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So, uh, what happened to all of the Black sitcoms after the 90s?

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B

Bleepey

Member
Walpurgis said:
TV has definitely whitened over the years. I can't imagine The Proud Family airing today. It would be seen as a black show instead of the kid's show that people saw before.

I still can't forget how they randomly switched the actress of the daughter and acted like nothing happened.
Click to expand...

They made a joke about it and they passed it off as Claire doing something with her hair, sort of how they made Little Nicky 4 years older in a new Simpson in Freah Prince. I find it interesting how many black sitcoms made their way to the UK. Also I find it weird how much TV I watched. I recall watching:

Hanging with Mr Cooper (Vanessa was the sexiest woman alive)
Fresh Prince
the Parkers
One on one
My wife and kids
Steve Harvey show
Malcolm and Eddie
Cosby Show
Different world was before my time
Moesha
my cousin Skeeter
Keenan and Kel
I think there was a Jamie Foxx show
 
D

Dabanton

Member
'Ratchetness' happened. It's telling that a lot of those black sitcoms showed black people who lived well, usually in nice areas and who had morals and a sense of fair play.

Then TV companies realised you could have stuff like Basketball Wives and Love & Hip Hop and make even more paper.

And we get to see black people act the fool on TV.
 
U

UnemployedVillain

Member
Walpurgis said:
TV has definitely whitened over the years. I can't imagine The Proud Family airing today. It would be seen as a black show instead of the kid's show that people saw before.

I still can't forget how they randomly switched the actress of the daughter and acted like nothing happened.
Click to expand...

The ol' Aunt Viv switcheroo
 
O

Ovid

Member
Tron#1 said:
Not sure if you guys know about it but there was a show late 80's called 227... by FAR my favorite black sitcoms of all time. It is so underrated
Click to expand...
Yeah, 227 was good. Prior to syndication, it used to come on NBC. So did Amen.
 
A

akira28

Member
Instro said:
UPN got shut down.
Click to expand...

yeah UPN was considered a "black channel" when I thought it was just Paramounts channel that happened to have a lot of shows starring black people.

then the whole UPN/WB thing happened and with it came a complete demographics shift. (viacom imploding and becoming the thing that it and we all hate)
 
C

Cipherr

Member
Dabanton said:
'Ratchetness' happened. It's telling that a lot of those black sitcoms showed black people who lived well, usually in nice areas and who had morals and a sense of fair play.

Then TV companies realised you could have stuff like Basketball Wives and Love & Hip Hop and make even more paper.

And we get to see black people act the fool on TV.
Click to expand...

I am irrationally bitter about that trend of reality TV for Black television shows. I loathe it. A part of me just feels like I'm getting old when I bitch about the contrast between trash like Basketball Wives and Fresh Prince, but a larger part of me just thinks its sad and needs to stop.
 
I

ISOM

Member
Mesousa said:
I think House of Payne, which came out in the 00's, is the longest running black sitcom by episodes. Its garbage, but honestly most sitcoms are.
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House of Payne was truly garbage. I watched at least an episode or more of every show on the OP's list while HOP, I barely watched one episode. I couldn't get through one.
 
Y

You Are Viewtiful

Member
There were a lot of black sitcoms, but there were also way too many white-only sitcoms in the 90s, so I don't see the 90s as a golden age, other than for sitcoms in general.
 
O

Ovid

Member
Cipherr said:
I am irrationally bitter about that trend of reality TV for Black television shows. I loathe it. A part of me just feels like I'm getting old when I bitch about the contrast between trash like Basketball Wives and Fresh Prince, but a larger part of me just thinks its sad and needs to stop.
Click to expand...
For people who are not around black people, those shows are how they perceive us. That's not a good thing because we look terrible in them.
 
