Re-reading my post from yesterday, I realize I could have done a better job enunciating why I am devoting a couple of different posts to Dr. King. As one of my friends reminded me last night, Dr. King didn't produce any movies or television shows. But without his influence and the influence of others during the Civil Rights Movement, our nation and world would be profoundly different, and not for the better. However, since I'm not a history professor, I don't want to pretend that I know the most important ways our world has changed as a result of the Civil Rights Movement. But one thing is near certain - without the Civil Rights Movement, many of the fine movies, television shows and music that the African-American community has produced would not be openly appreciated the way it is today, or may never have seen the light of the day at all. So that's why I thought I would compile these lists in tribute to Dr. King.
Like the movies, I have seen plenty of predominantly African-American TV shows. However, I can't say that I have followed them all fervently. That's just the nature of television, you can't watch everything. And especially as a kid, in a land without DVRs, DVDs, On Demand or Hulu, it was even tougher. Once again with this list, I had to make a couple of judgment calls, the most notable of which was whether or not to include music shows like "Yo MTV Raps!," "106 & Park" and "Rap City". I decided ultimately not to include them, although "Rap City" would have surely made the list had I included it. Along the same lines, I couldn't include comedy/variety shows like "The Arsenio Hall Show," "In Living Color" and "Chapelle's Show," because I didn't watch them with even semi-regularity. I also have never seen many of the great African-American shows of the '70's like "Sanford and Son," "Good Times" and "The Jeffersons." Other shows that I have watched over the years but that didn't make the cut include "Amen," "Everybody Hates Chris," "Family Matters," "Hangin' With Mr. Cooper," "Method & Red," "Moesha," "New York Undercover," "Roc," "Sister, Sister," "The Bernie Mac Show" (RIP) and "The Cleveland Show."
5. (Tie) "Martin" / "A Different World" - I'm cheating a little bit here. These shows share some of the same characteristics for me in that I watched them both pretty straight through the first couple of seasons, but then fell out of habit, and would catch them at the intersection of they're on and I'm home. I also was probably a little young to understand a lot of what was going on in them, even if I think I did. The Notorious B.I.G. guest appearance on "Martin" (one of Biggie's only two TV show appearances ever along with an episode of "New York Undercover") has to be one of the greatest guest appearances ever.
4. "Out All Night" - I loved this show, and was pretty upset when they canceled it after only one season. Vivica A. Fox was one of my early crushes (still is, really), and the rest of the main cast - Morris Chestnut, the great Patti LaBelle and Duane Martin were all more than solid. Oh well.
3. "The Cosby Show" - I still have fond memories of the episode where Claire made Theo put on a coat to go outside and play football in the cold and Theo shoved it in the mailbox because he didn't want to wear it. I was the same way...though my coats were usually too puffy to jam into the mailbox.
2. "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" - As soon as I see the words, I immediately start humming that theme song. Much like The Barbershop, this show incorporated life lessons without shutting off the funny. And has there been a funnier foil than the one Carlton provided Will all those years? Doubtful. And if that isn't enough, the show gave Tyra Banks her big break, which isn't a bad thing.
1. "The Wire" - My wife objected to this selection. "The main character's white," she protested. True, he is. But most of the rest of the cast is African-American. Looking at the show's main iMDB page, 20 of the main 29 characters listed are African-American, and that's not even counting the kids from season four, or other notable characters like Prop Joe, Cheese, Mayor Royce and his aide Norman, and of course, D'Angelo Barksdale. Sure, there were segments of the plot that focused on McNulty, the mainly caucasian employees of the docks and even eventual mayor Carcetti, but for my money this show did more to highlight the plight of young men and women in the ghetto than any other song, movie or TV show ever has. And it's also arguably the best show in television history.
Like the movies, I have seen plenty of predominantly African-American TV shows. However, I can't say that I have followed them all fervently. That's just the nature of television, you can't watch everything. And especially as a kid, in a land without DVRs, DVDs, On Demand or Hulu, it was even tougher. Once again with this list, I had to make a couple of judgment calls, the most notable of which was whether or not to include music shows like "Yo MTV Raps!," "106 & Park" and "Rap City". I decided ultimately not to include them, although "Rap City" would have surely made the list had I included it. Along the same lines, I couldn't include comedy/variety shows like "The Arsenio Hall Show," "In Living Color" and "Chapelle's Show," because I didn't watch them with even semi-regularity. I also have never seen many of the great African-American shows of the '70's like "Sanford and Son," "Good Times" and "The Jeffersons." Other shows that I have watched over the years but that didn't make the cut include "Amen," "Everybody Hates Chris," "Family Matters," "Hangin' With Mr. Cooper," "Method & Red," "Moesha," "New York Undercover," "Roc," "Sister, Sister," "The Bernie Mac Show" (RIP) and "The Cleveland Show."
5. (Tie) "Martin" / "A Different World" - I'm cheating a little bit here. These shows share some of the same characteristics for me in that I watched them both pretty straight through the first couple of seasons, but then fell out of habit, and would catch them at the intersection of they're on and I'm home. I also was probably a little young to understand a lot of what was going on in them, even if I think I did. The Notorious B.I.G. guest appearance on "Martin" (one of Biggie's only two TV show appearances ever along with an episode of "New York Undercover") has to be one of the greatest guest appearances ever.
4. "Out All Night" - I loved this show, and was pretty upset when they canceled it after only one season. Vivica A. Fox was one of my early crushes (still is, really), and the rest of the main cast - Morris Chestnut, the great Patti LaBelle and Duane Martin were all more than solid. Oh well.
3. "The Cosby Show" - I still have fond memories of the episode where Claire made Theo put on a coat to go outside and play football in the cold and Theo shoved it in the mailbox because he didn't want to wear it. I was the same way...though my coats were usually too puffy to jam into the mailbox.
2. "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" - As soon as I see the words, I immediately start humming that theme song. Much like The Barbershop, this show incorporated life lessons without shutting off the funny. And has there been a funnier foil than the one Carlton provided Will all those years? Doubtful. And if that isn't enough, the show gave Tyra Banks her big break, which isn't a bad thing.
1. "The Wire" - My wife objected to this selection. "The main character's white," she protested. True, he is. But most of the rest of the cast is African-American. Looking at the show's main iMDB page, 20 of the main 29 characters listed are African-American, and that's not even counting the kids from season four, or other notable characters like Prop Joe, Cheese, Mayor Royce and his aide Norman, and of course, D'Angelo Barksdale. Sure, there were segments of the plot that focused on McNulty, the mainly caucasian employees of the docks and even eventual mayor Carcetti, but for my money this show did more to highlight the plight of young men and women in the ghetto than any other song, movie or TV show ever has. And it's also arguably the best show in television history.