OWN’s beloved docuseries Black Love is back for a fourth season. Based on the trailer, the new batch of couples aren’t afraid to have the hard conversations about love on camera.
The official trailer includes a fun mix of couples – some faces you know, and others you might be getting acquainted with for the very first time. What they all bring to the table is transparency, vulnerability and love stories that will make you both laugh and cry.
See the full trailer below:
Codie and Tommy Oliver, the married couple who created Black Love, filmed their very first season with the intent of making one big feature-length documentary. After they wrapped filming, they had so much footage the project began to feel more like a series. OWN Network eventually picked up the gloriously honest project, which became an instant success.
In an exclusive interview with ESSENCE, the Olivers addressed the previously released one-minute teaser which had become a trending topic on social media. Some fans felt the show was beginning to perpetuate the erasure of dark-skinned Black women on TV, as well as the idea that dark-skinned women are less romantically desired. Tommy Oliver minces no words while taking full responsibility for the teaser: “[When we saw the comments], it was an immediate ‘we fucked up.’ The last thing we want to be is a place where our people aren’t represented.”
While the full trailer does include a wider range of couples of all different shades, the Olivers acknowledge that the initial teaser failed to represent the diversity of black love that the show has always tried to offer. “Frankly, it sucked being at the center of that,” Codie tells ESSENCE. “To have made that mistake in our teaser and for that to fuel this conversation. But it certainly became clear that a dialogue needs to continue. The only solution is representation across all projects.”
The Olivers assure fans of the show that representation will continue to be a focus…and that Barack and Michelle Obama are still at the top of their wish list as future Black Love guests. Let’s manifest it, y’all!
Catch the season 4 premiere of Black Love September 5th on OWN 9/8c!