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Black Lightning

  • TV Series
  • 2018–2021
  • TV-14
  • 43m
IMDb RATING
6.1/10
28K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
2,738
389
Black Lightning (2018)
Black Lightning premieres Monday, February 8. Stream next day free only on The CW!
Play trailer0:30
10 Videos
99+ Photos
SuperheroActionDramaSci-Fi

A crusading school principal gets back into action as the original African-American electrical superhero.A crusading school principal gets back into action as the original African-American electrical superhero.A crusading school principal gets back into action as the original African-American electrical superhero.

  • Creator
    • Salim Akil
  • Stars
    • Cress Williams
    • Nafessa Williams
    • Christine Adams
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.1/10
    28K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    2,738
    389
    • Creator
      • Salim Akil
    • Stars
      • Cress Williams
      • Nafessa Williams
      • Christine Adams
    • 430User reviews
    • 21Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 win & 17 nominations total

    Episodes58

    Browse episodes
    TopTop-rated

    Videos10

    "Batwoman" vs. "Crisis": How the Next Arrowverse Crossover Might Go Down
    Clip 4:28
    "Batwoman" vs. "Crisis": How the Next Arrowverse Crossover Might Go Down
    Season 4 Trailer
    Trailer 0:30
    Season 4 Trailer
    Season 4 Trailer
    Trailer 0:30
    Season 4 Trailer
    Final Trailer
    Trailer 1:42
    Final Trailer
    San Diego Comic-Con Trailer
    Trailer 5:21
    San Diego Comic-Con Trailer
    Comic-Con Trailer
    Trailer 5:24
    Comic-Con Trailer
    "Resurrection"
    Trailer 1:01
    "Resurrection"

    Photos296

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    + 290
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    Top cast99+

    Edit
    Cress Williams
    Cress Williams
    • Jefferson Pierce…
    • 2018–2021
    Nafessa Williams
    Nafessa Williams
    • Anissa Pierce…
    • 2018–2021
    Christine Adams
    Christine Adams
    • Lynn Pierce…
    • 2018–2021
    Marvin Jones III
    Marvin Jones III
    • Tobias Whale
    • 2018–2021
    James Remar
    James Remar
    • Peter Gambi
    • 2018–2021
    China Anne McClain
    China Anne McClain
    • Jennifer Pierce…
    • 2018–2021
    Jordan Calloway
    Jordan Calloway
    • Khalil Payne…
    • 2018–2021
    Damon Gupton
    Damon Gupton
    • Bill Henderson
    • 2018–2021
    Chantal Thuy
    Chantal Thuy
    • Grace Choi…
    • 2018–2021
    William Catlett
    William Catlett
    • Lala
    • 2018–2021
    Bill Duke
    Bill Duke
    • Agent Percy Odell
    • 2018–2021
    Christopher Ammanuel
    Christopher Ammanuel
    • TC…
    • 2019–2021
    Clifton Powell
    Clifton Powell
    • Reverend Jeremiah Holt
    • 2018–2019
    Jennifer Riker
    Jennifer Riker
    • Dr. Helga Jace
    • 2018–2020
    Jahking Guillory
    Jahking Guillory
    • Brandon…
    • 2019–2020
    Katy O'Brian
    Katy O'Brian
    • Major Sara Grey
    • 2019–2020
    Skye P. Marshall
    Skye P. Marshall
    • Kara Fowdy
    • 2018
    Wallace Smith
    Wallace Smith
    • Detective Hassan Shakur
    • 2021
    • Creator
      • Salim Akil
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews430

    6.128.2K
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    Summary

    Reviewers say 'Black Lightning' is lauded for its representation of black culture and tackling social issues, showcasing black talent and family dynamics. It is appreciated for its nuanced portrayal of black superheroes and engaging fight scenes. However, criticisms include uneven acting, poor writing, and cheesy costumes. Some find it stereotypical or biased, while others value its reflection of urban black experiences and social commentary, despite mixed reviews.
    AI-generated from the text of user reviews

