# 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

| Season | Episodes | Episodes | Originally released | Originally released |
| 1 | 16 | 8 | October 24, 2024 (2024-10-24) | October 24, 2024 (2024-10-24) |
| 1 | 16 | 8 | March 6, 2025 (2025-3-6) | March 6, 2025 (2025-3-6) |

### Season 1 (2024–25)

| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
| Part 1 ||||||
| 1 | 1 | "Make it Rain" | Tyler Perry | Tyler Perry | October 24, 2024 (2024-10-24) |
| 2 | 2 | "A Dance With Daddy" | Tyler Perry | Tyler Perry | October 24, 2024 (2024-10-24) |
| 3 | 3 | "The Aftermath" | Tyler Perry | Tyler Perry | October 24, 2024 (2024-10-24) |
| 4 | 4 | "A Family Affair" | Tyler Perry | Tyler Perry | October 24, 2024 (2024-10-24) |
| 5 | 5 | "Unraveling Threads" | Tyler Perry | Tyler Perry | October 24, 2024 (2024-10-24) |
| 6 | 6 | "Bang Bang" | Tyler Perry | Tyler Perry | October 24, 2024 (2024-10-24) |
| 7 | 7 | "Evil Playing Field" | Tyler Perry | Tyler Perry | October 24, 2024 (2024-10-24) |
| 8 | 8 | "Killing Karma" | Tyler Perry | Tyler Perry | October 24, 2024 (2024-10-24) |
| Part 2 ||||||
| 9 | 9 | "Blind Rage" | Tyler Perry | Tyler Perry | March 6, 2025 (2025-3-6) |
| 10 | 10 | "Power Struggle" | Tyler Perry | Tyler Perry | March 6, 2025 (2025-3-6) |
| 11 | 11 | "Up Against the Wall" | Tyler Perry | Tyler Perry | March 6, 2025 (2025-3-6) |
| 12 | 12 | "Hot Seat" | Tyler Perry | Tyler Perry | March 6, 2025 (2025-3-6) |
| 13 | 13 | "By Any Means" | Tyler Perry | Tyler Perry | March 6, 2025 (2025-3-6) |
| 14 | 14 | "Wild Ride" | Tyler Perry | Tyler Perry | March 6, 2025 (2025-3-6) |
| 15 | 15 | "The Lion's Den" | Tyler Perry | Tyler Perry | March 6, 2025 (2025-3-6) |
| 16 | 16 | "Now Make It Thunder" | Tyler Perry | Tyler Perry | March 6, 2025 (2025-3-6) |