The Black Family Portrayed On TV
'227'
Seasons: Five
Notable Cast Members: Marla Gibbs, Alaina Reed Hall, Jackée Harry, Helen Martin, Hal Williams, Regina King, Curtis Baldwin, Kia Goodwin, Reynaldo Rey, Countess Vaughn
Storyline: Taking place in a Washington D.C. apartment building, numbered 227, the show's characters would be found sitting outside on a large set of stone stairs (aka the stoop), in which a discussion would lead into the weekly plot line.
Sidenote: Former 'Moesha' and 'Celebrity Fit Club' star Countess Vaughn received her big break in Hollywood by simply asking. Vaughn mentioned her dream of appearing on '227' following her 1988 appearance on the talent show series 'Star Search.'
The Black Family Portrayed On TV
'My Wife & Kids'
Seasons: Five
Notable Cast Members: Damon Wayans, Jennifer Freeman, Tisha Campbell-Martin, George O. Gore II
Storyline: Damon Wayans portrays Michael Kyle, a loving husband who maintains his household by teaching his family some valuable wisdom and knowledge, and learning some himself.
Sidenote: The show's co-creator, Damon Wayans, may have regretted the original storyline of Claire Kyle following the loss of cast member Jazz Raycole. Raycole's mother disapproved of the actress' storyline for season two, which led to her being pulled from the show.
The Black Family Portrayed On TV
'Good Times'
Seasons: Six
Notable Cast Members: John Amos, Esther Rolle, Jimmie Walker, Bern Nadette Stanis, Ralph Carter, Ja'net DuBois, Janet Jackson
Storyline: The quintessential sitcom depicting the trials and tribulations of a poor, black living family in the Chicago projects.
Sidenote: Produced by Norman Lear, 'Good Times' was a spin-off of 'Maude,' which was also a spin-off of 'All in the Family.' Ironically, Florida Evans (Esther Rolle) was a maid for Maude Findaley (Bea Arthur of 'Maude'), who was the cousin of Edith Bunker on 'All in the Family.' George and Louise Jefferson (of 'The Jeffersons') was neighbor of The Bunkers, before moving on up to the east side.
The Black Family Portrayed On TV
The Cosby Show
Seasons: Eight
Notable Cast Members: Bill Cosby, Phylicia Rashad, Malcolm-Jamal Warner, Keshia Knight Pulliam, Tempestt Bledsoe, Lisa Bonet, Raven-Symoné
Storyline: Popular comedy television series based on a happily married couple raising their children in Brooklyn, New York.
Sidenote: Throughout the course of eight seasons The Huxtable family helped set the stage for black families on prime time television. Bill Cosby's character, Cliff Huxtable was such a role model that he topped TV Guide's 2004 list of "50 Greatest TV Dads of All Time."
The Black Family Portrayed On TV
'Family Matters'
Seasons: Nine
Notable Cast Members: Reginald Vel Johnson, Darius McCrary, Kellie Shanygne Williams, JoMarie Payton, Jaleel White, Telma Hopkins
Storyline: Based on middle-class suburban Chicago black family, the Winslows.
Sidenote: Spinning off it's sister show 'Perfect Strangers,' the hit sitcom spawned off one of the most popular characters in sitcom history, Steve Urkel. America's favorite nerd was so popular that he established a merchandising empire, which included a talking doll, trading cards, posters, books, lunchboxes and a limited edition cereal.
The Black Family Portrayed On TV
'Lincoln Heights'
Seasons: Three
Notable Cast Members: Russell Hornsby, Nicki Micheaux, Erica Hubbard, Rhyon Nicole Brown, Mishon Ratliff, Michael Reilly Burke, Robert Adamson, William Stanford Davis
Storyline: A drama revolving around the life of LAPD officer Eddie Sutton, who is in pursuit of a better life for his family. Ironically, Sutton moves his family into his old neighborhood which is known for its violence.
Sidenote: In 2008 the series was nominated for four NAACP Image Awards including Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series, Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series, Outstanding Drama Series, and Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series.
The Black Family Portrayed On TV
'Soul Food'
Seasons: Five
Notable Cast Members: Nicole Ari Parker, Vanessa A. Williams, Malinda Williams, Rockmond Dunbar, Darrin Dewitt Henson, Aaron Meeks, Boris Kodjoe
Storyline: The critically-acclaimed series follows the triumphs, struggles and rivalries of a tight-knit family residing in Chicago.
Sidenote: Based on the 1997 flick produced by Kenneth 'Babyface' Edmonds and Tracey Edmonds, 'Soul Food: The Series' premiered on Showtime in June of 2000. Following in the vein of the original storyline, the series picked up five months later from the film's storyline.
The Black Family Portrayed On TV
'Everybody Hates Chris'
Seasons: Four
Notable Cast Members: Tyler James Williams, Terry Crews, Tichina Arnold, Tequan Richmond, Imani Hakim, Vincent Martella
Storyline: Emmy Award-winning funnyman Chris Rock narrates viewers through a the life a 13-year-old teenager growing up in Brooklyn, New York -- loosely based on his Bedford Stuyvesant upbringing.
