Photo via: CW
Are you ready for the CW’s first stand-alone African American superhero series, “Black Lightning,” to premiere tonight?! We are.
Executive produced by television powerhouse producing team and couple, Salim and Mara Brock Akil, the DC Comics-based show follows Jefferson Pierce, a high school principal who returns to his crime fighting days as his alter-ego Black Lightning to protect his daughters. Black Lightning was co-created by Tony Isabella and Trevor Von Eeden and debuted in 1977 as one of DC Comics’ first Black superheroes.
Cress Williams stars as the titular character, Nafessa Williams as Jefferson’s eldest daughter Anissa Pierce, China Anne McClain as Jefferson’s youngest daughter Jennifer Pierce, and Christine Adams as Jefferson’s ex-wife Lynn Pierce.
“We are the first Black superhero family to be on network TV, so it’s a part of history,” Nafessa Williams told ABC news. “How historic is that? So I’m honored to be a part of the show.”
As the series addresses crime, race, and police violence, showrunner Salim Akil told Variety in a recent interview: “I feel like I have a responsibility to true to who I am as an artist, first and foremost. It’s like Jefferson: he has these powers, and he’s reluctant to use them because he doesn’t want to jeopardize what he has in his family. I have this power — I’m one of the few African-American male showrunners in the landscape right now — and I have to be honest. If there’s a responsibility, it’s just to be honest in what I’ve experienced and to put it in my work.”
“Black Lightning” premieres tonight on the CW at 9 pm EST. Will you be tuning in?