# 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, with the second part premiering on March 6, 2025.

## Premise

A young stripper's life takes an unexpected turn when she crosses paths with a powerful, wealthy, yet very dysfunctional family behind a cosmetic empire and a devious trafficking scheme.

## Production

In October, 2023, Tyler Perry signed multi-year first-look deal with Netflix. 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. 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. 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.
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 #1 in 28 countries during its second week. Season 2 is planned for release in two parts.

## Reception
### Critical response

The first season received negative reviews from television critics. 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". 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.

### 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.

## 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

## Episodes

| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
| 1 | "Make it Rain" | Tyler Perry | Tyler Perry | October 24, 2024 (2024-10-24) |
| Trying to get out of the life as a stripper and pay off a serious debt, a young woman, Kimmie, applies for a scholarship to a prestigious hair school founded by the powerful Bellaire family. |||||
| 2 | "A Dance With Daddy" | Tyler Perry | Tyler Perry | October 24, 2024 (2024-10-24) |
| After a botched BBL, Kimmie defies orders to help Rain, and makes a deal with a secretive, yet powerful client. |||||
| 3 | "The Aftermath" | Tyler Perry | Tyler Perry | October 24, 2024 (2024-10-24) |
| Kimmie makes a series of choices that leads to dangerous consequences. Tension between the Bellaire's begins to mount as the identity of the victim in the hit-run is revealed. |||||
| 4 | "A Family Affair" | Tyler Perry | Tyler Perry | October 24, 2024 (2024-10-24) |
| Olivia plays hardball to protect her sons. Angel comes to Kimmie with a daring proposal. As the lawsuit escalates, Mallory contemplates her options. |||||
| 5 | "Unraveling Threads" | Tyler Perry | Tyler Perry | October 24, 2024 (2024-10-24) |
| After Angel's world gets rocked, Kimmie reconsiders his idea. Jules pulls the family's strings. Faced with a difficult choice, Norman's suspicions grow. |||||
| 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 | "Evil 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 | "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. |||||