Independent Lens

S22E09 Mr. SOUL!

Debuting in 1968, SOUL! marked the first all-Black variety show to be aired nationally on public television, blending artists from the fringes with the burgeoning Black radical ideology of the post-Civil Rights era. Mr. SOUL! explores this pivotal chapter in television history and the visionary behind it, showcasing a significant shift in representation that still reverberates in contemporary culture.