Black Love
Black Love highlights love stories from the black community and seek to answer the burning question, What is the secret to making a marriage work? Husband-and-wife filmmakers Codie and Tommy Oliver present real, honest, emotional and sometimes cringe-worthy love stories from some of the most successful people in business and entertainment as well as everyday couples.
Episode Guide
Season 1
- Episode 1: Where Does Love Begin
Aired: Aug 29, 2017Newlywed filmmakers Codie and Tommy Oliver interview married couples to explore what makes a marriage work. More than a dozen couples (including Viola Davis & Julius Tennon) describe how they went from being strangers to beloved life partners.
- Episode 2: Tripping Over Hurdles
Aired: Sep 2, 2017Couples share stories that open viewers' eyes to the reality of sharing a life with someone and the early hurdles that could have ended their relationships; couples detail how they worked together to overcome trying situations.
- Episode 3: Falling Down
Aired: Sep 9, 2017Seven couples share the darkest times in their relationships; from one tragic event that changed everything, to working together through years of turmoil, they discuss how they managed to stay together.
- Episode 4: Getting to Forever
Aired: Sep 16, 2017Viola Davis says many people pass up the long haul and choose the young and vibrant things over the natural changes that come with time; couples offer advice for people at the beginning of their journey to lifelong love.
Season 2
- Episode 1: How Love Begins
Aired: May 12, 2018Couples recount the twists and turns that started their relationships, proving that meeting your soulmate is rarely a fairytale.
- Episode 2: Getting Down the Aisle
Aired: May 19, 2018How do you know for sure that your significant other is "the one?" Couples discuss their personal journeys to committing to one another for life.
- Episode 3: Accountability
Aired: May 26, 2018Infidelity can forever change a marriage. The aftermath is different for every couple. "Black Love" couples discuss the circumstances that led to cheating, and how their marriages endured and ultimately prevailed.
- Episode 4: Life After Baby
Aired: Jun 2, 2018Having children adds new, unforeseen dimensions to a marriage. "Black Love" couples discuss the many ways in which kids have affected, changed and deepened their marriage bonds.
- Episode 5: Second Time Around
Aired: Oct 2, 2018Can you find love again after a divorce? "Black Love" couples share the unexpected, hard-earned and sometimes decades-long journey back to the altar.
- Episode 6: Picking Your Battles
Aired: Oct 6, 2018"Black Love" couples share how they've learned to pick their battles and manage their emotions when they've reached the breaking point.
- Episode 7: In Sickness and In Health
Aired: Oct 13, 2018Couples share how they persevered through unexpected and sometimes life-threatening illness, proving that love has the power to conquer the most insurmountable odds.
- Episode 8: Love That Lasts
Aired: Oct 20, 2018Every married couple goes to different measures to keep their union happy and healthy. In the second season finale, "Black Love" couples share the unique ways they've learned to stay together, even when leaving feels like the easier way out.
Season 3
- Episode 1: In the Beginning
Aired: Aug 10, 2019Whether it's a forbidden workplace romance or a long-distance relationship conducted on the phone, couples share the stories that marked the beginnings of their lifelong loves.
- Episode 2: Long and Windy Roads
Aired: Aug 17, 2019As they attend workshops on provocative love-related themes, the women receive guidance from certified dating coach Damona Hoffman and psychotherapist Jack A. Daniels, who also comment about what the women are doing right — and wrong — as they navigate the dating scene.
- Episode 3: Emerging from Darkness
Aired: Aug 25, 2019Couples share the experiences that tested their marriages, including drug abuse, a pornography addiction, depression from a miscarriage, and more.
- Episode 4: Mountains & Molehills
Aired: Aug 31, 2019Couples explain how they manage when personalities and pet peeves get in the way; they share the importance of working hard at one's marriage, sticking to the issue at hand when fighting and leaving gas in the car.
- Episode 5: Married While Parenting
Aired: Nov 8, 2019Couples discuss how children change marriage. From traditional to blended families, they share stories about the challenges of making each other a priority while raising a family.
- Episode 6: Beneath the Surface
Aired: Nov 15, 2019"Black Love" couples discuss how they came to really know their spouse through their past traumas and how they used these moments to strengthen their marriages. Featuring Tommicus Walker & LeToya Luckett-Walker, Salli & Dondre Whitfield and more.
- Episode 7: Money, Power, Respect
Aired: Nov 22, 2019Couples discuss the intersection of work and love lives, and roles at home. They admit that knowing when to turn off the business brain and transition to home life is a constant battle. Features Kenny & Jessica Burns, Kandi Burruss & Todd Tucker and more.
