37 TV Characters That Made People Say, "FINALLY, Someone Like Me!"

It feels good to be seen.

We asked the BuzzFeed Community to tell us which black TV characters made them feel seen on-screen. Here are some of their favorites:

1. Tastee of Orange is the New Black

Netflix

"She allowed me to see myself on TV as a beautiful, plus-sized, dark-skinned Queen. Tastee was fun, sweet, and lovable, but she wasn't one to FUCK with, and that's ME!" —keyonnambenjamin

2. Carlton Banks of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air

NBC

"I grew up in South Central, Los Angeles (the hood), but went to school in one of the wealthiest and whitest parts of Los Angeles on a transfer. I was top of my class, on the chess team, and played the violin. Carlton was a black kid like me, and his character helped me ignore all the people who said my personality and interests made me less black." —c42d72841b

3. Raven Baxter of That's So Raven

Disney Channel

"I grew up watching That's So Raven, a show about a confident, curvy, black girl who is, out of all things, a psychic. Seeing her and how she carried herself made me believe it was possible for me to be on TV. She was the only black girl with her name in the title of a television series at the time. Raven Baxter helped me understand that it’s okay to be yourself. You don’t have to let your skin color hold you back. Instead, use it as your fuel; your power. She showed me that you don’t have to trade your character for success." —dyamondm

4. Zoe Johnson of Grown-ish

Freeform

"It’s so refreshing to see a young, black character doing the nuanced things young black girls do: falling in love, growing up, and messing up. She’s the first character I’ve seen with hair like mine, and it’s really helped me learn to love my hair. She’s the sole reason I finally felt comfortable enough to try new hairstyles. She made me realize black hair is BEAUTIFUL AF." —hosannay

5. Khadijah James of Living Single

Fox

"She was strong, focused, and determined. Her friends looked to her for guidance and advice. She was the glue that held them together. I related to her strength, sarcasm, and her need to be the best. My favorite episode is when she went to see a therapist. She thought that because she was "the strong one" there was no way she could be depressed. I saw a lot of myself in that episode and I thought it was courageous of her to seek help. She helped me to see that even the ones who seem to have it all together, still struggle." —m42c9686a8

6. Iris West Allen of The Flash

The CW

"She’s a great leader and a great character. She’s also a great love interest for Barry, but doesn’t exist only to be his girlfriend or wife. I love how strong and independent she is. I definitely would have loved to see a character like her when I was growing up. Plus, Iris is beautiful and proud of her blackness. I just love her."

—k0411

7. Randall Pearson of This Is Us

NBC

"I grew up mixed in a very white suburb. I was always one of the only black people wherever I went. I then went to a PWI (predominantly white institution) for college. Seeing his struggle to be black, while being surrounded by white people, and finding his identity within that juxtaposition of culture made me feel unbelievably seen." —emmajhuening

8. Jodie Landon of Daria

MTV

"Animated? Yes, but she was smart as hell and a high achiever." — Natalie Collins, Facebook

9. Denise Huxtable of The Cosby Show

NBC

"As a black/white mixed girl, I never received, what I thought of as, representation on TV. No one else on TV looked like I did, until I saw Denise. I just remember being surprised that someone "like me" was on TV. —n44786cbf9

10. Olivia Pope of Scandal

ABC

"She was smart, independent, and never allowed her relationships to affect her firm. It was so nice to see a dark-skinned woman on TV that was intelligent and confident, without her being portrayed as aggressive or sassy." —annavillard

11. Issa Dee of Insecure

Ann Marie Fox / HBO

"Seeing a dark-skinned woman with natural hair was EVERYTHING to me! I appreciate her skin illuminating on-screen." —cierraw4abc97610

12. Janae Watson of Orange is the New Black

Netflix

"First things first: her hair. It always looks amazing, and I love that you get to see her fro grow bigger and healthier as the show develops. But the episode in particular that made me feel the most seen was in Season 5 where we see a flashback of her as a child. Not only was it amazing to see that she's a smart athlete, but I really identified with her realizing how privilege manifests itself in the education system. I've definitely had those moments where I've become pissed off and almost disillusioned about the different types of education children of color receive. It was nice to see a young, black female character in a major show tackle this issue head on. Janae's character is insightful, thoughtful, and sharp."

