Cress Williams as “Black Lighting” in CW’s first Black superhero show. (CW)
Another Black superhero has snagged his own TV series. “Black Lightning,” debuted on the CW Tuesday, Jan. 16 becoming the first Black-led show on the network’s DC Comics lineup. The series focuses on Jefferson Pierce, an estranged husband and father of two who hung up his lightning suit to become a principal at the local high school.
However, spoiler, once his teen girls are abducted by Metropolis’s biggest threat, a gang called the 100, he’s forced out of retirement to save them. By the end of the episode, a new development emerges for one of his daughters promising an interesting story ahead.
There are sure to be other adventures as the series unfolds, but the appearance of a Black superhero on network television — joining Netflix’s “Luke Cage” and premiering ahead of February’s “Black Panther,” which are both Marvel properties — is major.
One viewer tweeted, “I literally cannot believe this show is on the CW. #BlackLightning. Wow. In every way, wow.”
Another simply said, “#BlackLightning is AMAZING.”
Roland Martin, the former “NewsOne Now” host who appeared on the pilot episode, tweeted, “Damn skippy! Had to #BringTheFunk on @blacklightning.”
And something not lost on attentive fans was the dedication of late veteran Atlanta anchor Amanda Davis. She died in December after a massive stroke.
“Want to pay homage to our @blackLightning news anchor, the late great #AmandaDavis,” tweeted the official “Black Lightning” writers account, “who will be missed but whose immense contributions to journalism and #BlackLightning will not be forgotten.”
The premiere episode was dedicated to Davis and she’ll be popping up in future episodes, too.
https://twitter.com/TLsixseven/status/953451856121954310
So I am watching #BlackLightning and I see Amanda Davis pic.twitter.com/SnN3pAl1aR
— Black Girls Don’t Date (@BlkGrlsDontDate) January 17, 2018
