roku Channel (two seasons), and Crackle (two seasons).
On DVD/digital video
The complete series is available to buy digitally and on DVD.
The Game
A spinoff of “Girlfriends,” “The Game” is about the lives of football players and their families. The series ran from 2006 to 2009 for three seasons on The CW before being cancelled. However, it was revived on BET for another five seasons, running from 2011 to 2015. In 2021, Paramount+ revived the series, running it for two seasons before cancelling it (and erasing it from the service) in 2023.
While originally a pure sitcom, the series shifted to being a dramedy for its final few seasons, as well as the 2021 revival.
On streaming
“The Game”’s original run is another show popular on streaming services. The full series is available on Hulu, Peacock, Paramount+, and BET+. It’s also available on Netflix (three seasons, until August 14), Tubi (one season), Crackle (one season), and Plex (one season).
The revival, as noted above, is no longer available on streaming.
On DVD/digital video
The complete original series is available on DVD. Both the original series and the 2021 revival are available to buy digitally.
Girlfriends
“Girlfriends” is a series about a group of women friends in Los Angeles. One of the most popular Black sitcoms of the 2000s, “Girlfriends” ran for eight seasons (from 2000 to 2008); the first six seasons were on UPN, and the final two on The CW. It also saw an also-popular spinoff, “The Game.”
On streaming
The entire run is available on Netflix, but only until September 10. Otherwise, its only other streaming home is Pluto TV, which only has the last three seasons.
On DVD/digital video
The entire series is available to buy on DVD. Only a few seasons are available to buy digitally, however.
Half & Half
“Half & Half” is a series starring Rachel True and Essence Atkins. It’s about two half-sisters (one with a privileged upbringing, the other not so much) who move into the same apartment building. The show stood out for being one of the few TV shows at the time to feature an Asian American gay character (played by actor Alec Mapa).
Thanks to a crossover, it’s apparently in the same universe as 90s sitcom “Living Single.”
On streaming
The entire series is available on Netflix (until October 14) and Paramount+. The entire run is also available for free on Pluto TV.
On DVD/digital video
Unfortunately, the series isn’t available on DVD or digitally.
Meet the Browns
“Meet the Browns” is one of Tyler Perry’s multiple TV shows (a spin-off of Perry’s stage play and movie of the same name). The series is about the multi-generational Brown family. It ran for five seasons (from 2009 to 2011) on TBS.
On streaming
The entire series is available on BET+.
On DVD/digital video
The entire series was released to DVD. It’s also available to buy digitally.
My Wife and Kids
“My Wife and Kids” is a series starring Damon Wayans as the patriarch of a family in Connecticut. The series ran from 2001 to 2005 on ABC, for five seasons.
On streaming
The entire series is available on Hulu.
On DVD/digital video
The entire series is available to buy digitally. Unfortunately, only the first two seasons are available on DVD.
One on One
“One on One” is a sitcom about a sportscaster and his teenage daughter. The show ran for five seasons on UPN, running from 2001 to 2006. It was popular enough to get a spin-off, “Cuts,” which ran for two seasons (from 2005 to 2006).
On streaming
“One on One” is streaming on Netflix, at least until October 14. The entire run is also available to stream for free on Pluto TV.
On DVD/digital video
Unfortunately, this series isn’t available on DVD or to buy digitally. The same goes for its spinoff “Cuts,” which also isn’t available on streaming.
That’s So Raven
The popular Disney Channel sitcom stars Raven-Symone, whose character has the psychic ability to see glimpses of the future, which she often misinterprets or tries (but fails) to prevent coming true.
The series was one of the channel’s most popular shows in the 2000s, running for four seasons from 2003 to 2007 (and for 100 episodes, Disney Channel’s first show to do so). It also has a spin-off, “Cory In the House,” about supporting character Cory moving with his father to work at the White House; it ran for two seasons from 2007 to 2008. Wikipedia states it holds the distinction of Disney Channel’s final series to be shot and aired in standard definition.
“That’s So Raven” also gained a revival series, “Raven’s Home,” which debuted in 2017, and is still running (now on its sixth season, with more episodes than its parent show). Basically “That’s So Raven: The Next Generation,” the show is about Raven’s pre-teen son, who also has psychic abilities. I also gather soap opera/comic book/“Peanuts” style time compression’s the case here, given there’s only a decade gap (in real life) between both shows’ runs.
On streaming
“That’s So Raven” and “Raven’s Home” are both available to stream on Disney+. “Cory,” however, isn’t available on streaming.
On DVD/digital video
All the “Raven” series are available to buy digitally. Unfortunately, only a handful of “best of” DVDs for “That’s So Raven” and “Cory in the House” exist.
True Jackson, VP
“True Jackson, VP” is a sitcom about a teenager working as the vice president of a fashion company. It ran on Nickelodeon from 2008 to 2011 for three seasons.
On streaming
The series is available on Paramount+.
On DVD/digital video
The entire run is available to buy digitally. While the first season had a widespread DVD release, the other two seasons only had limited (and now discontinued) manufacture-on-demand DVD sets released.
Tyler Perry’s House of Payne
“House of Payne” is another of Perry’s TV shows, about the multi-generational Payne family in Atlanta. “Payne” debuted in 2006, and ran until 2012 for six seasons (the first in syndication, the rest on TBS). The show was revived in 2020 on BET, where it’s still running.
“Payne” holds the distinction of being the longest-running TV show starring a Black cast, in number of episodes (surpassing “The Jeffersons,” “The Cosby Show” and “Family Matters”).
The series had a short-lived spinoff, “The Paynes,” that ran for one season in 2018 on OWN (the Oprah Winfrey Network).
On streaming
The entire series is available on BET+.
On DVD/digital video
Most of the series was released to DVD, though they’re out of print. Several seasons are also available for sale digitally.
Image, from left to right: "Girlfriends" (Paramount); "That's So Raven" (Disney); "The Bernie Mac Show" (20th Television)