Towards the end of 2008, and nearly all of 2009 Black shows disappeared from television. It wasn't even a slow demise, one day they were there and the next they were all gone.
No more shows like, Family Matters, Hangin' with Mr. Cooper, Brandy, In the House, Living Single, Girlfriends, One On One, The Steve Harvey Show, The Parkers, Love, Inc., Eve, Fatherhood, Martin, For Your Love, Cuts, Between Brothers, Jamie Foxx Show, Brothers,
Sister, Sister, Moesha, Sparks, Out All Night, My Wife & Kids, Proud Family, Smart Guy, Roc, Malcolm & Eddie, Eve, The Game, Cosby, Bernie Mac, Everybody Hates Chris, Just Jordan, All Of Us, Half & Half, Second Time Around, Fresh Prince of Bel Aire, and Sherri -just to name a few.
Now there's an influx of shows that have Blacks in the ensemble cast, but nothing like those I just named are visible on television. Well, there's Grey's with four (4) from time to time and Shonda Rhimes as it's creator - she's also the creator of Private Practice - but the question remains, does that translate to Blacks in the room?
Why does that matter? First, there are many talented Black writers that have created shows with more in their arsenal as well as many undiscovered talent waiting to share their shows with the television viewing audience; but they need to get that in-house experience so they can then bring us their vision. Second, there's that authentic voice for the characters. The voice that sometimes only a Black person can bring. The one that rings true for their roots, their heritage, where they live, and their culture, the family dynamics.
At the end of 2010, with a Black President in Office, we still have ensemble cast, but also blacks as the lead characters in Undercovers & The Event on network television. Then there seems to be a trickle of the return of Black sitcoms with Are We There Yet (Ice Cube & Ali LeRoi) on cable; and coming are the return of The Game (Mara Brock Akil), Love That Girl (Bentley Kyle Evans & Stacey Evans Morgan), Reed Between the Lines (Kellie R. Griffin & Arthur Harris), & Let's Stay Together (Queen Latifah).
What do we have to do to bring back the numbers that existed in '80s & '90s? What do we have to do to see Black dramas? What will it take to get our Black Creatives working again? Are webisodes on the Internet our only answer?
