United Shades of America

W. Kamau Bell travels America and dives into issues in America such as racism, incarceration, and more.

Genre: Documentary, History, Reality-TV

Cast:W. Kamau Bell , Russell Peters , Mark Nykanen , Chad McMullan , Abbie Darnley , Shaun Hopkins , Danielle Martin , Melina Laboucan-Massimo , Shannon Prince , Bryan Prince , Cori Carl , Samuel Robinson , Chief J. Scott Thomson , Adam Beach , Ben-Alex Dupris , Tito Ybarra , Chase Iron Eyes , Mark Mesteth

1Season 1

S1.E1 ∙ The New KKK

Sat, Apr 23, 2016

WKB visits the "new" and "improved" KKK that is more concerned about its branding but still has the same hate.

2Season 1

S1.E2 ∙ Behind These Walls

Sun, May 1, 2016

WKB visits San Quentin, one of the most progressive prisons from a rehabilitation standpoint.

3Season 1

S1.E3 ∙ Latino, USA

Sun, May 8, 2016

The population of East Los Angeles is over 90 percent Latino; they are predicted to be the majority population of Americans by 2044; W. Kamau Bell speaks to many Latinos who are fighting prejudice and spreading the message of tolerance.

4Season 1

S1.E4 ∙ Protect and Serve?

Sun, May 15, 2016

Camden, New Jersey has a reputation as one of the country's most dangerous cities; W. Kamau Bell heads there to see if a newly implemented community policing program is helping the relationship between citizens and the police force.

5Season 1

S1.E5 ∙ Off the Grid

Sun, May 22, 2016

W. Kamal Bell visits people in North Carolina and Tennessee who are living completely off the grid; inside the tiny house movement; legendary Summer of Love commune, The Farm; doomsday prepper who refuses to be identified.

6Season 1

S1.E6 ∙ Is It Cool to Be Hip?

Sun, May 29, 2016

W. Kamau Bell is off to speak to the people of Portland, Oregon where the result of a massive influx of hipsters appears to be gentrification; he inquires as to how this has affected the local neighborhoods.

7Season 1

S1.E7 ∙ The Last Frontier

Sun, Jun 5, 2016

W. Kamau Bell visits the Inuit people of Barrow, Alaska, 320 miles north of the Arctic Circle, where this town, only accessible by plane, is fighting to hold on to its traditions as large companies seek to acquire their natural resources.

8Season 1

S1.E8 ∙ The Fountain of Youth

Sun, Jun 12, 2016

Comparing the youth scene in Florida to the lives of those in retirement communities.

1Season 2

S2.E1 ∙ Immigrants and Refugees

Sun, Apr 30, 2017

In just one freewheeling visit to the D.C. Metro area, Kamau enjoys an abundant cross-section of the brave spirits who come to this country from all over the world to make a better life.

2Season 2

S2.E2 ∙ Chicago Gangs

Sun, May 7, 2017

Kamau goes to the heart of Chicago gang territory to explore the truth about violence in the city.

3Season 2

S2.E3 ∙ Native Americans

Sun, May 14, 2017

Kamau heads to the Dakotas to shed light on a population over which the United States has too long cast a shadow: the indigenous people we mistakenly call Native Americans.

4Season 2

S2.E4 ∙ Muslims

Sun, May 21, 2017

Kamau is excited to meet Muslims who are excited to explain that practitioners of Islam aren't what we think they are.

5Season 2

S2.E5 ∙ Kamau Buys a Gun

Sun, Jun 4, 2017

W. Kamau Bell, liberal comedian and outspoken critic of gun laws in America, buys a .357 Magnum.

6Season 2

S2.E6 ∙ Puerto Ricans and Puerto Rico

Sun, Jun 11, 2017

Kamau unlocks some of the myths and mysteries of Puerto Ricans, with an epic journey from New York City to the captivating island itself.

7Season 2

S2.E7 ∙ Appalachian Coal Country

Sun, Jun 25, 2017

Appalachia may be one of the hardest hit areas of the country economically, but it is still a region rich with history and optimism for Kamau to mine.

8Season 2

S2.E8 ∙ It's Chinatown!

Sun, Jul 2, 2017

While nodding to what we know and love about Chinese Americans, Kamau goes well beyond fortune cookies and kung fu to follow a complex and thriving culture whose roots lie deep in Chinatown.