    Featured reviews

    7dannanobles

    Hmmm, why are people slamming this show

    Black Lightning's first episode was super cool and I see the potential for it to get even better. There was nothing "over the top" or "a bit too much" to a viewer with a mature and REALISTIC awareness to today's American Culture (for non-white individuals). Portraying such situations is reality and if that offends you then you simply deny reality. A comment was made that BLM created this show, how ignorant. If a drama showing what others experience irks you then perhaps YOU should not feel entitled to harshly judge what YOU don't understand. It's not for YOU so move along rather than try to destroy it -the American way- with nastiness and bigotry. The cast was perfect. His suit was just fine. The story will only get better despite what THEY say. After all, if a pathetic, unrealistic movie/shows like 300, Wonderwoman and Arrow etc can be tolerated them Black Lightning is perfectly fine. Forget what THEY say because THEY were going to be nasty regardless because this show doesn't cater to them via story line, visuals etc and it DOESN'T have too. GO BLACK LIGHTNING!!
    6worksmart-58506

    Just keeps getting better

    EDIT: RARE that a series takes feedback and fixes everything that's wrong, but Black Lightening did that. I truly love this show now and hope it keeps going

    Edit #2: spoke too soon. Once again the writers lost their way. I honestly feel this show had major potential to deliver on its... potential, not just as a beacon for social and racial justice, but also as a truly high quality superhero show. The actors did their absolute best with what they were given, and some shone brightly despite the writing, but sadly the formula for all these DC shows (Cheese + camp + cringe) remains a work in progress.

    Original: Good premise and potential, and some good acting and special effects. Conversely, the massive cheese factor in the writing combined with some equally bad acting, make it impossible to really get involved in the show.
    7bardofely

    Black Lightning has kept me watching

    I write as a fan of all Arrowverse superhero series and discovered Black Lightning via a crossover episode. I thought I would give the series a go and soon got hooked. It loses points for season 4, which I feel started badly, though it picked up in later episodes. Super-villain Tobias Whale (Marvin Jones III) is a very memorable character throughout the series and his evil chuckling fits well with his psychopathic nature. He makes an excellent opponent for Black Lightning and his family, as do the Markovians. I found I enjoyed the soundtrack too, and I am a singer-songwriter myself, and the choice of backing music can help make or break a TV drama for me. On the whole Black Lightning is an enjoyable superhero drama and one I will probably watch again some time in the future.
    jackpato-942-639550

    A hard too watch...

    Looked interesting and I love a lot of superhero tv shows/movies but this... this is just terrible. The acting feels forced and hard to ignore, a lot of the characters are stereotypical with next to nothing unique about them.
    3bjarte-rorvik

    How can this series have 6.4???

    Bad acting, weird fighting scenes, the main caracter is a well known principal at a high school and all he wear is a litte mask and then nobody recognize him. There are so many good series out there, dont waste time on this crap.

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Jefferson adopts a more street-wise manner of speaking when disguised as Black Lightning. This is in keeping with the original comic books, where Black Lightning made use of 70's era slang to disguise his identity.
    • Goofs
      The experiments that gave Black Lightning his powers, which he subsequently passed on to his daughters, apparently came by altering his mitochondria. Mitochondria are inherited exclusively from one's mother, so he shouldn't have been able to do so.
    • Crazy credits
      The Warner Bros and DC Comics logos are charged with lightning.
    • Connections
      Featured in The Chronic Rift: Some Things to Think About (2018)

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    FAQ20

    • How many seasons does Black Lightning have?Powered by Alexa

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • January 16, 2018 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official site
      • Official Facebook
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • 黑閃電
    • Filming locations
      • Atlanta, Georgia, USA
    • Production companies
      • Berlanti Productions
      • DC Entertainment
      • Warner Bros. Television
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      43 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Aspect ratio
      • 16:9 HD

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