NEED TO KNOW
Issa Rae is committed to ensuring that Black voices are never again silenced — especially on television.
The 40-year-old actress serves as executive producer of the upcoming two-part HBO original documentary Seen & Heard, which premieres in September and explores the evolution of Black visibility and storytelling on television.
In the newly released trailer, shared exclusively with PEOPLE, Shonda Rhimes recalls the disbelief she encountered when she first expressed her ambitions. “I said, ‘I want to take over the world through television,’ and everybody thought I was crazy,” the Grey’s Anatomy creator says, as the screen cuts to Black-ish costars Tracee Ellis Ross and Anthony Anderson arriving on Jimmy Kimmel Live! “Issa’s doing a documentary on Black television,” Ross says in the dressing room. “Hi, Issa!” Anderson adds cheerfully.
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Speaking about the importance of authentic representation, Rae says in the trailer: “If you’re telling Black stories, then you need to have Black people create their own.” As her voice plays, images flash across the screen — music producer Swizz Beatz, the cast of Abbott Elementary and Emmy- and Oscar-winning director and writer Cord Jefferson (Watchmen, American Fiction). “It’s about that. It’s about legacy,” Rae adds.
The trailer features numerous industry legends, including Oprah Winfrey. “I grew up when there was nobody like me on TV,” Winfrey says, as vintage footage of her plays. Ross adds, “It was like, ‘Okay, networks, you don’t have a place for me? I’m making my own place.’ ”
The documentary also celebrates the cultural significance of shows like Moesha. “With Moesha, it was Black people everywhere,” a voiceover says about the ’90s sitcom. “Hair, makeup, wardrobe. It was Black joy.”
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As scenes of Issa Rae in a writers’ room appear, along with archival clips of Tyler Perry and Winfrey, Rhimes reflects: “Success looks like a place where it stops being a magical thing that there are people of color on television.” Debbie Allen adds, “Overcoming is a journey. It’s not a destination.”
The trailer also highlights the rise of a new wave of storytellers who are pushing boundaries and redefining television. “There is the new generation of Black creative figures,” a male voice says, as footage of Lena Waithe, Ava DuVernay and Rae fills the screen. “I need to know what I want to say,” Rae adds.
For Rae, that voice came alive with her acclaimed HBO series Insecure. Along with clips from the show — including a hilarious scene with Natasha Rothwell kicking her leg in the air — Larry Wilmore offers insight: “When you know what your show is and what it’s about, you hold onto it for dear life.” Others echo that sentiment: “My value is in who I am and what my experiences are,” one says, and another adds, “It’s about being seen and heard.”
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“That’s really our job — to reflect the times in which we live,” Waithe says. “So that maybe we don’t have to keep reliving it.” As the words “Owning the screen” and then “Owning the story” flash across the screen, footage shows Kerry Washington behind the camera. A woman’s voiceover says: “On television, we will be seen as we should be seen.”
Another powerful moment comes from Perry, who discusses the importance of visibility: “To see Black people going, ‘Oh, I can do this too’ — that was gold.” Ross adds, “We can create roots in a way that we can’t be washed away.”
The trailer ends with an energized Rae: “Let’s go, let’s do this. I’m ready,” she exclaims. “I’m about to kill this s—.”
Seen & Heard premieres in September on HBO.