1Season 3

S3.E1 ∙ The Border

Sun, Apr 29, 2018

Kamau visits the people who live at the border between the U.S. and Mexico to see what their life is like.

2Season 3

S3.E2 ∙ Sikhs in America

Sun, May 6, 2018

Kamau visits the American Sikh community and tries to clear the numerous misconceptions that most Americans have about them, especially when they confuse them with Muslims.

3Season 3

S3.E3 ∙ The South Carolina Gullah

Sun, May 13, 2018

Kamau visits the Gullah (also known as Geechee), an African American community spread around the coast of South Carolina (and Georgia) that has its own traditions, language and culture similar to that of the creole-speaking communities.

4Season 3

S3.E4 ∙ Physical Disabilities

Sun, May 20, 2018

W. Kamau Bell talks to people with physical disabilities to see how they are being treated by the system.

5Season 3

S3.E5 ∙ HBCU's

Sun, Jun 3, 2018

W. Kamau Bell visits the historically black colleges and universities to see if there is still a need for them.

6Season 3

S3.E6 ∙ Sweet Home Mobile Alabama

Sun, Jun 17, 2018

W. Kamau Bell's father helps him learn more about his roots and debunk some myths about the South.

7Season 3

S3.E7 ∙ The Canadian Way

Sun, Jun 24, 2018

Kamau visits Canada to see if it's all it's cracked up to be.

8Season 3

S3.E8 ∙ Native Hawaii

Sun, Jul 1, 2018

W. Kamau Bell visits the islands of Hawaii to see how the Native Hawaiians are doing.

1Season 4

S4.E1 ∙ Megachurches

Sun, Apr 28, 2019

Kamau visits Dallas-the home of the Megachurch, to find out what is creating the new face of Christianity today, in a city where church and state are far from separate.

2Season 4

S4.E2 ∙ Not All White People

Sun, May 5, 2019

While in and around Seattle, Kamau takes a look at different forms of activism that white people are using to combat America's history of white supremacy and the rise of extreme right wing groups across the country.

3Season 4

S4.E3 ∙ Hmong Americans and the Secret War

Sun, May 12, 2019

Kamau meets members of the Hmong community brought here after the Secret War forced their expulsion from Laos and learns the multi-generational stories of loss, perseverance and hope that make up their American journey.

4Season 4

S4.E4 ∙ Reproductive Rights And Justice

Sun, May 19, 2019

Presenter W.Kamau Bell travels to Mississippi, where he meets activists, providers, and others on the front line in the struggle for reproductive rights and justice for women, in a state where these rights are repressed.

5Season 4

S4.E5 ∙ The Real DC

Sun, May 26, 2019

Kamau takes a look at Washington D.C. through the eyes of the city's residents who show him the vibrant culture of D.C. that is distinct from the Washington politics that surround it.

6Season 4

S4.E6 ∙ Out and Proud Salt Lake

Sun, Jun 2, 2019

Kamau visits Salt Lake City, Utah, to explore the growing LGBTQ+ community living in the epicenter of the Mormon religion.

7Season 4

S4.E7 ∙ #Livingwhileblack

Sun, Jun 9, 2019

Kamau explores Milwaukee, Wisconsin to understand why living while black is challenging.

8Season 4

S4.E8 ∙ Toxic America

Sun, Jun 16, 2019

Kamau visits Philadelphia and Chester, Pennsylvania to learn about the toxic man-made disasters that have polluted these communities for generations.

1Season 5

S5.E1 ∙ Where Do We Even Start With White Supremacy?

Sun, Jul 19, 2020

W. Kamau Bell heads to Pittsburgh to take a deeper look into the damaging systemic applications of White supremacy.

2Season 5

S5.E2 ∙ All-American Family Farms

Sun, Jul 26, 2020

W. Kamau Bell heads to Oklahoma to explore how politics and economic disparity are impacting families and independent farmers.

3Season 5

S5.E3 ∙ Going to Public School

Sun, Aug 2, 2020

W. Kamau Bell explores inequities in the public education system through two very different school districts near Cleveland, Ohio.

4Season 5

S5.E4 ∙ The Gig Economy

Sun, Aug 9, 2020

W. Kamau Bell speaks with Vanessa Minton, a gig worker in Austin, Texas, on what life has been like during the pandemic. Across the United States, the fastest-growing category of new jobs is gig work, spurred on by tech companies and their never-ending stream of apps; low and uncertain incomes have replaced benefits.