D

DOBERMAN INC

Member
Bleepey said:
They made a joke about it and they passed it off as Claire doing something with her hair, sort of how they made Little Nicky 4 years older in a new Simpson in Freah Prince. I find it interesting how many black sitcoms made their way to the UK. Also I find it weird how much TV I watched. I recall watching:

Hanging with Mr Cooper (Vanessa was the sexiest woman alive)
Fresh Prince
the Parkers
One on one
My wife and kids
Steve Harvey show
Malcolm and Eddie
Cosby Show
Different world was before my time
Moesha
my cousin Skeeter
Keenan and Kel
I think there was a Jamie Foxx show
Click to expand...

It's true, I used to watch multiple black sitcoms per day on channels like Trouble,which I don't think even exists any more and Nick

Sister Sister
Fresh Prince of Bel Air
Martin
Kenan & Kel
The Wayans Bros
Moesha
My wife and kids
Steve Harvey show
 
M

Manmademan

Member
Slayven said:
UPN was pretty much all black sitcoms, and they shut all that shit down when they merged with the WB
Click to expand...

This is the correct answer. I was looking at a lot of that and was saying "Those are all UPN shows".

The WB itself went the way of the dodo and was branded into the CW.

edit: Y'all forgot a few

homeboys20in20outer20space_andrews_large.jpg.CROP.hd-large.jpg


pfeiffer.jpg


cast.jpg
 
U

UnemployedVillain

Member
tarius1210 said:
For people who are not around black people, those shows are how they perceive us. That's not a good thing because we look terrible in them.
Click to expand...

And what's crazy is that there are still a surprising number of people who haven't really interacted with black people before. I had a college friend from Minnesota who had no black friends. I was her first black friend. At the age of 18! Wtf?!
 
B

Bleepey

Member
DOBERMAN INC said:
It's true, I used to watch multiple black sitcoms per day on channels like Trouble,which I don't think even exists any more and Nick

Sister Sister
Fresh Prince of Bel Air
Martin
Kenan & Kel
The Wayans Bros
Moesha
My wife and kids
Steve Harvey show
Click to expand...

You reminded me of Smart Guy.

Trouble was the best thing channel. I watched like 7 channels as a kid. Sky 1, sci fi, trouble, fox kids, Cartoon Network and I am sure I forgot two or so channels. I also recall the LL Cool J show with Carlton in everything but name (In the House).
 
I

Imbarkus

As Sartre noted in his contemplation on Hell in No Exit, the true horror is other members.
We promoted them, but out here in Colorado they didn't even post a fraction of the Smackdown numbers.

blaunch.jpg


goode.jpg


goodnews.jpg


maleddie.jpg


Regional variations like this made demographically targeted programming a real challenge for UPN. There were markets that were asking for partial network affiliation so they could run movie or syndication on those nights to post better ratings, and just run Weds/Thurs UPN for Trek and Smackdown.

:(
 
O

Ovid

Member
Imbarkus said:
We promoted them, but out here in Colorado they didn't even post a fraction of the Smackdown numbers.

blaunch.jpg


goode.jpg


goodnews.jpg


maleddie.jpg


Regional variations like this made demographically targeted programming a real challenge for UPN. There were markets that were asking for partial network affiliation so they could run movie or syndication on those nights to post better ratings, and just run Weds/Thurs UPN for Trek and Smackdown.

:(
Click to expand...
Good News? Wow, I never heard of that show.
 
P

Puruzi

Banned
Everybody Hate Chris and Bernie Mac are the GOATS

Chris is extremely relateable and Bernie Mac is just just straight up comedy gold
 
G

Galang

Banned
The Parkers never gets enough credit. The storylines were over the top compared to a lot of shows at that time and Monique's obsession with the professor was brilliantly psychotic; I loved it! The professor's relationship with monique was one of the most iconic "relationships" of that era
 
W

Walpurgis

Banned
Puruzi said:
Everybody Hate Chris and Bernie Mac are the GOATS

Chris is extremely relateable and Bernie Mac is just just straight up comedy gold
Click to expand...

I loved Bernie Mac. It was a lot like Malcolm in the Middle, now that I think about it. Whenever an episode ended, I always wanted more.

