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A fan of music, dance and cats, Tracy E. Hopkins is a lifestyle and culture writer who has contributed to numerous print and digital publications, including Essence, Woman's Day, Prevention, Fodor's and Entertainment Weekly.
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The TV enthusiasts among us are in luck! In the new year, we have new seasons of Sistas, First Wives Club and Run the World to look forward to, but in the meantime, there are several shows featuring strong, sexy and smart Black female leads, including favorites like Issa Rae, Brandy, Yaya DaCosta, Naturi Naughton and Queen Latifah, to add to our fall watch list. So set your DVR and get your pumpkin season snacks ready.
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(Season in progress on OWN): Ava DuVernay’s portrayal of the bold and beautiful Bordelon family returns for a sixth season. The plot thickens as Nova (Rutina Wesley) continues to fight the power, and newlyweds Ralph Angel (Kofi Siriboe) and Darla (Bianca Lawson) expand their family while struggling to gain financial stability.
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(Premiered Sept. 21 on Fox): Yaya DaCosta has come a long way since she was a runner-up to Eva Marcille (currently starring in All the Queen’s Men) on cycle three of America’s Next Top Model. The stunner starred in a Whitney Houston biopic on Lifetime and now in this delicious melodrama from Lee Daniels. She plays Angela Vaughn, a fierce single mom and hair care entrepreneur. Determined to reclaim her family name, she’s climbing the Black and bougie social ladder in Oak Bluffs on Martha’s Vineyard.
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(Oct. 10 on CBS): If you are a fan of Queen Latifah’s music or you remember her as Cleo in Set It Off, you already know Dana is not a sister you wanna mess with. So it was a great move to cast her as mysterious, tactical and uniquely skilled former CIA operative Robyn McCall in the reimagining of the ’80s TV action drama The Equalizer. We look forward to this as much as we did when Denzel coolly stepped into the same iconic role on the big screen.
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(Oct. 13 on The CW): After the departure of the actress who originated the character, Javicia Leslie is the first Black woman and the first bisexual woman to slip into the batsuit. Of the groundbreaking role, Leslie said, “Even when I was tired, I had to push and persevere, because it was really important for this Batwoman to empower the individuals she represents.”
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(Oct. 19 on ABC): A musical drama starring Brandy, Naturi Naughton and Eve as members of an R&B/hip-hop supergroup? You had us at Brandy. Nadine Velazquez rounds out the cast of this musical drama that follows four 40-something women of color as they reform their legendary ’90s group, hoping to take the music world by storm a second time.
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(Oct. 24 on HBO): Season 4 of Insecure had us all in our feelings. Issa and Lawrence finally got back together, only to watch their happy reunion interrupted by some unexpected and life changing news. Issa and Molly’s friendship was also going through changes, and we were left wondering if these seemingly unbreakable sister-friends can rebuild their bond. So in this fifth and final season, funny and flawless star and creator Issa Rae has a lot of loose ends to tie up. We can’t wait!
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