What makes a TV show iconic? Will it be determined by the jokes, the rawness of the drama, or how it holds up over time? Each answer is actually a good answer. When discussing the impact a show can have on an entire culture, the list gets small.
In the black community, shows are ranked off feeling. There have been a ton of comedies, dramas, and talk shows that have done nothing but offer quick laughs and the episode is forgotten within the next 30 minutes. When you watch something like Martin, you get to see the difference between that and That’s So Raven.
The essence of a show must remain with the viewers to the point that the characters seem to be experiencing the same life.
Here are 10 iconic Black TV Shows that defined the culture.
Living Single (1993-1998)
In terms of stand out shows, Living Single was in heavy competition. However, the reason it makes this list is due to the weight it held and still holds for the African-American culture. How many shows were out then, or has come out since, spearheaded by four strong leading ladies?
Think of Friends but with an all-black cast. That is Living Single. The laughs are plentiful, even if the gusto behind the jokes were not always appreciated at the time. Six friends, a couple of strangers, a few relatives, and with a touch of new blood sprinkled in for good measure.
The Corner (2000)
Before The Wire and Power, HBO hit us with The Corner. For the younger generation, The Corner hit too close to home. The Wire gave viewers an inside look at the drug game pretty much from a hustles point if view. The Corner was able to show the downside of a community affected by drugs.
The stories of crack destroying the black community have been told countless times from various perspectives. However, The Corner captures a certain rawness that permitted viewers to see a bit of themselves in the episodes and characters. Although just a mini-series, it opened the door for some of HBO’s subsequent groundbreaking shows.
Martin (1992-1997)
Compared to The Cosby Show and The Jeffersons, Martin was a step behind. In terms of cultural relevance, Martin provided the culture with around-the-way humor. The Cosby family lived in a neighborhood where most blacks couldn’t afford to reside. But Martin Payne, he was our neighbor.
His interactions with his girlfriend and friends were a mirror image of most relationships/friendships. As for the humor, Martin Lawrence displayed a rare touch which gave the show some of the best one-liners in TV history. If the dialogue wasn’t enough, there was also the cast of characters Martin could play. Martin was ahead of its time.
The Jeffersons (1975-1985)
What made The Jeffersons so special was that it was a spinoff from possibly one of the most one-sided shows on TV history. As a neighbor of the Bunkers, Archie made some believe that blacks had no place amongst the elite, even if many of Bunker’s comments were meant to be viewed critically.
With his chain of laundromats, George was able to take his family from middle class to first class. From raising his son to hiring one of the funniest characters on TV (Florence), The Jeffersons gave the black community hope that it can be achieved. Back then, there weren’t too many shows that mixed races the way The Jeffersons and All In The Family did.
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1990-1996)
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air was nothing special. However, it did establish one of the hottest actors of all time. Without The Fresh Prince, would anyone outside of bubble gum rap know Will Smith? The plot was nothing out of the ordinary. An inner city kid moving to Bel-Air to stay with his rich family didn’t have the making of a hit.
In terms of standing out as iconic, a major TV network (NBC) took a chance on an unknown black actor. Smith’s success opened the door for other hip hop acts to try their luck in the industry. The Fresh Prince not only changed TV, but it also helped shape Hollywood. Just as The Cosby Show before it, it did hit on sensitive subject matters such as racial profiling, selling out, and being raised in a fatherless home.
Good Times (1974-1979)
Talk about a show that struck a chord with the black community. Good Times will never be duplicated. The raw energy it displayed of a family on hard times, who stayed on hard times in one of the worse housing projects in the US, should not have offered as many laughs as it did. Somehow, it works and still holds up as one of the best black shows in TV history.
The show was based on a hard-working father with three kids and a God-fearing wife just trying to do their best. One of the most iconic TV episodes ever saw James Evans being killed. While death has been reinforced on TV for years, the black community was not ready for that tragedy to hit so close to home. Good Times was a show we rooted for because we wanted the best for the Evans clan.
The Arsenio Hall Show (1989-1994)
Not to take anything away from The Oprah Winfrey Show, but she did not hit as hard for the black community as Arsenio Hall did. Oprah came into the entertainment world as a news anchor and her path was not of the unknown. While her success was a bit surprising, The Arsenio Hall Show gave the black culture its real late night voice.
Hall would invite the top black musicians on the scene. The host interviewed the top black actors and sports figures while delivering one hilarious line after another. The Arsenio Hall Show was the black answer to David Letterman and while he was not a threat to Oprah, The Arsenio Hall Show offered a change of pace.
In Living Color (1990-1994)
In Living Color is right up there with Saturday Night Live in terms of stage comedy. The Wayans brothers provided outlandish skits that set the stage for shows like the Dave Chappelle Show. Along with the crazy skits, In Living Color’s popularity rested on its unknown factor.
Think back, did anyone see the Wayans brothers making such a huge splash in Hollywood? What about Jim Carey at the time? In Living Color opened the door not only for people of color but others as well. It will go down as one of the best impromptu shows in history, with some even saying it surpassed the ever-popular SNL.
The Cosby Show (1984-1992)
The Cosby Show took The Jeffersons to a whole other level. Instead of one parent having financial freedom, there are two and both are successful. One is a doctor and the other a lawyer. Crucially, much of the sitcom focuses on parenting.
Just like Good Times, the parents in The Cosby Show dealt with their kids in a way many could relate. There were drugs and money lessons; however, most of all, it was parents dealing with siblings as they each grew into their own people. It was never done before to that level and with an all-black cast. Till this day, America is still searching for the next Cosby Show.
A Different World (1987-1993)
Iconic may not even be the best word to describe this show. Without A Different World, I may not be writing this article. Before then, an HBCU was not on any of our radars. We may have heard about certain colleges from uncles and grandparents. The spinoff to The Cosby Show really changed the black culture as far as higher education went.
Back then, there weren’t too many shows displaying the college scene. Even now, there hasn’t been a scripted show on the same level as A Different World. When Lisa Bonet left, many wondered whether the show could survive with a relatively unknown cast. Well, the truth is, it only got stronger. A Different World was great to get a positive image of life inside another world.
