![]() ![]() And who can forget about West Philadelphia’s Will Smith moving in with his auntie and uncle in Bel-Air? “The portrayal of blacks in the ‘80s and ‘90s, you begin to see an expansion of our identity,” Gil Robertson, journalist, author and president of the African American Film Critics Association, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. While Khadijah James and Martin Payne exposed life with pals in Brooklyn and Detroit. Moesha Mitchell and Carl Winslow shared the hilarity and frustration of Los Angeles teendom and Chicago family life, respectively. After the Jeffersons and the Huxtables in the ‘70s and ‘80s, a whole host of black families and friendships burst onto the small screen. But the biggest change arguably came in the 1990s. Here is a bit of an excerpt from an article by Kiersten Willis: Black representation on TV has transformed over the last century. I found a really interesting article from the Atlanta Journal Constitution from February of 2020. ![]() On Part 2, we will take a look at: The Cosby Show, A Different World, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and Family Matters.īecause I want to make sure to pay homage to the importance of what happened in the 80s and 90s, I felt it was important to start the show by sharing some information with you. On today’s show we will be discussing Diff’rent Strokes, Gimmie a Break!, 227 and Amen. You are tuning in to episode #62: The Rise of Black Sitcoms in the 80s and 90s, Part 1. My name is Amy Lewis and I am your captain aboard this pop culture time machine. Hello and thank you so very much for tuning in to the Pop Culture Retrospective Podcast, a show inspired by, and in memory of, my big sister Rebecca and her love for all things pop-culture, especially the people, places and things of the 80s, 90s and early 00s. ![]() I was so overwhelmed (in a good way) by what I have learned along that way that this will be a two-part episode, but let’s get to part 1, shall we? Grab your tube TV, have a seat on your shag carpet or perhaps your floral patterned coach, here we go! So, in honor of Black History month, we are going to take a look back at some of the most popular and often times, groundbreaking sitcoms led by black actors or ones that had black actors in a lead role on this week’s episode. So when devoted listener Preston suggested I do a show about the rise of black actors in sitcoms in the 80s and 90s I knew he was on to something. We were forced to watch Soul Train every weekend with my Dad, I say that lovingly though. We watched many movies with characters played by black actors. You’d also likely know that we were raised by Oprah and the soundtrack to our adolescence was filled with a lot of music, especially hip-hop. If you’ve been listening to the Pop Culture Retrospective Podcast for any length of time, then you’ll likely know that my sister and I grew up with parents who thankfully were supportive of, and encouraged us to, listen to music performed by black artists. Visit: for all things Pop Culture Retrospective! Here is the video: Ĭheck out my website access to all episodes, blog, and merch and you can also leave reviews here, too! Visit: In the show, I referenced a beautiful acapella version of some of the most well-known sitcoms led by black actors. Please consider becoming a subscriber to the show! Launching on March 1st, subscribers will get an exclusive episode each month, early access to shows, and more! Learn more and sign up here: ![]() These are the shows we will look at today and part II will cover the Cosby Show, a Different World, the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, and Family Matters. This was an important period of time because for once, people of color could see themselves through the actors in various sitcoms such as Diff'rent Strokes, Gimmie a Break, 227, and Amen. Thank you for tuning in! On today's episode, we will be taking a look back at the rise of the black sitcom in the 80s and 90s. ![]()
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