Aside from the juicy drama and solid performances this series delivers, it’s a refreshing addition to Netflix’s ever-growing roster of teen content. It’s no secret that the streaming service has had a colourism problem . In almost every YA show it produces (13 Reasons Why, On My Block, Trinkets, Outer Banks, I Am Not Okay With This, I could go on…), the only Black female characters are lighter-skinned actresses who eerily fit into a certain mould of Black girl that this industry has deemed worthy. As Zendaya put it in 2018 while acknowledging her privilege, “I am Hollywood’s acceptable version of a Black girl and that has to change.” I hope Blood & Water is Netflix’s first signal of change.