OWN has partnered with streaming service Hulu to simultaneously broadcast a new series in 2022 that will explore the connection between Black women, beauty and identity through the distinctive lens of Black hair.

The Hair Tales, executive produced by Tracee Ellis Ross and Michaela Angela Davis, will air both on OWN and Hulu as part of the recently announced Onyx Collective that will feature original content from creators of color and underrepresented voices. 

Read Also: Freeform's Tara Duncan to Spearhead Disney's Onyx Collective 

The series will take an honest and layered look into the complex culture of Black hair and ultimately Black women’s identity, creativity and contributions to society, said OWN.

Onyx Collective head Tara Duncan will serve as an executive producer for The Hair Tales along with Raeshem Nijhon, Carri Twigg, and Oprah Winfrey.

“Hair has been part of every Black woman’s identity and personal expression throughout history, and this series celebrates and fully embraces a woman’s power to be herself,” said OWN president Tina Perry in a statement. “We are especially happy to be partnering with Hulu to ensure that this impactful new series that Tracee and Michaela created reaches the widest audience possible.”

Added Duncan: “Every Black woman has a personal and defining story that involves her hair. From the moment Tracee and Michaela shared the idea for this series, I knew it would strike a chord with Black women and anyone who has ever been curious about the singular connection between our hair, our agency, our beauty and our identity. It’s incredibly exciting for Onyx Collective to bring this project, that is entirely produced by women of color, to Hulu and OWN.”

Read also: Tarell Alvin McCraney on Making David a Man in Second Season of OWN Series

Two new scripted cable comedies are showcasing African-American actresses in leading roles as the TV industry looks to continue to celebrate on-screen diversity.

Actresses such as Tracee Ellis Ross — nominated for a 2016 Emmy for outstanding lead actress in a comedy series for her role in ABC’s Black-ish — have begun to mirror the success of their counterparts on the drama front, including Gabrielle Union (BET’s Being Mary Jane), ViolaDavis (How to Get Away With Murder) and KerriWashington( Scandal).

HBO in October premieres comedy series Insecure, created and starring comedian-actress Issa Rae. The show, about a young African-American woman (Rae) navigating her professional and personal life, follows the Sept. 5 premiere of MTV’s Loosely Exactly Nicole, starring Girl Code actress Nicole Byer.

Actress Tischina Arnold, co-star of Starz’s comedy series Survivor’s Remorse, told Multichannel News that comedic roles for actresses of color are beginning to open up as both traditional networks and over-the-top services look to reach a more diverse audience with content that features their images and stories.

“I think it’s a great time for African-American women actors, producers and showrunners to be in the business,” Arnold said. “There are more opportunities opening up, although we still need a lot more opportunities.”

Arnold also said that women of color are getting a chance to play a wider variety of roles that go beyond the urban female stereotype often depicted in mainstream culture.

Indeed, Rae — at this summer’s Television Critics Association press tour — said her character in Insecure has the same goals and insecurities as everyone else.

“You watch this and you realize … that black people are human,” she said. “I think there’s a tendency vibe in certain cases like news and media portrayal of almost like we are bringing it on ourselves because we tend to be violent by nature. It’s been more just trying to convince people that … people of color are relatable.”

Byer also said during the TCA gathering she has auditioned for roles where writers that have asked her to “be as black as possible,” but said that her new show allows her to be herself without any preconceived notions of who she should be on-screen.

While opportunities are improving for women of color-on-screen, Arnold warned that more progress is needed both in front of and behind the screen.

“It’s almost like a never-ending story … it seems like there will never be enough opportunities for me,” Arnold said. “Once I see more characters like me portrayed in so many diverse ways and in diverse situations, then I’ll feel more comfortable in saying that there’s real substantial change taking place.”

ABC’s Black-ish and Fox’s Empire dominated the major television categories during the NAACP Image Awards last night.

Black-ish swept the comedy categories, winning for Outstanding Comedy Series, Outstanding Actor (Anthony Anderson) and Outstanding Actress (Tracee Ellis Ross). Empire was just as dominant in the key drama categories, taking home awards for Outstanding Drama Series, Actor (Terrence Howard) and Actress (Taraji P. Henson).

On the cable side, HBO and BET won multiple NAACP Image Awards, which honored the achievements of people of color in entertainment.

TV One aired live Friday night's 47th Annual NAACP Image Awards ceremony, which was hosted by Anthony Anderson.

The winners in the television categories are as follows:

Outstanding Comedy Series

“black-ish” (ABC)

Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series  

Anthony Anderson - “black-ish” (ABC)

Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series  

Tracee Ellis Ross - “black-ish” (ABC)

Outstanding Drama Series

“Empire” (FOX)

Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series

Terrence Howard - “Empire” (FOX)

Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series

Taraji P. Henson - “Empire” (FOX)

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series  

Mike Epps – “Survivor’s Remorse” (Starz)

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series  

Marsai Martin - “black-ish” (ABC)

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series  

Joe Morton - “Scandal” (ABC)

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series  

Regina King - “American Crime” (ABC)

Outstanding Television Movie, Mini- Series, or Dramatic Special  

“The Wiz Live!” (NBC)

Outstanding Actor in a Television Movie, Mini- Series, or Dramatic Special  

David Alan Grier - “The Wiz Live!” (NBC)

Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Mini- Series, or Dramatic Special  

Queen Latifah - “Bessie” (HBO)

Outstanding News/Information (Series or Special)  

“Unsung” (TV One)

Outstanding Talk Series  

“The Talk” (CBS)

Outstanding Reality Program/Reality Competition Series  

“Welcome to Sweetie Pie’s” (OWN)

Outstanding Variety (Series or Special)  

“Family Feud” (Syndicated)

Outstanding Children’s Program  

“Doc McStuffins” (Disney Junior)

Outstanding Performance by a Youth (Series, Special, Television Movie or Mini-Series)  

Marcus Scribner - “black-ish” (ABC)

Outstanding Host in a News, Talk, Reality, or Variety Program (Series or Special) – Individual or Ensemble  

Steve Harvey- “Family Feud” (Syndicated)

Outstanding Documentary - (Film)

“The Black Panthers:  Vanguard of the Revolution” (PBS Distribution/Firelight Films)

Outstanding Documentary - (Television)

“Muhammad Ali:  The People’s Champ” (BET)

Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series   

Kenya M. Barris - “black-ish” – The Word (ABC) 

Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series

Mara Brack Ali, Jameal Turner, Keli Goff - “Being Mary Jane” – Sparrow (BET) 

Outstanding Directing in a Comedy Series

Don Cheadle - “House of Lies” – The Urge to Save Humanity is Almost Always a False Front for the Urge to Rule (Showtime)

Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series

John Ridley - “American Crime” – Episode 1 (ABC)

Outstanding Directing in a Motion Picture (Television)

Dee Rees - “Bessie” (HBO)