New and Black on Streaming This Fall: What to Watch Through October

Fall TV is here, and the lineup of new and Black on streaming titles runs from a Hillman College homecoming to a Jamie Foxx comedy special to a Lil Rel Howery horror comedy. We checked every date below against the platforms’ own announcements or trade reports, so you can plan your watchlist from now through Halloween without guessing.

One housekeeping note before we start. If you are still looking for the BET+ app, it is gone. Paramount announced in March that it was folding BET+ into Paramount+, with BET programming moving into a dedicated BET Hub, according to Variety. We cover those shows in the Paramount+ section.

New and Black on Streaming: Netflix

A Different World (September 24)

The biggest premiere of the season. The sequel follows Deborah Wayne (Maleah Joi Moon), the youngest daughter of Dwayne Wayne and Whitley Gilbert, as she starts her freshman year at Hillman College and tries to step out of her parents’ shadow. Netflix’s Tudum says the first season has 10 half-hour episodes, with showrunner Felicia Pride and Debbie Allen directing the premiere. Jasmine Guy, Kadeem Hardison, Darryl M. Bell and Cree Summer are among the returning alumni, and Method Man joins as Coach Coles. If the show has your teen thinking about college for real, our guide to applying to HBCUs for fall 2027 is a good companion.

Tyler Perry’s Doing Life (October 2)

Perry writes and directs this drama about “a single mother fighting to survive and a reformed ex-con with untapped talent who find in each other an unlikely second chance,” per TylerPerry.com. Tamberla Perry, Danielle Moné Truitt and Cornell Young IV star.

Still new: Why Did I Get Married Again?

If you missed it on September 9, the reunion is waiting. Jill Scott, Tasha Smith, Michael Jai White, Sharon Leal and the rest of the friend group head to a destination wedding in Italy, and Taraji P. Henson joins the cast, according to Netflix.

Hulu and Disney+

Disney+ bundle subscribers can watch everything in this section through Hulu on Disney+.

• Reasonable Doubt, season 4 (October 6): Emayatzy Corinealdi is back as attorney Jax Stewart, dealing with the fallout of an attack on her family and her firm. Three episodes arrive on premiere day, then new episodes land every Tuesday, according to That Grape Juice. Morris Chestnut returns, and Meagan Good and Tank join as series regulars.
• Jamie Foxx: Take Care of Yourself (October 7): Foxx’s first Hulu stand-up special follows his 2024 Netflix set about his medical emergency, EURweb reports.
• Abbott Elementary, season 6 (October 8 on Hulu): The season opens Wednesday, October 7 at 8:30 p.m. Eastern on ABC and streams the next day, with 22 episodes planned, per Disney+.
• The Drop: A Snowfall Saga (weekly through October 27): Gail Bean and Isaiah John return as Wanda and Leon in 1990s Los Angeles in the FX spinoff, which streams on Hulu the same day it airs, according to Disney. Mykelti Williamson and Asante Blackk join the cast.

HBO Max

• Backrooms (September 25): Chiwetel Ejiofor stars in A24’s horror hit about a doorway in a furniture showroom basement that opens onto an endless maze of rooms. Time Out reports it has grossed more than $350 million worldwide and lands on HBO Max September 25.
• Lanterns finale (October 4): Aaron Pierre’s John Stewart wraps up his first season. Episode 7 airs September 27 and the finale October 4 at 9 p.m. Eastern, per Forbes. Now is a good time to binge from the start.

Paramount+ (Now Home to BET+)

• Sacrifice, season 2 (September 30): Paula Patton returns as Daniella Hernandez with two episodes on premiere night and weekly episodes after that, 10 in all, according to BroadwayWorld. Clifton Powell is also in the cast.
• Tyler Perry’s Sistas (October 7 on BET): The second half of the milestone 10th season kicks off at 9 p.m. Eastern on BET, Black America Web reports, with KJ Smith, Mignon, Crystal Renee Hayslett and Devale Ellis back in the mix.

Peacock

Haunted Heist (October 24) is Lil Rel Howery’s directorial debut, a horror comedy he also stars in alongside Tiffany Haddish, King Bach and Karlous Miller. It joins Peacock’s Halloween lineup on October 24, per Vital Thrills, and Jordan Peele’s Get Out is part of the same spooky season collection.

Apple TV

• Matchbox The Movie (October 9): The action adventure based on the Mattel toys features Sam Richardson, Teyonah Parris and Danai Gurira alongside John Cena, according to Apple TV Press.
• Nocturne (October 30): Zazie Beetz plays FBI agent Saga Bauer in this 10 episode crime drama with Liev Schreiber and Stephen Graham. Two episodes debut October 30, then new ones arrive every Friday through December 25, per Apple TV Press.

Prime Video: Save the Date

We did not find a Black-led Prime Video original landing between now and Halloween. The one to circle is The Greatest, a look at Muhammad Ali’s life executive produced by Lonnie Ali, which The Root lists for November 4.

Coming Soon: Ava DuVernay’s 14th

Ten years after 13th, DuVernay returns with a documentary on the fight over the 14th Amendment. It closes the New York Film Festival on October 9, opens in select theaters November 27 and hits Netflix December 4, theGrio reports. “If ’13th’ asked who gets caged, then ’14th’ asks who gets counted,” DuVernay said.

How to Watch Smart This Fall

• Rotate, do not stack. Most of these shows release weekly. Subscribe to one service for a month, finish what you want, cancel, and move to the next.
• Check your bundles. If you already pay for Disney+ through a bundle, Hulu shows like Reasonable Doubt and Abbott Elementary may already be included.
• Find your old BET+ favorites. Look for the BET Hub inside Paramount+ instead of the old app.
• Catch up on summer. Our summer streaming guide covers the Black-led shows you may have missed.

Pick one premiere from this list, put it on the calendar, and make it a watch party. Text the group chat about the Hillman reunion on September 24, and send this guide to the friend who always asks what to watch next.