Issa Rae, of “Insecure” fame, is an executive producer of (and a major figure in) a new two-part documentary, “Seen & Heard: The History of Black Television,” premiering this week on HBO and streaming on HBO Max. Presented as a film by Giselle Bailey, with a directed by credit shared with Phil Bertelsen, it’s not a comprehensive accounting — any viewer who has watched much TV over the medium’s decades might have an opinion on what’s missing. But what’s here is always interesting, elegantly produced, sometimes exciting, often moving. Young viewers, whose historical and cultural interests might extend no further than their own births, may have their eyes opened, but even we who remember a time before “Julia” may learn a thing or two.

The first episode, “Seen,” begins with Tracee Ellis Ross

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