Many TV critics say we are in a Golden Age of Television, given the incredible amount of quality, original programming that’s available on traditional TV and digital media.

The same can be said of the strong lineup of programming featuring predominantly African-American actors and actresses. From Fox’s Empire to Starz’s Power to OWN’s The Have and the Have Nots to BET’s Being Mary Jane, the quality and quantity of content targeting African-American audiences is arguably at an all-time high.

Veteran Academy Award- and Emmy Award-winning actor Lou Gossett believes the entertainment industry is at the cusp of a major explosion in the production and dissemination of African-American-themed content. Gossett, who is starring in BET’s inaugural mini-series, The Book of Negroes, airing Feb. 16-18, recently spoke with me about the opportunities now available for African-Americans to tell their stories on the small screen.

TU: How important is BET’s The Book of Negroes in terms of bringing awareness to African-American themed stories?

LouGossett: A lot of people think BET’s The Book of Negroes is a courageous project, but I think it’s necessary to tell this story. Now you have the attention of the industry – now millions of people have an opportunity to see [the mini-series] and what’s on BET.

TU: How do we get more of these stories on the air?

LG: BET has the responsibility to tell other stories since they’ve started with The Book of Negroes. The industry also has to have the courage to continue to raise the bar to finally tell our stories.  We have the Renaissance to do, we have the cowboys to do, we have the soldiers to do, we have jazz to do … it’s never going to be over.

TU: Are you encouraged by the number of outlets that are in the cable and broadcast space targeting African-American audiences?

LG: That’s healthy competition … [they’ll say,] you guys are going to do that, so we’re going to do this [subject]. That competition benefits everyone. What happens in the home now is that African-Americans especially can ask what’s on BET, what’s on TV One, what’s on Centric … and those networks become competitive in trying to serve that audience.

TU: Do the mainstream entertainment networks also have to step up and start creating more shows that reflect African-American images and stories for those messages to reach a broader audience?

LG: BET is already competitive with those networks, and if it continues to fill its responsibility to tell those stories, then [viewers will watch].

Strong ratings performances from a number of multicultural-themed shows during the 2014-15 television season are proving that an audience exists for quality programming featuring people of color.

The Jan. 6 season-three debut of OWN’s primetime soap opera Tyler Perry’s The Haves and The Have Nots set a network ratings record for a series premiere, averaging 3.22 million viewers and ranking as the network’s second most watched telecast among male viewers.

The Fox broadcasting network’s drama series Empire, starring Terrance Howard and Taraji P. Henson, drew nearly 10 million viewers for its Jan. 7 premiere, the second biggest launch on broadcast TV this season behind ABC’s How To Get Away With Murder, starring African-American actress and recent People’s Choice Award winner Viola Davis.

Add ABC’s comedy sitcom Black-ishto the list, and three of the highest-rated new series for the season are headed by African-American actors and/or actresses.

The Latino family dramedy Jane The Virgin on the CW was the best reviewed new series, according to Ratings Intelligence, and the show’s star, Gina Rodriguez, recently won a Golden Globe award for Best Actress in a TV comedy – the network’s first major Golden Globes win.

Also, ABC Latino family sitcom Cristela was the only freshman comedy besides Black-ish to get a full-season pickup, according to Ratings Intelligence. 

The Television Critics Association press tour provided TV writers and viewers with a glimpse at several new projects featuring prominent multicultural characters and storylines. ABC will soon air the Asian-themed series Fresh Off The Boat, while TV One Feb. 7 will launch a monthly series of original movies featuring African-American themes, starting with White Water.

BET will debut its first-ever mini-series The Book Of Negroes, based on Lawrence Hill’s award-winning novel which chronicles a young slave woman who, in exchange for her freedom, s ides with the British during the Revolutionary War.

Emmy and Academy Award winning actor Lou Gossett Jr. said TV series like The Book of Negroes in which he stars as well as movies like Selma and 12 Years A Slave are being developed for an audience looking for programming that tell stories about the history, lives, struggles and stories of people of color.

“It took a minute to tell our stories … now it’s okay for us to tell our stories to the world,” Gossett told nearly 200 TV critics at BET’s recent Television Critics Association Winter tour presentation. “This is the tip of the iceberg as far as information about our roots are concerned,” he said. “We’re going in the right direction, and you ain’t seen nothing yet.”