Adjusting the Color: The Demise of Black TV

Story by
DeWayne Rogers, Jacinta Howard, Todd Williams

Here’s
a simple exercise you can try at home. The next time you’re with
friends or family, ask them to sing the theme song to “The Jeffersons.”
Or better yet, ask that same group to share their favorite black sitcom
moment. When the outpouring of memories begins, and the smiles are as
widespread as the need for government bailout funds — then and only 
then — will you have successfully completed your assignment.

The point of this exercise is to illustrate the fact that black
television shows are an inescapable part of our culture’s DNA. Much
like eye color and height, our  appreciation for shows like “The Cosby
Show,” “Good Times,” and “What’s Happening!!” is inextricably connected
to who we are. These historic shows helped shape how we viewed
ourselves as a community and they simultaneously played a vital role in
counteracting the harsh images of black America played ad nauseam on
the nightly news.

But what has happened to all of the good black shows? Other than Tyler
Perry’s current stronghold on TBS, there remains a clear absence of
positive black shows on television. This point is further magnified by
the emergence of reality shows that portray blacks as oversexed pimps
and whores (“For the Love of Ray J” anyone?).

So as we approach the dawn of a new age in television, the fate of all
things black on the small screen appears to rest in the hands of one
man, considered by many to be the ultimate Hollywood outsider.

Mr. Emmitt R. “Tyler” Perry.

The Age of Perry
To understand the success of “Tyler Perry’s House of Payne” and Perry’s
success as a television producer, one must examine the landscape of
network television. In the 1980s and 1990s the unprecedented success of
“The Cosby Show” resurrected the sitcom format, while it rescued NBC’s
flagging ratings and launched a ‘Golden Age’ of African American
television shows. Sitcoms like “227,” “Amen,” “Family Matters” and “The
Fresh Prince of Bel Air” became bona fide hits throughout the ‘80s and
‘90s. Soon, the African American television presence stretched outside
of the confines of the sitcom. “The Oprah Winfrey Show” became
television’s most popular daytime talk show; the sketch comedy show “In
Living Color” was hugely popular and highly acclaimed in its first few
seasons; and “The Arsenio Hall Show” became the preferred late-night
show for young, urban audiences who didn’t necessarily relate to “The
Tonight Show.”

But, as the 1990s ended, the African American presence on television
waned. Hit shows like “Ally McBeal,” and “ER” included African American
characters, but African American-themed shows became virtually
nonexistent. The mini-decline of the sitcom was a major contributing
factor to the the disappearance of black television shows. Even in the
1980s and 1990s, most African American shows were situation comedies.
Dramatic shows with primarily black casts rarely got the ratings of
their comedic counterparts, meaning shorter runs during television
seasons. As reality shows and gritty dramas began to dominate
television, networks didn’t produce as many sitcoms and the number of
African American scripted programs declined dramatically.

Producer Tyler Perry has achieved surprising success with his hit
sitcom “House of Payne.” It’s the highest rated cable show of all time
for a few rather obvious reasons. Perry has become one of the most
successful individuals in entertainment because he understands his
audience. Regardless of how one may feel about his body of work, Perry
recognizes that he has to serve an underserved community. Historically,
black sitcoms — even the not-so-great ones — have had a good chance of
ratings success and TBS is one of cable’s most watched networks. It
also doesn’t hurt that TBS is broadcast locally from Atlanta — Mr.
Perry’s base of operations. The success of “Tyler Perry’s House of
Payne” has already yielded another sitcom from his studio — a
television adaptation of the hit film, Meet the Browns.
Ultimately, any success that Perry has on television may lead to
another surge in black-oriented shows on the tube. If it doesn’t, the
future looks particularly bleak and black actors will either see
themselves cast as the best friend of a white leading character or a
contestant on a VH1 reality show.

Read on to Top 5 Black TV Moments >>