Honestly, if you haven’t been paying attention to Michaela Coel lately, you’re basically missing out on the person rewriting the rules of modern television. Most people first saw her as the girl with the neon-pink wig in Chewing Gum, but she's since become a literal history-maker.
She's an auteur. It’s a word we usually throw at old guys like Scorsese, but Coel fits the bill. She writes, directs, produces, and stars in her own projects, often turning her most painful life experiences into something that’s both hilarious and incredibly hard to watch. From the streets of Tower Hamlets to the high-stakes world of international war crimes and the Marvel Cinematic Universe, her range is kind of ridiculous.
The Big Ones: I May Destroy You and Chewing Gum
If we’re talking about Michaela Coel movies and shows, everything starts with Chewing Gum. It was her breakout. Based on her play Chewing Gum Dreams, the E4 series introduced us to Tracey Gordon, a 24-year-old shop assistant who is religious, virginial, and desperately obsessed with Beyoncé. It won her a BAFTA for Best Female Comedy Performance in 2016. But it wasn't just a sitcom. It was a weird, vibrant, and gross-out funny look at growing up in a London council estate.
Then came 2020. I May Destroy You wasn't just a show; it was a cultural reset.
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Coel famously turned down a $1 million offer from Netflix because they wouldn't give her a percentage of the copyright. Think about that. She said no to a million dollars to maintain her ownership. She eventually took the project to the BBC and HBO, and it resulted in a masterpiece. The show is a fictionalized account of Coel’s own experience with sexual assault. She plays Arabella, a writer who has to piece her life back together after being drugged and raped.
It’s heavy. It’s also surprisingly funny at times. Most importantly, it made Coel the first Black woman to win the Emmy for Outstanding Writing for a Limited Series. She didn't just write a script; she wrote a new way to talk about consent and trauma.
The Roles You Forgot She Was In
Before she was a household name, Coel was putting in the work in some pretty unexpected places. You’ve probably seen her face without even realizing it.
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- Black Mirror: She’s actually in two different episodes. She played an airport agent in "Nosedive" (the one with Bryce Dallas Howard) and then returned as Shania in the Star Trek-inspired "USS Callister."
- Star Wars: The Last Jedi: Seriously. It’s a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cameo as a Resistance Monitor. She basically says one line, but hey, it’s Star Wars.
- Black Panther: Wakanda Forever: She joined the MCU as Aneka, a member of the Dora Milaje. Coel specifically took the role because the character is queer in the comics, and she wanted to represent that for people in Ghana, her parents' homeland, where LGBTQ+ rights are heavily suppressed.
- Mr. & Mrs. Smith: She popped up in the 2024 Prime Video series as Bev. She’s so good in it that she actually bagged an Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series.
What’s Coming in 2026 and Beyond
Right now, it’s January 2026, and the hype for Coel is reaching a fever pitch again. If you’re looking for what’s next on the list of Michaela Coel movies and shows, you need to mark April 24, 2026, on your calendar. That’s when Mother Mary is hitting theaters.
It’s an A24 film directed by David Lowery. Coel stars alongside Anne Hathaway. The plot? It’s a "pop melodrama" about the relationship between a massive pop star (Hathaway) and a fashion designer (Coel). It’s got original songs by Jack Antonoff and Charli XCX. Basically, it’s a recipe for an internet meltdown.
Then there’s her new BBC series, First Day on Earth.
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This one feels personal. Coel plays Henri, a novelist who travels to Ghana to work on a film and reconnect with her estranged father. She’s described it as an "intimate" project. Given how she handled London in Chewing Gum, seeing her lens on Ghana is going to be something special.
The Michaela Coel Watchlist (Ranked by "Vibe")
- I May Destroy You (HBO/BBC): If you want to feel everything at once. It’s the definitive Coel work.
- Chewing Gum (Netflix/Channel 4): If you want to laugh until you’re uncomfortable. It’s raw and brilliant.
- Black Earth Rising (Netflix/BBC): If you want a dense, political thriller. She plays a legal investigator looking into war crimes. It’s a much more serious, grounded performance.
- Been So Long (Netflix): If you want a musical. Yes, she can sing too. It’s a neon-soaked romance set in Camden.
Why She’s Different
The thing about Coel is that she doesn't wait for permission. She started as a poet, went to drama school, and then just started writing the stories she wasn't seeing on screen. She explores the "misfit" identity—something she actually wrote a book about (called Misfits: A Personal Manifesto).
She doesn't do "safe" TV. Even her smaller roles have this weird, magnetic energy. Whether she’s a blue-haired warrior in Wakanda or a struggling writer in London, she’s always 100% there.
Next Steps for You:
If you haven't seen I May Destroy You, start there. It’s only 12 episodes. After that, go back to Chewing Gum to see where the genius started. If you're all caught up, keep an eye out for the Mother Mary trailer—it's likely to be the biggest movie of the spring.