Living in Color: The Undying Devotion to the Black Sitcom Black History Month: A Celebration of Black Cinema and TV Shows

When watching television many gravitate towards the situation comedy, or the sitcom for short. The sub genre of television often features recurring characters that frequent a shared environment like a group of co-workers at the office, a family living in a certain neighborhood, or a group of friends tackling life issues in a major city. The key ingredient of a sitcom is placing these characters in exaggerated or absurd scenarios that exude humor for audiences. A more niche aspect of the sitcom genre is the Black sitcom.

Arguably, the first Black sitcom is slated to be Amos ‘n’ Andy. Originally the program was a radio sitcom about Black characters in Chicago then later moved to Harlem in New York. The characters were portrayed by White actors and there lies the argument but unfortunately, that was common practice back in the day. The radio show ran from 1928 to 1960 with Black actors taking on the roles on television from 1951-1953.

In the late 70s through the 80s, there was an influx of Black sitcoms that either had Black actors leading the cast or featured a predominantly Black cast. Sanford and Son starred Redd Foxx as Fred Sanford a junk dealer alongside his son Lamont (Demond Wilson) and ran from 1972-1978. In 1974-1979 a poor family in the Chicago projects hit TV screens with Good Times starring JJ Walker, BernNadette Stanis, Ralph Carter, Ja’net DuBois. Esther Rolle, and John Amos. Gimme a Break! ran from 1981-1987 and starred Nell Carter as a family friend turned housekeeper to a widowed man and his family. The Jeffersons ran from 1975 -1985 and followed George (Sherman Hemsley) and Louise (Isabel Sanford) Jefferson moving into a luxury apartment building. 227 ran from 1985 -1990 and earned Jackee Harry a Primetime Emmy as Sandra Clark in the series that followed the happenings at an apartment building.

I’m a child of the 90s so all my favorite sitcoms were born during that time and through the early to mid-2000s. Tia and Tamera played twins separated at birth and later reunited in life in Sister, Sister from 1994-1999. In 1996 Brandy was the singer-turned-actress that made braids iconic in Moesha. West Philly was put on the map with The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air from 1990-1996. Kyla Pratt was the cool teen everyone wanted to be in One on One in 2001. On the adult side of things, the life of a group of friends navigating life in New York was on display in Living Single from 1993-1998. A radio and television personality was at the forefront for the Black community in Martin from 1992-1997 and the lives of a diverse group of Black women in LA graced the screens from 2000-2008 in Girlfriends.

The list of Black sitcoms goes on and on. Half and Half, My Wife and Kids, Kenan and Kel, Abbott Elementary, The Parkers, Everybody’s Hate Chris, That’s So Raven, The Wayans Brothers, The Parenthood, Harlem, Eve, and Smart Guy are just a few I can rattle off. Black sitcoms are a way to show all the layers that make up Black culture. These shows gave us some of the best them songs of all time. Amazing running jokes like Tommy not having a job on Martin and the way Jazz always got ushered out of the Banks home on The Fresh Prince. We also got great catchphrases like “Dang momma,” “Dynomite,” and “oh my goodness.” The impact Black sitcoms had on the television genre is unmistakable.

What do you think is the best Black sitcom of all time? Share yours in the comments.

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Photo: NBC