Independent Lens “Mr. SOUL!”

Airs Monday, Feb. 22 at 9 p.m.

Premiering in 1968, “SOUL!” was the first nationally broadcast all-Black variety show on public television, merging artists from the margins with post-Civil Rights Black radical thought. Ellis Haizlip developed SOUL! in 1968 as one of the first platforms to promote the vibrancy of the Black Arts Movement. Its impact continues to this day.

“Mr. SOUL!” delves into this critical moment in television history, as well as the man who guided it, highlighting a turning point in representation whose impact continues to resonate.