Beauty in Black (TV series)

Beauty in Black is an American drama television series created, directed and executive produced by Tyler Perry. The series stars Crystle Stewart and Taylor Polidore Williams as two women leading very different lives. The 16-episodes drama series premiered on Netflix on October 24, 2024,^[1][2] with the second part premiering on March 6, 2025.^[3]

Beauty in Black
Genre	Drama Soap opera
Created by	Tyler Perry
Starring	Taylor Polidore Williams Crystle Stewart Amber Reign Smith Xavier Smalls Ts Madison Julian Horton Steven G. Norfleet Richard Lawson Terrell Carter Shannon Wallace Charles Malik Whitfield Debbi Morgan
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	16
Production
Executive producers	Tyler Perry Angi Bones Tony Strickland
Camera setup	Single-camera
Running time	42–58 minutes
Production company	Tyler Perry Studios
Original release
Network	Netflix
Release	October 24, 2024 (2024-10-24) – present

Premise

Two young women from opposite sides of the tracks cross paths—as one tries to survive her day to day as a stripper who's stuck hostage with a violent pimp, the other runs a successful hair care (relaxer) company with dysfunctional in-laws and a loveless marriage.

Cast and characters

Main

• Taylor Polidore Williams as Kimmie
• Crystle Stewart as Mallory Bellarie
• Ricco Ross as Horace Bellarie
• Amber Reign Smith as Rain
• Xavier Smalls as Angel
• Julian Horton as Roy Bellarie
• Steven G. Norfleet as Charles Bellarie
• Richard Lawson as Norman
• Terrell Carter as Varney
• Shannon Wallace as Calvin
• Charles Malik Whitfield as Jules
• Debbi Morgan as Olivia Bellarie

Recurring

• D'Kia Anderson as Leslie
• Bryan Tanaka as Officer Alex
• Joy Rovaris as Gillian
• Tamera "Tee" Kissen as Body
• Ursula O. Robinson as Delinda
• Ashley Versher as Lena
• George Middlebrook as Officer Trackson
• Ts Madison as Daga
• Theon Walls as Debo

Episodes

Season	Episodes		Originally released
1	16	8	October 24, 2024 (2024-10-24)
		8	March 6, 2025 (2025-03-06)

Season 1 (2024–25)

