Entertainment

Twitter Is Already In Love With Amazon's New Alt-History Drama

by Danielle Jackson
Bennett Raglin/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images

It’s been made very clear that not everyone is a fan of the Game of Thrones showrunners’ upcoming series, Confederate. Many people have already used social media to voice their opinions on the controversial show, but on Tuesday, Amazon announced its own alt-history drama, Black America, and Twitter is already having a field day with the news.

According to Deadline, Will Packer (Think Like A Man, Straight Outta Compton) and Aaron McGruder (Boondocks) have teamed up to create Black America, a show that will follow newly freed African-Americans, who have received reparations for slavery in the form of control over Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. From there, they have “the freedom to shape their own destiny.”

The announcement came in the wake of the uproar surrounding Confederate. The controversial show, which is the brainchild of David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, is also set to take place in an alternate timeline, but one where slavery is basically still legal.

Some have argued that the entire concept of Confederate is pretty tone deaf, especially right now. America is already divided enough as it is, and the last thing anyone needs right now is a television show created by two white writers imagining what things would be like if slavery still existed. Not to mention that, at a time when half of the country has proudly elected a president who continues to prove himself to be a danger to anyone who isn't a rich, white male, a show like this has so much potential to be problematic.

The revelation of Black America, which will, at the very least, show a positive alternative history, and from the perspective of two black writers, had Twitter users reacting with glee. Take a look.

A New Kind Of Subtweet

It's not clear whether the announcement of Black America was in direct response to the controversy surrounding Confederate, especially considering the show has been in the works since February, but it'd definitely be hilarious (and impressive) if it was.

Getting In Formation

Just think about all the black excellence that’s going to take place on this show. It's so exciting.

When The Timeline Comes Together

Surely when episodes of Black America air, Twitter is going to come together to discuss it. And that’ll definitely be a great time.

Being Petty Has Its Perks

The show already has a pretty promising fan base. I can't say the same for Confederate.

In The Words Of Maxine Waters...

This is basically everyone's official mood for the rest of the year.

The Excitement Can't Be Contained

Yes this is how alt-history is supposed to be done.

Black America hasn’t even aired yet and it’s already creating a ton of hype on the internet. But, all things considered, that's no big surprise.