Sidenote: Chris Rock's involvement with the show and a massive marketing campaign helped push the series to being the highest rating for a comedy premiere on UPN. After some scheduling shuffling, the popular series now airs on The CW network on Fridays.
The Black Family Portrayed On TV
The Jeffersons
Seasons: 11
Notable Cast Members: Sherman Hemsley, Isabel Sanford, Marla Gibbs, Roxie Roker, Franklin Cover, Paul Benedict
Storyline: Entrepreneur George Jefferson hits the ticket with his successful dry-cleaning business, which leads him to move into a ritzy New York City high-rise.
Sidenote: America can thank fellow 'Good Times' actress Ja'Net DuBois for helping George Jefferson's family move up to the east side. The Emmy Award-winner co-wrote and sang the show's opening and closing theme song 'Movin' On Up.'
The Black Family Portrayed On TV
'What's Happening!!'
Seasons: Three
Notable Cast Members: Ernest Lee Thomas, Haywood Nelson, Fred Berry, Danielle Spencer, Mabel King, Shirley Hemphill, David Hollander, John Welsh, Earl Billings, Leland Smith
Storyline: Loosely based on the motion picture 'Cooley High' a trio of friends go through the trials and tribulations of young adulthood.
Sidenote: Fred Berry's character Rerun almost didn't turn out as we may remember him today. Originally the role was reportedly written to fit the description of a skinny white kid.
The Black Family Portrayed On TV
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Comments: (27)
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By: ADMR on 5/04/2011 1:25PM
GoOD News: Thank GoODness 4 A DIFFERENT WORLD & The Cosby Show - Respectively - Mr(C)osby Said Get The F*** Out Of His Face.
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By: GG on 5/04/2011 2:11PM
I LUV Grey's Anatomy but I have a bone to pick with Shonda. If she adds one more almost white looking so called "black" character (or blonde white girl) but not someone to take Isiah's (Dr. Burke) place I will scream!!! I'm glad Loretta was added to storyline. I noticed Isiah's name keeps being mentioned. Maybe he will do a cameo.... I still think the Chief's speech when the man shot up the hospital was Emmy worthy. Oh I applaud Shonda for keeping the show good and not allowing pop culture to ruin it like most shows when they become successful. The Frey is one of my favorite groups. The music is excellent on this show.
Most of the black shows are so bad (too much pop culture name dropping) I prefer reruns of Cosby, Different World etc. Martin Lawrence's show Love That Girl on TV One is funny. Terry Crews is actually getting better now he's acting more natural in his role in Are We There Yet?
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By: OOOZZZZZ on 5/04/2011 2:57PM
Quote from article: "In the 90s, all-Black casts, predominantly-Black ensembles, and casts with Black main characters were everywhere on network TV's primetime dramas and comedies: Good Times, The Jeffersons, The Cosby Show, A Different World, Martin, Eve, Living Single, Everybody Hates Chris, Girlfriends. And though I'd like to forget Malcolm and Eddie and Homeboys in Outer Space, they represented too."
The problem with the above listing is that all these Black shows that graced TV in the 90's were all Black comedy sitcoms and not one dramatic series that carried a completely Black cast.
Black Hollywood and fans continue to be victimized and mentally stuck in the rut of the comedy genre and can't see themselves in dramatic roles as lead characters and when a TV dramatic show is made and shown on TV as a series (City of Angels, year 2000 with Blair Underwood as the lead character playing a medical surgeon and "Undercovers", year 2010 with Boris Kodjoe playing a CIA spy) then Blacks won't suppport it by watching it, the ratings after the first few weeks are horrible and the show gets cancelled off the air after the first several episodes never to return.
And whose to blame? The Black TV viewer who can't see Blacks on TV no other way than to be funny and what Blaxks fail to realize that if you don't support the dramatic show up front and suppot it, no other race of people will watch it to keep it alive on TV.
So to ask the question....Blacks on T.V. Is it Getting Better or Worse?....it's worse because Blacks continue to shoot themselves in the foot with little or no variety in different genres (the same goes for Black Hollywood movies) and all Blacks want are to be entertained by someone making them laugh and as long as this continues, Blacks will continue to be slowly type casted and relegated to the back seat roles of the speck of pepper in all that salt co-star buddies or sidekicks.
"Make me laugh"....That's all that metters and nothing else.
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By: pimpinperry2 on 5/04/2011 4:24PM
Your observations on black TV shows is very accurate. It seems like if a show offers an intelligent script most blacks won't support it. Yet these stupids ass sitcoms like the Meet the Browns etc get the viewings. One TV show I do find half way decent is "The Game" but that was taken off and then brought back by BET. Still struggling however.
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By: Tom on 5/05/2011 4:28AM
Well, that's the perception (rightly so) of blacks, they are simpleton clowns, good for laughs but not to be taken seriously (other than to be feared as criminals).
