Black History Month: Top African American Television Characters (Part Two!)

Here's more of TV's most memorable and groundbreaking faces.

Kerry Washington as Olivia Pope - There are many great Black characters on TV.  For Black History Month, BET.com had to give them the spotlight in a sequel (see part 1 here).  As Scandal's designer clothes-clad crisis manager Olivia Pope, Kerry Washington cleans up Washington's most gasp-worthy messes. Also, her character's sizzling affair with the hit drama's fictional POTUS always steams up our TV sets. Washington made small screen history by becoming the second Black woman to lead a network television drama (after Diahann Carroll's Julia), and she now personifies must-see primetime TV. (Photo: ABC)
DCI John Luther (Idris Elba) - Idris Elba stars as detective chief inspector John Luther, a brilliant criminal investigator with a volatile personality. His brash sense of justice is what fuels his determination, but at the same time alienates him from his wife. Get familiar with other characters from the show right here and watch him in action on Saturday at 8:30A/7:30C! (Photo: Courtesy BBC Drama Productions)
Wendy Raquel Robinson as Tasha Mack - Tasha Mack has redefined single mom-dom in BET's hit series The Game. Wendy Raquel Robinson portrays this unforgettable character as lively, sassy and fun. More of a running buddy and pal for her TV son, it's always entertaining to watch this life of the party try to find her maternal ways. (Photo: Picturegroup/BET)Tichina Arnold as Pamela James - Before she was Chris Rock's fictional mom on Everybody Hates Chris, everybody loved Tichina Arnold as Gina's BFF Pamela James on Martin. Whether trading barbs with Martin about her buckshots, romancing jobless Tommy or having her pal's back in hilarious situations, Arnold's character helped reinvent the role of the female TV sidekick. (Photo: FOX Network)

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Kerry Washington as Olivia Pope - There are many great Black characters on TV.  For Black History Month, BET.com had to give them the spotlight in a sequel (see part 1 here).  As Scandal's designer clothes-clad crisis manager Olivia Pope, Kerry Washington cleans up Washington's most gasp-worthy messes. Also, her character's sizzling affair with the hit drama's fictional POTUS always steams up our TV sets. Washington made small screen history by becoming the second Black woman to lead a network television drama (after Diahann Carroll's Julia), and she now personifies must-see primetime TV. (Photo: ABC)

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