11 good Netflix teen shows with Black leads: All American and more

Teen shows with Black leads: Kipo & the Age of Wonderbeasts

Rating TV-7

Adapted from the 2015 webcomic Kipo by creator Radford Sechrist, Kipo & the Age of the Wonderbeasts is a young adult post-apocalyptic sci-fantasy comedy-drama produced by DreamWorks Animation Television.

The series follows 13-year-old Kipo Oak, who is in search of her father Lio (Sterling K. Brown) after she’s forced to flee their underground community thanks to a mega monkey.

Now Kipo must traverse a world ruled by mutated animals to find him and the burrow her community evacuated to after the attack. Thankfully, however, she’s not alone. Along with her best friend Wolf (Sydney Mikayla), Benson Mekler (Coy Stewart), a mutant insect named Dave (Deon Cole), and a mutant pig named Mandu (Dee Bradley Baker), Kipo won’t stop until she finds her way to the home and father that’s waiting for her.

As she makes her way, Kipo discovers there are things her father and her deceased mother Song (Jee Young Han) never told her about herself, their family and the work they used to do with Dr. Emilia, a scientist determined to return humanity to their dominant position on the Earth and wipe mutes from existence.

Kipo & the Age of the Wonderbeasts is a largely positive show that tackles issues of prejudice and bias whilst challenging stereotypes. Cartoon violence involving weapons and occasional character death are featured in the series.

All three seasons of Kipo & the Age of the Wonderbeasts are available to stream.