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By: Tom on 5/04/2011 5:18PM
With regard to movies, filmmakers skillfully manipulate character and dialogue, conflict and
action, in ways that allow them to cast positive and negative images; in so doing, filmmakers profoundly shape the perceptions their
audiences hold of different racial groups which they, the audience, rarely encounter in real life.
It is through this constant and careful manipulation of Black characters in popular films that has manufactured a positive representation for all Black people. Black Fictional Images (BFI) from the character of Captain Stephen Hiller played by Will Smith in Independence Day to Miles Dyson played by Joe Morton in Terminator 2:
Judgment Day, from the character of Azeem played by Morgan Freeman in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves and God in Bruce Almighty to Terence Mann as played by James Earl Jones in Field of Dreams, these and numerous other actors and films have done more to burnish the image of Black people in America than all the Civil Rights activists combined. Indeed, the manipulation of characters like these and numerous others over the years have gone far toward manufacturing perceptions of Black
people that reality just cannot replicate.
Now even Thor, a movie based upon Nordic gods and mythology, has cast Black actor Idris Elba as a Northern European deity. Often characters such as these — dubbed by one writer as the “Numinous Negro” — provide moral clarity and guidance, helping the feckless white protagonist to overcome some obstacle or achieve some quest, and thus
the positive image of the Black person is manufactured. A transference occurs, then, from this “Numinous Negro” that is rarely seen in a
negative light into the positive image of Black Americans today that is out of kilter with reality.
Hollyweird may have conditioned whites, at least the ones that don't live in proximity to real actual black people, to believe that blacks
are these nice, polite, peaceful,law abiding, intelligent, super heroes, but the video clips from Youtube, and other internet cites, portray a wild vicious segment of the US population straight out of hell, blacks. These videos of out of control blacks committing horrendous crimes in full view of huge crowds of eyewitnesses is
undoing all that Hollyweird has been able to do in conditioning whites to believe that blacks are just the same as whites and that we can all
just "git along" with each other. Thank goodness for, in some cases free, video phones, cameras, and surveillance videos. It's all undoing
Hollyweird's mega money projects shown on TV and at movies.
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By: OOOZZZZZ on 5/05/2011 9:32AM
Tom I agree with your comments and analysis regarding the "Black Fictional Images (BFI) with regard to in your words, movies and filmmakers who skillfully manipulate character and dialogue, conflict and action, in ways that allow them to cast positive and negative images; in so doing, filmmakers profoundly shape the perceptions their audiences hold of different racial groups which they, the audience, rarely encounter in real life."
And with that being said, the underlying issue that never comes to light that also bothers me is that when the manipulation of those black fictional images especially on TV in regards to African America actors who play positive or negative roles as co-stars buddies and side-kicks on dramatic/action shows rarely show the Black lifestyle in those roles.
You always see the Black co-star as the positive influence to his White leading star or co-star'ws life: the advisor, the healer, the counselor, the "friend of the White family" the comic relief, "the shoulder to lean on", the helper, etc but you never see that Black actor or actresses with a Black family and how they live, love and function day-to-day as opposed to their White counterparts.
No matter how prominent in status of that Blafk actor as a co-star on that dramatic TV show (detective, lawyer, police chief, doctor, manager, etc) you rarely see that well rounded aspect of that Black character whether that image is positie or negative.
They don't have a family life as a part of their roles; a wife, husband and/or children, no girlfriend/boyfriend...Only that position or job as that positive or negative image on that show and when they do extend that life of that Black character, that "extension" is either a White man or woman as a friend, lover or family image.
It's the same as the news they manulipate.
Someone asked a CNN executive why don'tanyof their Black anchors have their own news shows dedicated to them ny name like Wolf Blitzer "The Situation Room" or Anderson Cooper's 360" and why do Black news anchors only deliver the news during the weekdays in the morning until noon snd also not at night in primetime and on Saturdays.......That executive's response was that "The majority of their viewing audience is White and White people don't want their news deliveredand being told to them by Black people".
The same can be said about Black actors on TV in dramatic/action series....The are relegated to making isolated appearances without a life outside of that isolation.
But in regards to Black comedy, it's family all the time and everything else that goes with it in order to get a laugh.
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By: romyscuggs on 5/04/2011 5:26PM
Lets be honest there are some good black tv shows and there are some shows that are ridiculous. It depends on what you like. If you like a good show with good black actors or actresses you can find one. If you want to watch a black actor or actress act a damn fool you can find that too. Yes I am black.
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By: Tom on 5/04/2011 5:56PM
"Nielsen recently reported that African-Americans have the highest TV-watching rate in comparison to other ethnicities. That average is 7 hours 12 minutes each day-above the national average of 5 hours 11 minutes. "
Correct, just as blacks have the highest rate of obesity of any ethnicity in the US.
So much to be proud of. Why not publicize these facts during Black History Month?
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By: Gichaya on 5/09/2011 1:41AM
Tom you need to stop blowing smoke up our collective azzez and just come out and say how you really feel about black people
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