Originally Posted by
Jerry Oz
Racial politics are still in full play on network television. Does anybody remember when Fox first started airing back in the '90s? Their one-night [[Sunday) schedule had "Roc", "Martin", and "In Living Color" for years and was quite popular. They established Fox as a viable player. Since then, they've had "Living Single" and "Jamie Foxx Show", but they don't currently have a show that has a black lead or ensemble. We're background characters and props for most networks. There are a few exceptions, of course. Shemar Moore has a significant role in "Criminal Minds" and LL Cool J co-leads "NCIS: Los Angeles". Many will mistake Mindy Kaling of "The Mindy Project" for black. God bless her, but she's not.
But scan the show listings and tell me if black viewers aren't taken for granted on all four networks. It amazes me the margins that we've been put into. When shows falter, the quickest way to pump life into them is to bring in a black friend who cracks a joke literally every time he opens his mouth. Look at "Mike and Molly" and "The Millers". It's as bad or worse for other minorities as you can see from Koopthrapali on "Big Bang Theory" and Han Lee of "Two Broke Girls". It's somehow okay to laugh at us now, not because the characters are funny, but because they're stereotypically portrayed. Not cool.
I've been patiently waiting for "Frank's Place" to come out on DVD. That was the best and most respectfully produced show with black folks that I can recall with the possible exception of "The Cosby Show".
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