—christinaa4288e785d

13. The entire cast of A Different World

NBC

"This was the first time I saw black kids in college. Each character was unique and highlighted that not only do black people come in different shades, but they also have different backgrounds and stories to tell." —vegantiff

14. Synclaire James of Living Single

Fox

"She was joyful, silly, and a little naive, but never stupid. She always looked at the positive side of things. I loved the relationship she had with her cousin and friends, and I love that she didn’t let them run over her. She stuck to her guns and remained the happy, rainbow-sunshine goddess that I still admire all these years later." —ladybugakaladya

15. Dee Marshall of Insatiable

Netflix

"Although I HATE-WATCHED the show (for obvious reasons), Dee made me feel seen in a way that I’ve never experienced before. A black, plus-sized, and QUEER beauty pageant queen who wasn’t used as the butt of a joke, AND had actual confidence?! Wow. It was like looking in the mirror. I’ve had a really hard time balancing my Christian background, my blackness, and my queerness, and it’s nice to see I’m not the only one. Probably the one thing that this show got RIGHT. Long live the true queen of Insatiable!" —jamiemariahg

16. Rainbow Johnson of Black-ish

ABC

"Being half African-American myself, I have always felt caught between both of my ethnicities. Although my other half is Latinx, I cannot tell you the countless times I’ve been told, “You’re not black enough" or “You could never understand.” Rainbow's character and biracial background made me feel seen. Although her background is used as a comedic tool sometimes, it’s always done intelligently, and with a lesson in mind. I’m so glad she exists in the television canon!" —avivab

17. Miranda Bailey of Grey's Anatomy

ABC

"Seeing a woman of color who's so powerful, has been mind-bending for another me."

—anw1205

18. Breanna Barnes of One on One

Paramount Television / ©Paramount Television/Courtesy Everett Collection

"Until then, I had never seen a young black girl being raised by a single black father with a semi-absent mother, like I was. She was smart, witty, styllish, and we even shared similar insecurities. I loved that show!" —aubriem2

19. Susie Carmichael of Rugrats

Nickelodeon

"Susie was so dope! She was the beacon of hope and wisdom when Angelica acted like a monster to the other babies. She was always herself. Her authenticity was magnetic and her braids looked like mine...which mattered as a kid, and still does today." —kelseyw4ac9d61ea

20. Frank Pembleton of Homicide: Life on the Street

NBC

"He was a smart, opinionated, strong black man that didn’t take crap from anyone! Not to mention, he always completed his assigned police cases."

—carlc4e5214b2c

21. Becky of Empire

Fox

"Finally someone my size who is represented in a way where they're not shamed or made fun of." —t4439191e5

22. Moesha Mithell of Moesha

Getty Images, UPN

"You have this series centered around this strong, independent black girl and it was great. She was smart and so proud to be black — a character only seen on a handful of shows at that time. Plus, the show also gave us Kim Parker (Countess Vaughan), who was the original definition of body positivity. The show had something for every type of black person." —faceghostta

23. The entire cast of Noah's Arc

Logo

"It was the first time I can remember seeing black gay men on TV who were nuanced and resembled my group of friends. Gay men, especially black gay men, were always portrayed as flamboyant and over the top. There's nothing wrong with that and those characters served a purpose, but I didn't identify with them. My group of friends could identity ourselves in this cast." —tp2

24. Lisa Turtle of Saved By the Bell

NBC

"When I was very little, maybe three, I saw Lisa Turtle in her full teen, dark-skinned, fashion-slaying, never-settle-for-a-Screech, beautiful glory. With her I knew I had someone to emulate. I wore a fashion-worthy hat everyday in kindergarten because of her." —aundrielsaraii

25. Angela Moore of Boy Meets World

ABC

"I didn’t think black girls were 'allowed' to like boys of a different color until I saw her. When I was younger, I thought white boys or Asian boys wouldn’t be attracted to someone like me, but when Sean and Angela started dating, I was honestly shocked that out of all the white girls they had him date, he wanted to go out with a black girl with braids and twists. On top of that, she was smart, interesting, beautiful, and sensitive. She liked classical music and action movies just like I do. They made her strong but vulnerable and super relatable. A lot of TV shows then, unless they were black TV shows, white-washed black characters and never recognized their blackness, like they were afraid people would notice the character was black." —actoranon