I was pretty sad when Bernie Mac died so I tried to watch his final movie, Soul Men. It looked fun and even had Snakes on a Plane. Unfortunately, I was never able to finish it because there was a nude sex scene early on in the film that shook me to my core.

Everybody Hates Chris was amazing. Sigh, TV comedy has really declined.
 
B

BudokaiMR2

Member
Bruh-man was too real.

tumblr_llo3alf0Rr1qhw5f6.gif


How many times did Martin effectively jump the shark?

I love that show but goddamn there are some stupid episodes.
 
T

Two Words

Member
element said:
Reality TV killed all the sitcoms.
Click to expand...

I try to not be judgmental about people's tastes, but it's hard for me to not be judgmental when it comes to reality tv. Any time I'm around people watching it, I just don't get how people can watch random people pretending to be mad about some stupid shit somebody did or didn't do.
 
I

Infinite

Member
TV kinda moved away from the Sitcom format. The CW network at one point had black shows like everybody hates Chris, my wife and kids, and the game but then the network decided to move away from that format and start doing hour long dramas and those shows weren't renewed.
 
element

element

Member
Two Words said:
I try to not be judgmental about people's tastes, but it's hard for me to not be judgmental when it comes to reality tv. Any time I'm around people watching it, I just don't get how people can watch random people pretending to be mad about some stupid shit somebody did or didn't do.
Click to expand...
There are two types of reality TV, talent/competition and reality drama. I personally don't care for those, but those shows typically film the worst in people and target the worst in people.
 
R

Rembrandt

Banned
tkscz said:
I understand you now and honestly feel that's a better way of creating those types of shows than sticking to stereotypes. I mean, I got nothing against Martin or The Waynes Brothers, actually really like both those shows, but I like the idea of anyone of any color being able to relate to someone based on their life and personality, rather than just the color of their skin and a stereotypical way of growing up for that type of person.
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i don't think anyone like stereotypical black shows. the waynes bros was surprisingly good at subverting this for being so black in other ways. in the same show that had comedy aimed towards black people (while still being generally accessible), they had an episode about marlon being used to sell malt liquor to black people and episodes about shaun being a token employee.

it was a really, really underrated and underappreciated show. I wish they came together and made some good movies because I know they can, hell, Don't Be A Menace and Scary Movie were solid.
 
P

Professor Beef

Banned
Two Words said:
I try to not be judgmental about people's tastes, but it's hard for me to not be judgmental when it comes to reality tv. Any time I'm around people watching it, I just don't get how people can watch random people pretending to be mad about some stupid shit somebody did or didn't do.
Click to expand...

Shock value, basically. Add in the fact that, comparatively, reality shows were easier to make and you had a recipe for success. Now reality shows are as scripted as sitcoms were back then. It's an odd cycle.
 
I

Imbarkus

As Sartre noted in his contemplation on Hell in No Exit, the true horror is other members.
Professor Beef said:
Shock value, basically. Add in the fact that, comparatively, reality shows were easier to make and you had a recipe for success. Now reality shows are as scripted as sitcoms were back then. It's an odd cycle.
Click to expand...

The rise of Reality Tv was in part prompted by a series of writer and actor strikes at the time, too.
 
S

Samara

Member
Damn, I completely forgot about cousin skeeter. Kept waiting for the episode where they explained how he turned into a puppet.
Cousin-Skeeter-480x321.jpg
 
F

FyreWulff

Member
Professor Beef said:
Shock value, basically. Add in the fact that, comparatively, reality shows were easier to make and you had a recipe for success. Now reality shows are as scripted as sitcoms were back then. It's an odd cycle.
Click to expand...

Reality shows are the new wrestling. Showdowns and fights that people still believe are real. Even wrestling moved on from that.
 
T

Timu

Member
Galang said:
The Parkers never gets enough credit. The storylines were over the top compared to a lot of shows at that time and Monique's obsession with the professor was brilliantly psychotic; I loved it! The professor's relationship with monique was one of the most iconic "relationships" of that era
Click to expand...
I remember that show!!!
 
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