- Episode 8: Forever and Always
Aired: Nov 29, 2019Couples share the lessons that have helped them through their marriages, even in the moments when they don't agree or don't even like each other. Featuring Rebecca & Terry Crews, LeToya Luckett-Walker & Tommicus Walker, David & Julie Arnold and more.
Season 4
- Episode 1: How Love Starts
Aired: Sep 5, 2020Love stories from the black community explore the secrets behind successful marriages.
- Episode 2: Newlyweds
Aired: Sep 5, 2020Newlywed couples talk about what changes the day after people say "I do," and the good and bad experiences that have taught them what long-term commitment really looks like.
- Episode 3: Mental Illness
Aired: Sep 12, 2020Whether sprouting from a resurfaced childhood trauma or a rare physical illness, an onset of mental health issues can happen suddenly. Couples share how they deal with these uncharted territories in their marriages.
- Episode 4: Finding a Rhythm
Aired: Oct 3, 2020Whether it's the desire for tradition or the hopes of a fairy tale, expectation doesn't always meet reality in marriage; couples talk through their experiences with compromise and communication as they journey toward ultimate acceptance.
- Episode 5: Stand By Me
Aired: Oct 10, 2020A couple shares how suddenly losing their child taught them a deeper love.
- Episode 6: In This Together, Part 1
Aired: Oct 17, 2020In Part 1 of this Black Love special event, couples whose families and lives were directly affected by the COVID-19 global health crisis share their stories.
- Episode 7: In This Together, Part 2
Aired: Oct 17, 2020The vow "in sickness or health" becomes reality as couples continue facing COVID-19 and its effects. They share the lessons they've learned in Part 2 of this "Black Love" special event.
- Episode 8: Making It Last
Aired: Oct 24, 2020The couples talk about the keys to making intimacy last in a marriage.
Season 5
- Episode 1: How Love Begins
Aired: May 14, 2021Love appears at the most unexpected times. For these Black Love couples, each beginning is different and special in its own way. And even if it's unexpected, it is always right on time.
- Episode 2: When Two Become One: Finances
Aired: May 21, 2021"Black Love" couples recall moments in their relationships where they faced financial hardships; finances in a marriage can easily drive couples apart, but these spouses managed to work through their money problems.
- Episode 3: First Comes Love, Then Comes...
Aired: May 28, 2021Relationships between couples always change when kids are added into the mix; the couples talk about their challenges when it comes to expanding their families.
- Episode 4: Faith and Fear
Aired: Jun 4, 2021When faced with fear and uncertainty during their relationship, these couples found a way to hold onto their faith and each other.
- Episode 5: Give and Take
Aired: Jun 11, 2021Filmmakers Codie and Tommy Oliver interview married couples, who talk about how their relationships began, the road to the altar, life after children, and all of the challenges they face while striving to make their marriages stronger than ever.
- Episode 6: Creating a Foundation
Aired: Jun 18, 2021These partners reveal what it takes to create a lasting foundation for love and marriage. Patience, friendship and God are at the top of their lists.
Season 6
- Episode 1: There Isn't One Way, Part 1
Aired: Jul 23, 2022A diverse set of couples detail the early days of their relationship and how they knew the other was the one. From meeting and marrying in under a year, break ups to make ups, dating a coworker, and a pre-prison proposal, these couples highlight their beginnings and the hurdles they faced on the path to their "I do."
- Episode 2: There Isn't One Way, Part 2
Aired: Jul 30, 2022Couples return to explain how they got through their personal barriers to commitment and what they learned about marriage early on.
- Episode 3: Your Past Does Not Define You
Aired: Aug 6, 2022Couples share the ways in which their past traumas, patterns and insecurities jeopardized their current marriage and what it took for them -- and their partners -- to break cycles and show up authentically.
- Episode 4: Getting Through It All
Aired: Aug 13, 2022Partnership can come with unexpected hardship. Couples discuss getting through their intense grief, health scares and dark moments together while finding light along the journey.
- Episode 5: Healed People Heal People
Aired: Aug 20, 2022Parenting has inspired these Black Love couples to begin vulnerably exploring the parts of themselves that need growth, healing and compromise.
- Episode 6: Relationship Goals
Aired: Aug 27, 2022Couples share the reality behind the term "relationship goals" and reveal that the true goal is knowing that tough times will come and go, no matter who you are and what your relationship looks like from the outside.