26. Titus Andromedon of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt

Netflix

"I may not be an exuberant, gay black man but Titus Andromedon made me feel seen for the first time as a sassy, go-getter who wasn't afraid to tell it like it is. Although he can be selfish at times, he has the type of charisma that could suck you back in." —mythilid

27. Numbuh 5 (Abigail Lincoln) of Code Name: Kids Next Door

Cartoon Network

"I was in elementary school when that show came out. I saw myself in her in every episode. she was my favorite because she's smart, witty, a fighter, and a tomboy. That was me! Seeing her on TV always made my day." —tenshi7

28. Nola Darling of She's Gotta Have It

Netflix

"Nola Darling stole my heart. Many times in television, black women aren't allowed the same freedom of fluctuation and 'messiness' as their white counterparts (Carrie Bradshaw from Sex and the City being my best example). Nola encapsulates the curious, messy, queer artist that I relate to. She was all of those things, and at the same time was so unapologetically black and feminist. She is such a layered character, and you don't get to see that often. Well done, Spike Lee!!" — Jendayi Bonds, Facebook

29. Tess Pearson of This Is Us

NBC

"As a bi black girl, I saw almost no representation of LGBTQ people who looked like me as a kid. To see a black teen with parents who support her process of coming out/finding herself meant a lot to me. It made me wish my parents had reacted that way too." —julienpercy

30. Sam White of Dear White People

Netflix

"The TV show accurately represented the identity struggle that comes with being a biracial woman in the United States. Being biracial and black means I, and others, get excluded from racial conversations a lot. It was nice to see a character who represented the black biracial population in a way that can make us feel involved in the fight." — Anna Tate, Facebook

31. Abbie Mills of Sleepy Hollow

Fox

"Abbie Mills from Sleepy Hollow was the oldest sister of a really genuinely Black-sister duo that showed such depth and resembled my own experience growing up into adulthood with my own sister. When Fox killed her character, I went into a depression and then my sister pulled me out. Next she supported me on my mission to become an Executive Producer for TV so that other African American women/girls will be able to see their own lived experiences without fear of those characters being taken from them like Abbie and Jenny Mills were taken from us." — Karis Watie, Facebook

32. Lieutenant Uhura, Star Trek

NBC

"First black woman I saw on TV. First character I could relate to: POC, female, and a SCIENTIST! When she spoke, the men listened." — A. Patricia Gonsalves, Facebook

33. Kelly of Black Mirror's "San Junipero"

Netflix

"My bisexuality wasn't seen as valid because I dated this guy for a long time and now I'm with a trans-man. She made me feel seen, because no matter what, my bisexuality was still there regardless of who I loved. This episode made me really happy 😍. I wish bisexuals were more accepted in the LGBTQ community. I wish we weren't seen as promiscuous or greedy." — Tiara Henderson, Facebook

34. Tia Landry and Tamera Campbell of Sister, Sister

Abc Photo Archives / Getty Images

"It was cool seeing curly girls in crazy '90s clothes who were dorky and funny!" — Morgan Jones, Facebook

35. Rachel Zane of Suits

USA Network

"I mean, I wanted to be Jessica Pearson too, but in a 'when I grow up' way. Rachel was who I could see myself in at the time. She's mixed race and I'm not, but I definitely felt culturally mixed, having spent a good chunk of my life in predominantly white suburbs and then moving back to the South Side of Chicago as a 12 year old. The show didn't even address her race often, but somehow that was even better for me. No one cared that she spoke a certain way (or didn't), accused her of not being black enough, and her intelligence was celebrated instead of mocked." — Megan Patrick, Facebook

36. Dee Thomas of What's Happening!!

ABC

"We were both raised by a single mother, had an older brother, and were outspoken." — Kimberly Atkinson, Facebook

37. Jack and Diane Johnson of Black-ish

ABC

"Jack and Diane are growing up and going to school in a predominantly white suburb, which I can relate to a lot. Oftentimes I have been the only person of color in my classes, so seeing them holding on to their identity was pivotal for me." —livinlifelikeitsgolden

*Note: Submissions may have been edited for length and/or clarity.

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