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Aug 24, 2004 The four major broadcast networks—ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox—are expected to air, between them, one hour of original, episodic programming in prime time aimed toward black viewers this season. That’s right, one hour. ABC brings back the veteran sitcom “My Wife and Kids”, while Fox returns the critically- acclaimed “Bernie Mac Show”. CBS, which will say hello to its third variant of “CSI” and goodbye to “Everybody Loves Raymond” this season, has no black-themed programming. Neither does NBC, which is proud of capturing the coveted 18-to-49 market with multiple flavors of “Law & Order”. And neither does the WB, at one time home to such fare as “The Steve Harvey Show”, “The Wayans Brothers” and “For Your Love”. They can still boast about having Steve Harvey, but he’s hosting something akin to a modernized amateur hour, and that doesn’t count. UPN, one of Viacom’s various mini-nets, is picking up the slack by showing four hours of black shows. Joining returning comedies “One on One”, “Girlfriends”, “Half & Half”, “Eve” and “All of Us” will be a rookie comedy, “Second Time Around”, and a freshman drama, “Kevin Hill”, featuring big-screen star Taye Diggs in the title role. Now if it seems like I’m contradicting myself here, consider this: While there are more hours of episodic television in prime-time featuring predominately black casts, all but two of those shows are on a network composed primarily of UHF affiliates. These stations have to broadcast at twice the power and have roughly half the range as their VHF counterparts AND have to compete with both the big over-the-air and cable networks. And even with the proliferation of cable and satellite television, there are still some markets where UPN is not available over-the- air. That means that part of the target audience doesn’t even have the opportunity to see these shows. Let’s go back in time for a classic example. “Living Single”, a show about four young black women sharing a New York apartment and frequently visited by two male neighbors, bowed on Fox one season before “Friends” joined NBC’s lineup. They were basically the same show, produced by the same company (Warner Bros.), with stories played out by a different cast of characters. (The notable exception is that, periodically, people like Dean Cain and Rosie O’Donnell showed up on “Living Single”.) How is it, then, that one show gets unceremoniously dumped after four and a half seasons with a farewell that barely registers and no post-run DVDs, while the other runs a decade and has its finale hyped to the same magnitude as that of a far superior series like “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” AND has the audacity to have that finale out on DVD within days of its broadcast? I’m calling a spade a spade, folks—it ain’t right. So it’s not a matter of black programs not being good. If that were the case, shows like “Good Times”, “The Jeffersons” and “Sanford and Son” would never have lasted as long as they did, nor would they be constantly in reruns and available for first-season DVD sales. It’s a matter of the networks blatantly ignoring an audience that wants to see some of their own when they look to be entertained. So much for progress. ------------ About the author: Claxton Graham isn't the final authority on television, but he knows enough to be dangerous. Although he likes black-themed fare like "Martin" and "Steve Harvey", he also classic sitcoms like "Andy Griffith" and "I Dream of Jeannie". Email: scifiwriter8502@email.com Tell a friend about this site! ------------ |
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