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Sep 16, 2021 · The Atlantic staff writer Hannah Giorgis grew up in the ’90s, watching dozens of Black characters on TV. Living Single, Sister, Sister, Moesha, and Smart Guy were just a few of the shows led by ...
- Living Single
- The Corner
- Martin
- The Jeffersons
- The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
- Good Times
- The Arsenio Hall Show
- In Living Color
- The Cosby Show
- A Different World
In terms of stand out shows, Living Singlewas in heavy competition. However, the reason it makes this list is due to the weight it held and still holds for the African-American culture. How many shows were out then, or has come out since, spearheaded by four strong leading ladies? Think of Friends but with an all-black cast. That is Living Single. ...
Before The Wire and Power, HBO hit us with The Corner. For the younger generation, The Corner hit too close to home.The Wire gave viewers an inside look at the drug game pretty much from a hustles point if view. The Cornerwas able to show the downside of a community affected by drugs. The stories of crack destroying the black community have been to...
Compared to The Cosby Show and The Jeffersons, Martin was a step behind. In terms of cultural relevance, Martinprovided the culture with around-the-way humor. The Cosby family lived in a neighborhood where most blacks couldn't afford to reside. But Martin Payne, he was our neighbor. His interactions with his girlfriend and friends were a mirror ima...
What made The Jeffersonsso special was that it was a spinoff from possibly one of the most one-sided shows on TV history. As a neighbor of the Bunkers, Archie made some believe that blacks had no place amongst the elite, even if many of Bunker's comments were meant to be viewed critically. With his chain of laundromats, George was able to take his ...
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air was nothing special. However, it did establish one of the hottest actors of all time. Without The Fresh Prince, would anyone outside of bubble gum rap know Will Smith? The plot was nothing out of the ordinary. An inner city kid moving to Bel-Air to stay with his rich family didn't have the making of a hit. In terms of st...
Talk about a show that struck a chord with the black community. Good Timeswill never be duplicated. The raw energy it displayed of a family on hard times, who stayed on hard times in one of the worse housing projects in the US, should not have offered as many laughs as it did. Somehow, it works and still holds up as one of the best black shows in T...
Not to take anything away from The Oprah Winfrey Show, but she did not hit as hard for the black community as Arsenio Hall did. Oprah came into the entertainment world as a news anchor and her path was not of the unknown. While her success was a bit surprising, The Arsenio Hall Showgave the black culture its real late night voice. Hall would invite...
In Living Color is right up there with Saturday Night Live in terms of stage comedy. The Wayans brothers provided outlandish skits that set the stage for shows like the Dave Chappelle Show. Along with the crazy skits, In Living Color's popularity rested on its unknown factor. Think back, did anyone see the Wayans brothers making such a huge splash ...
The Cosby Show took The Jeffersonsto a whole other level. Instead of one parent having financial freedom, there are two and both are successful. One is a doctor and the other a lawyer. Crucially, much of the sitcom focuses on parenting. Just like Good Times, the parents in The Cosby Show dealt with their kids in a way many could relate. There were ...
Iconic may not even be the best word to describe this show. Without A Different World, I may not be writing this article. Before then, an HBCU was not on any of our radars. We may have heard about certain colleges from uncles and grandparents. The spinoff to The Cosby Showreally changed the black culture as far as higher education went. Back then, ...
Feb 8, 2023 · After the groundbreaking sitcom Julia ended, there was a lack of dialogue on racial issues and the lives of most Black Americans were not accurately portrayed on television. This allowed sitcoms years later to explore heavier and more important social issues, such as racial differences, racism, and an accurate portrayal of the Black experience.
Jan 15, 2024 · From Roots to the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air to Abbott Elementary. Bethonie Butler’s new book "Black TV" shows how TV series centered on Black characters have evolved over the past 50 years.
Jan 15, 2024 · Bethonie Butler’s new book “Black TV” showcases the 50-year evolution of television series centered on Black characters. From The Jeffersons, to the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air to Abbott Elementary. Today, Butler says the evolution of Black TV continues. Not just with actors, but who’s creating new series. “We’re sort of in a golden era ...
Sep 11, 2020 · Living Single is a classic, there’s no doubt about that. The Queen Latifah-starring sitcom is typically central to discussions about influential Black sitcoms and how it shaped the 1990s. Now ...
Oct 13, 2016 · The last time people were saying there was a “golden age of black television” there was unrest over the civil rights of African-Americans, protests and calls for more diversity.
