“Hair Love” Is Bringing Its Celebration of Natural Hair To An HBO Max Spinoff

The story of Hair Love is set to continue. After securing an Oscar win for Best Short Film at the 2019 awards, Hair Love will return in the form of a television spinoff on HBO Max. News of development is a significant step forward for diversity in animation, as its Oscar win marked the first time a Black woman secured an Oscar in any animation category, and only the second time a Black man was awarded an animation Oscar.

Twelve episodes of the Hair Love television series, titled Young Love, will be coming to the HBO Max streaming platform, the Hollywood Reporter confirmed. The film's original creator and writer, Matthew Cherry, will return for the television spinoff, working alongside show-runner Carl Jones and writer Dayna Lynne North.

In a statement, Cherry confirmed that the show would again center on the family originally depicted in the Hair Love short film. The film, produced in conjunction with Dove, had focused on the adorable story of a father learning how to do his daughter's hair for the first time. The subject matter had earned the support of social media, as the tale was intended to normalize discussions surrounding Black hair.

"I am beyond excited to continue telling the story of Stephen, Angela and Zuri and further explore the dynamics of a young Black millennial family we established in our short film Hair Love as an animated series," said Cherry in a press release. According to IndieWire, the show will further center on the dynamics of the animated family, exploring themes of social issues, multi-generational families, parenthood, marriage, and careers.

There's no word on an official premiere date for the spinoff, but in the meantime, you can catch up with the film that started it all.