Black Sitcoms: Funny and Relevant
I am not a fan of most TV sitcoms.
Most involve white, middle-class families in two-parent households who live in a never-never-land where the most serious problems are: Who will Bobby take to the prom? How will we get rid of an annoying in-law. How to get the nerdy guy a date?
To my mind, some of the best TV sitcoms feature black characters who are consistently funny and relevant.
"Everybody Loves Chris" is a sitcom loosely based on Chris Rocks' growing up years in Brooklyn, New York; his family lives in a low-income neighborhood rife with crime, drug dealing, and shady characters who are as much a fabric of the community as the hardworking families. (Show received 51 nominations and won 7, including AFI, British Comedy Awards, and NAACP Image Awards.)
"Martin" is a comedy that never attempts to be anything but relevant to black viewers. What makes it hilarious are the characters who look and act like people I might know. (Show received 11 nominations and 6 wins, including NAACP Image Awards, Kids' Choice Awards, and People's Choice Awards.)
"My Wife and Kids," starring Damon Wayans and Keisha Campbell, is non-stop jokes. As parents to three kids, they embody the middle-class lifestyle but always fall back on old-school parenting that brooks no nonsense from smart-mouth kids. They often bicker and disagree about the best ways to raise/punish/support their brood, yet they always end up doing what is best. (Show received 36 nominations and 10 wins, including BET Comedy Awards, Family Television Awards, NAACP Image Awards, People's Choice Awards, and Prism Awards.
"The Bernie Mac Show" is brilliant. His asides to the camera contrast with his on-screen actions. He is an avid believer in "spare the rod and spoil the child." Much of the humor grows out of the clash of parenting methods between Mac and his wife. The kids are always messing with him, and he constantly plots revenge against them. What makes this show touching is that Mac is raising his drug-addict sister's children. Sadly, this comedic giant died too soon. (Bernie was nominated numerous times as lead actor (Golden Globes, Screen Actors Guild, Primetime Emmy, and Family Television Awards but won BET Comedy Awards twice and NAACP Image Awards five times.)
"Blackish" ( Tuesdays, 10 PM on ABC) is a fresh take on the black family. Anthony Anderson is a successful ad man (Dre Johnson) whose colleagues are not the least bit politically correct; Tracee Ellis Ross (Rainbow) is superb as a successful physician, frequently in conflict over her roles as black woman, wife, and doctor. Their kids, on the other hand, are happy with all the privileges and perks afforded by their parents' success.
Success, however, doesn't shield them from the misconceptions and biases that African Americans confront everyday.
One memorable episode finds Rainbow and her younger daughter shopping at American Doll; they want to by a black doll, so the salesperson brings out a doll seemingly dressed as a slave. Bo indignantly asks why is the only black doll is dressed so. Her daughter, on the other hand, wonders why her mother is making such a fuss. A generational divide for sure.
I hope that other black sitcoms in the works are funny while depicting the many aspects of the black experience in America.
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