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original release date [4]
Part 1
1	1	"Make it Rain"	Tyler Perry	Tyler Perry	October 24, 2024 (2024-10-24)
As a way to get out of her harsh life, a young stripper, Kimmie, tries to apply for hair scholarship for the Beauty in Black hair school founded by the Bellarie family.
2	2	"A Dance With Daddy"	Tyler Perry	Tyler Perry	October 24, 2024 (2024-10-24)
Following Rain's botched BBL, Kimmie defies Jules and Body takes her to the hospital and makes a pact with a powerful client at the club. Meanwhile, following the accident on the private road, Mallory and Roy try their best to present a united front as a chaotic string of events begin to occur.
3	3	"The Aftermath"	Tyler Perry	Tyler Perry	October 24, 2024 (2024-10-24)
Kimmie begins to suffer the fallout of her decision. Tension between Norman and the other Bellaires begin to mount as he begins hunting for answers for the hit and run.
4	4	"A Family Affair"	Tyler Perry	Tyler Perry	October 24, 2024 (2024-10-24)
Olivia plays a power move to protect her sons. Angel comes with a dangerous proposal to Kimmie. As the lawsuit against the company begins to become public, Mallory considers a game plan.
5	5	"Unraveling Threads"	Tyler Perry	Tyler Perry	October 24, 2024 (2024-10-24)
After getting his rock, Angel and Kimmie decide a different plan. Jules pulls the family's strings. Faced with a difficult choice, Norman's suspicions grow.
6	6	"Bang Bang"	Tyler Perry	Tyler Perry	October 24, 2024 (2024-10-24)
Roy's ego reaches new heights as Mallory hunts for his "other woman." Kimmie and Angel look for a way out. Norman's grief takes a bloody turn.
7	7	"Even Playing Field"	Tyler Perry	Tyler Perry	October 24, 2024 (2024-10-24)
Fed up with Roy, Mallory takes matters into her own hands. As Norman digs for the truth, a familiar face comes into focus. Kimmie and Angel make moves.
8	8	"Killing Karma"	Tyler Perry	Tyler Perry	October 24, 2024 (2024-10-24)
Schemes and secrets come full circle as Horace connects the dots behind the robbery, Mallory asserts her dominance, and Kimmie hits her breaking point.
Part 2
9	9	"Blind Rage"	Tyler Perry	Tyler Perry	March 6, 2025 (2025-03-06)
Kimmie begins a life or death mission for her sister, Sylvie. Meanwhile, The Bellaries mourn the loss of one of their own that has them scheming for the truth.
10	10	"Power Struggle"	Tyler Perry	Tyler Perry	March 6, 2025 (2025-03-06)
Jules begins to hunt Kimmie as she continues to cause a mess. Horace begins to focus on Norman's criminal deeds. Kimmie's mission leads to a hostile reunion.
11	11	"Up Against the Wall"	Tyler Perry	Tyler Perry	March 6, 2025 (2025-03-06)
The Lawsuit continues to worsen for Mallory. Horace begins to resolve the recent chaos. Kimmie's search for her sister continues to take levels of dangerous.
12	12	"Hot Seat"	Tyler Perry	Tyler Perry	March 6, 2025 (2025-03-06)
Jules sends a manhunt for Kimmie. Angel plays a dangerous game to stay alive. Due to miscommunication, Varney finds himself in the crossfire of another scandal.
13	13	"By Any Means"	Tyler Perry	Tyler Perry	March 6, 2025 (2025-03-06)
Horace makes a promising deal to Kimmie. Meanwhile, Angel makes a shocking discovery at the club. An accident has sent another Bellarie to the hospital.
14	14	"Wild Ride"	Tyler Perry	Tyler Perry	March 6, 2025 (2025-03-06)
The noose begins to tighten for Roy as Mallory discovers Roy's infidelity back to the strip club. Kimmie finds herself further in the hole as she hunts down for her sister.
15	15	"The Lion's Den"	Tyler Perry	Tyler Perry	March 6, 2025 (2025-03-06)
Horace has a plan set in motion that has the family on high alert. Kimmie makes the news. Angel and Rain moves on to the next steps.
16	16	"Now Make It Thunder"	Tyler Perry	Tyler Perry	March 6, 2025 (2025-03-06)
Secrets, lies, deception makes tables turn as Horace offers Kimmie a life altering decision, which forces the rest of the family to scramble to save the empire.

Production

In October, 2023, Tyler Perry signed multi-year first-look deal with Netflix.^[4] On February 12, 2024, it was reported that Netflix has ordered 16-episode drama series Beauty in Black, his first series for streaming service under the deal.^[1] In April 2024, the cast was announced with Taylor Polidore Williams and Crystle Stewart as leads, Amber Reign Smith, Ricco Ross, Debbi Morgan, Richard Lawson, Steven G. Norfleet, Julian Horton, and Terrell Carter as series regulars.^[5] Shannon Wallace, Bryan Tanaka, Joy Rovaris, Xavier Smalls, Charles Malik Whitfield, Tamera “Tee” Kissen, Ursula O. Robinson, Ashley Versher and George Middlebrook were was cast in a recurring roles.^[6][7][8]

In March 2025, Netflix renewed the show for a second season following the release of Season 1 Part 2. The series gained significant popularity, with Part 1 spending four weeks in Netflix's Top 10 and reaching No. 1 in 28 countries during its second week. Season 2 is planned for release in two parts.^[9]

Reception

Critical response

The first season received negative reviews from television critics.^[10] Television critic Andrew Lawrence from The Guardian gave it one star of five writing: "The wildly successful mogul’s first drama series for the streamer is a disaster with one-dimensional characters and haphazard plotting".^[11] Joel Keller from the Decider also gave it a negative review writing: "Tyler Perry's Beauty In Black is about a subtle as a slap in the face, which is something we’re surprised we didn’t see in the grim, abuse-filled first episode" but noted Crystle Stewart's performance as Mallory Bellaire.^[12]

Audience viewership

Beauty in Black debuted as Netflix's fourth-most-watched series with 5.6 million views in its first four days of availability. On the second week, it rose to the top of the streamer's TV chart for October 28 to November 3, hitting 8.7 million views.^[13][14]