Paramount+ Is Celebrating Black History Month With A Collection Of Great Family Shows

Tia Mowry-Hardict is a party girl and food blogger who instantly transforms into a stepmom of three after marrying a father. Stephanie’s (Mowry’s character) happy hours turned into curfews caring for her husband’s teenage daughter and two grade-school aged sons. She experiences growing pains as she struggles to find a balance between living her best life and the mom life. But with the help of her own mother, she manages to reinvent parenting her own way. Sheryl Lee Ralph plays the overbearing mother-in-law and Michael Boatman is Stephanie's older doctor husband.

Watch Instant Mom here.

Before Tia was a stepmom on TV, she was just a teenage twin sister. The hit ‘90s sitcom starring Mowry-Hardict and Tamera Housley stars the sisters as themselves. The sisters were separated at birth and adopted by different parents. They later meet as teenagers and their parents move in together, so the girls could be closer. But being twins doesn’t make them identical in everything. The sisters come with their own spunky personalities, which doesn’t make things easy all the time (as if teenage life isn’t hard enough, figuratively speaking). There were talks to reboot the series that ended in 1999, but those plans have been put on permanently put on ice. But there's always the reruns to catch nostalgia on!

Watch Sister, Sister here.

Inspired by the childhood experiences of comedian Chris Rock, the heartwarming series follows the teenage comedian through his colorful experiences growing up in 1980s Brooklyn, such as getting knocked into space by his mother (figuratively speaking) and asking for allowance (which was rejected by his father who told him he allows him to sleep at their house all night). He has a good point there. Rock narrates the series. Fun fact, Tyler James Williams, the star of the popular CW comedy is all grown up and stars in the new ABC comedy, Abbott Elementary, which recently become the network’s first comedy to triple its premiere ratings.

Watch Everybody Hates Chris here.

All That stars Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell had their spinoff, which followed the adventures of two mischievous high school friends. If we had to pick a more sensible one out of the pair, it would be Kenan, who would always be devising plans to make big money. Kel always came along for the schemes, despite his clumsiness and reputation of missing things. Two words: Orange soda! (those who know, know!) The pair later starred in their own movie, Good Burger. And ask any ‘90s kid, it's among our list of one of the funniest and greatest movies ever! Don’t argue with us, it's like the original (not live-action) Lion King, non-negotiable. And so is loving this show.

Watch Kenan and Kel here.

Did you know Tyler Perry also made a Nickelodeon show? Kid rapper Dylan Gilmer stars as himself, Young Dylan, an aspiring hip-hop star who moves in with his affluent and straight and narrow uncle, aunt, and cousins, who are just not up to his level of swag. Needless to say, their home is turned upside down when Dylan moves in. The series gives you nostalgic Fresh Prince of Bel-Air vibes, the original Will Smith one, not the reboot. Season 2 is streaming on Nickelodeon. Martin’s Carl Anthony Payne II plays Dylan’s uncle and unlike his iconic character, Cole, in the ‘90s sitcom, he has plenty of sense!

Watch Young Dylan here.

“Gullah, Gullah. Come and let's play together in the bright sunny weather. Let’s all go to Gullah, Gullah Island, Gullah, Gullah, Gullah, Gullah.”

It’s a catchy theme song for us! Introduce your family to Alston family — Ron, Natalie, their three kids; James, Vanessa, and Simeon; their niece, Shaina; and a giant yellow tadpole named Binyah Binyah Poliiwog, who live on an island off the coast of South Carolina. The series, which ran for four seasons between 1994 — 1998, was inspired by the Gullah culture of coastal South Carolina and Georgia. There are lots of songs, games, dances, stories, and humor that both preschoolers and older kids can enjoy!

Watch Gullah, Gullah Island here.

Who would ever think living in a haunted house would be fun and family-friendly? Well, this Nickelodeon surely paints that narrative. Michelle Hathaway and her two daughters relocate from New York City to New Orleans to open a bakery. When they move into their new home, they discover that their house is already occupied- by ghosts! The spirits of jazz musician Ray Preston and his two sons are still lingering around. Usually, that revelation would have families running out of the door, but that doesn’t scare the Hathaways away! Instead, the two families learn to coexist and create a bond. But dead or alive, that doesn’t mean the family can’t drive you crazy!

Watch The Haunted Hathaways here.

Another ‘90s nostalgic one that perhaps the stepkids can resonate with. R&B singer Brandy Norwood plays Moesha Mitchell, a headstrong teenager, who tries to juggle young love, school, and friendships. Basically the highs and lows of being a teenager. She also butts heads occasionally with her dad’s new wife, who just wants to love her. The two eventually get along throughout the seasons. Moesha recaps the end of each episode in her diary.

The series originally ran for six seasons on UPN, from 1996 to 2001. Back in 2020, there were talks about a reboot. Brandy said she would be interested to see what her character was up to these days. But no official moves were made. But she has rewatched the series with her daughter, Sy’rai. “I was braiding my daughter's hair the other day, and she wanted to watch the episode where Moesha met Brandy, me,” the Queens star recalled to Teen Vogue in 2020. “We need to see that. We need to see a Black family. I think that's crucial right now, and it was crucial then.”

Watch Moesha here.

Not only can Cam Newton throw a mean ball as the Carolina Panthers quarterback, but he’s also a good mentor as well! Back in 2016, the former Heisman Trophy winner starred in a Nickelodeon reality series, in which he traveled across the country trying to help kids achieve their dreams. From fencing and gymnastics to broadway, BMX biking, and baking award-winning treats, whatever that kid wanted to achieve their fullest potential in, Newton was all in. Former First Lady Michelle Obama, WNBA’s Lisa Leslie, and SpongeBob SquarePants’ Tom Kenny made guest appearances in the series.

Watch All In With Cam Newton here.

Keke Palmer is living the teenage dream as the vice president of a teen apparel line called Mad Style. But 15-year-old True Jackson soon learns a high-status corporate job doesn't always mean VIP benefits. Along with dealing with the rollercoaster of high school, Jackson learns about the ins and out of 9 to 5. The Nickelodeon teen sitcom reminds you of the phrase, “with great power comes great responsibility.” Nonetheless, Jackson still manages to get into lots of mishaps and have fun. Vice president or not, kids will be kids! Palmer recently teased a possible reboot of the show and the characters would be a lot more mature because they’re older of course. Meantime, catch up on the original!

Watch True Jackson, VP here.