Uninhibited showrunner Yvette Lee Bowser says TV is “definitely making progress” with Black Stories

Yvette Lee Bowser points up Not caught – Onyx’s first script, starring Kerry Washington and Delroy Lindo – as an important example of how far television has come in telling contemporary Black stories.

“We’re definitely making progress,” said Bowser, whose numerous credits include Another world living alone, blackish and now serves as showrunner Not caught. “I have been in the business for 35 years. This is starting to change. It’s incredibly cathartic and incredibly rewarding to be here leading such a beautiful fresh story…we as black writers have struggled to tell a story. Now we are in a time where we can go deeper, much deeper, why we fight for love.”

Inspired by the life of author Tracy McMillan, Not caught is a half hour about “a messy but perfectionist couples therapist and single mother whose life is turned upside down when her father gets out of prison and moves in with her and their teenage son.” The eight-episode series of ABC Signature premieres March 10 on Hulu.

Washington (scandal) stars as Paige Alexander, a marriage and family therapist and mother of 16-year-old Finn. Her formerly incarcerated father, Edwin – whom Bowser describes as “Black Ted Lasso” – is played by Delroy Lindo.

The star of The Good Fight reflects Bowser’s optimism about the way the television industry is evolving, including the launch of Onyx Collective in 2021 with the goal of curating shows from creators of color.

“Things is otherwise,” Lindo told reporters on Saturday’s Television Critics Tour. “The fact that I’m here listening to the intelligence and brilliance of my colleagues and the fact that their intelligence, this brilliance, this commitment, Which one Vision can be put together in a TV show is an indication of a significant difference. I would also say that in terms of my personal arc of my career, only the projects that I’ve done over the years like The Harder They Fall, Da Five Bloods… were what I called historical correctives. It is a modern solution in its own way. It’s a look at a family history through a different lens. We are lucky to have creators for whom it is not just a creative journey, but a personal journey.”

The goal of the comedy, both McMillan and Washington say, is to change the hearts and minds of people affected by mass incarceration.

“There are a number of people who go through this system. You think about the system and how it affects personal life,” says Washington. “[Here’s an] Opportunity to take a lens and explore these racist institutions and how they affect the everyday lies of families, but in a way that is fun and loving.

McMillan (crazy men) performs with Bowser (Living alone). Additional executive producers include Joy Gorman Wettels (13 reasons why) with anonymous content, Jen Braeden (Dear Victor) and Kevin Bray, who directed the first episode.