6Season 5

S5.E6 ∙ Venezuelans in Doral/South Florida

Sun, Aug 23, 2020

W. Kamau Bell heads to South Florida, home of the largest number of Venezuelans in the United States. He meets with newly arrived Venezuelans as well as established Venezuelan-Americans helping their community to better try to understand the complicated crisis that's forcibly displaced millions of Venezuelans from their homes, many of them now seeking asylum and refuge in Miami-Dade.

7Season 5

S5.E7 ∙ The Homeless Crisis in LA

Sun, Aug 30, 2020

Kamau spends time on the on the notorious Skid Row in Los Angeles and explores its racial, socio-economic and statistical dynamics.

8Season 5

S5.E8 ∙ Iranian-Americans in NY

Sun, Aug 30, 2020

Kamau visits New York City to talk to recent Iranian immigrants and those who came here decades ago.

1Season 6

S6.E1 ∙ Policing The Police

Sun, May 2, 2021

Exploring the perception of the warrior cop in America and two mindsets of the police forces across the country; warrior versus guardian.

2Season 6

S6.E2 ∙ Black to the Future

Sun, May 9, 2021

Kamau digs deeply into the discrimination and racism that lingers in programs like STEM; he looks at efforts to build a more inclusive workforce for the globally competitive future in technology and space.

3Season 6

S6.E3 ∙ Power of Protest

Sun, May 16, 2021

Returning to Portland to explore the dynamics of the current protests; talking with the founders of BLM as well as athletes, entertainers and regular folks who have become active in the social and justice movement.

4Season 6

S6.E4 ∙ The Wealth Gap

Sun, May 23, 2021

Kamau explores American disparity through the lens of generational wealth, digging into the forces that are actively working to keep Black families from building prosperity and the possible solutions that can fix it.

5Season 6

S6.E5 ∙ Thank You For Your Service

Sun, May 30, 2021

Kamau examines the military and how it is beset by the same destructive forces that keep the U.S. divided as a nation.

6Season 6

S6.E6 ∙ The Color Of America

Sun, Jun 6, 2021

Kamau explores the shifting ethnic makeup of the U.S. in a celebratory exploration of an increasingly robust mixed-race population and the ways in which they are changing and challenging the culture.

7Season 6

S6.E7 ∙ Trans In Texas

Sun, Jun 13, 2021

Kamau travels to Dallas, an epicenter of not only shocking statistical deadly violence against the trans community, but also of activism and resilience.

1Season 7

S7.E1 ∙ The Woke War

Sun, Jul 10, 2022

Add a plot

2Season 7

S7.E2 ∙ Black in Appalachia

Sun, Jul 17, 2022

Appalachians are generally pictured as White working class Americans. A largely unknown population of Black Americans have called it home since the time of the conquistadors and contributed to American culture in overlooked ways.

3Season 7

S7.E3 ∙ Athletes and The Cost of Winning

Sun, Jul 24, 2022

While sports can be exhilarating, they come with intensity and pressure that can compromise athletes' mental health; Kamau heads to the legendary sports town of Boston to find out how athletes are speaking up and leading change.

4Season 7

S7.E4 ∙ California Is Burning

Sun, Jul 31, 2022

Years of drought and extreme heat waves in California have seen wildfires grow in frequency, intensity and size; the crisis is fuelled by mismanagement of land, corporate greed and climate change.

5Season 7

S7.E5 ∙ Asian Americans In The Spotlight

Sun, Aug 7, 2022

A largely unknown population of Black Americans have called Appalachia home since the time of the conquistadors and contributed to American culture in overlooked ways.

6Season 7

S7.E6 ∙ The Landback Movement

Thu, Jul 14, 2022

Kamau travels to the Black Hills of South Dakota, known for millennia to Native Americans as "the heart of everything that is"; Native leaders explain the Landback Campaign and demand the United States honor its treaties and return all public lands.

7Season 7

S7.E7 ∙ Hawaii For Hawaiians

Sun, Aug 21, 2022

Encouraged by the state, mainlanders flock to Hawaii during the pandemic; native Hawaiians now beg people to stop visiting and moving to Hawaii, where the rising cost of living makes it the most expensive state in the country.