Death To All Black TV Shows (Except the Ones Made By Tyler Perry)

Ding dong, your show is dead.If you tried to save “The Game” and “Everybody Loves Chris” on the CW your efforts went unnoticed. You, sirs and madams, are NOT fresh faced white teens. What you want to watch does not matter. 

But you knew that, right?

So get out your chisels and the limestone so you can add their names to the wall of black shows that were not given proper series finales and were unceremoniously dumped from the air, mid-cliffhanger, whether they were successful or not.

“The Game” and “Everybody Loves Chris” have familiar company in this no man’s land. Like FOX’s once no. 1 rated sitcom “Living Single,” UPN’s “Moesha,” “Girlfriends,” “South Central,” “Half and Half” and “Frank’s Place,” they’re being kicked off the air they same way they were brought in — underfunded and with little promotion.

All you have left now are Tyler Perry’s “House of Payne” and “Meet the Browns.”

More after the jump.

I honestly tried to watch “House of Payne” the other night. I really, really did. Because I love Allen Payne, you see. And he is on the show. And he used to be in movies. Like “New Jack City” and “The Perfect Storm,” “Jason’s Lyric” and “A Price Above Rubies.” You know? Real movies. Like, he was the lead in some of them and the love interest in others and he had substantial speaking roles and a few of the films made money! Remember the 90s, Allen? Good times. I tried to watch you! I really, really tried, but I just wanted to put my head in my hands and cry.

What the fuck happened to your career? Damn you, Hollywood! Damn you to hell! It’s bad enough you keep cancelling Mara Brock Akil’s shows (She took what Yvette Lee Bowser started and made it ten times more awesome!) but look what you did to Dead Mike? I’ll never forgive you! And why isn’t Jill Marie Jones in SOMETHING already? How is she in beer commercials when she was one of the stars of a popular sitcom? I hate this industry so MUCH!

In my story on the lack of blacks in sci fi I got a testy response from one reader who felt my energy would have been better spent writing a sci fi show than playing “the race card.” May I point to Akil as an example of how you can be good at something but it doesn’t matter if the industry treats your creations like they’re 22 minute pieces of filler until they can come up with the next “Pretty white kids with problems” show.

You can produce great material until you’re blue in the face, but if you can’t get the industry to support it, you are screwed. Hence why you have someone like me writing about the lack of black people in sci fi. I swear, an industry that can’t find a place to stick Jill Marie Jones is wrong on so many levels that if Mr. Playin’ The Race Card can’t see that it is because he chose not to. The fact that Akil’s shows keep getting cruelly slaughtered without even so much as a “fuck you” is a PROBLEM. To be treated like a black audience is basically disposable, that you can throw up some garbage and they will watch and you can build some advertising revenue then DUMP THEM ALL the minute you have enough scratch to create “Gossip Girl” is a glorious, cold, pimp slap to the face.

Or as Akil wrote on the blog Rushmore Drive:

(O)n the one hand I am truly thankful for the blessing of opportunity, but on the other, I’m mad, frustrated and disappointed that my veteran experience, which includes running “Girlfriends” and “The Game” for two years at the same time, doesn’t equal a cushy overall development deal somewhere, like my white male and sometimes female counterparts seem to land even in this time of economic crisis. Somehow, because my characters were of color, my shows don’t count as much. Doesn’t matter that at one point “Girlfriends” was the longest running comedy on television. Successfully producing 236 episodes (172 episodes of “Girlfriends” plus 64 episodes of “The Game”) of television doesn’t have as much value. But that is the plight of being black in this business. That is the plight of being a woman in this business.

Yeah. What she said, Mr. Playin’ The Race Card. You ass. They try to act like it was just a movie, but “Bamboozled” is frackin’ real, people! It’s real.

daniellebelton
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51 responses to “Death To All Black TV Shows (Except the Ones Made By Tyler Perry)”

  1. ChocolateOrchid Avatar
    ChocolateOrchid

    I feel your pain. I have nothing against Tyler Perry. I’ve seen plenty of his movies. Enjoyed "Why Did I Get Married?". But I cannot force myself to even glance towards his shows on TBS. I just can’t! And I heart Allen Payne, but his presence on that show churns my stomach.

    Reply
  2. Raquita Avatar
    Raquita

    can I just say Amen and AMEN…

    Reply
  3. Adeshola Blue Avatar
    Adeshola Blue

    I tried to watch the tp shows, but they just made me realize that tp not only stands for tyler perry, but it is also synonymous with toilet paper.Jill marie Jones!!!!!!! I miss you!

    Reply
  4. politicallyincorrect Avatar
    politicallyincorrect

    Living Single wasn’t really yanked off the air like the others. Like all shows that run a few years. it ran its course, it wasn’t as funny anymore and some of the stars left.Maybe instead of complaining Akil should get in wear she fits in like Tyler Perry did. Didn’t TP go to cable b/c he wanted more control?Black entertainment just doesn’t generate the same amount of revenue, don’t just blame the network blame the ad agencies

    Reply
  5. Adeshola Blue Avatar
    Adeshola Blue

    Politically incorrect, why is it that you must poo poo everything. Why shouldn’t she complain. She helped to build a fledgling network and got the black people on fox treatment. We all should complain. With as many channels as there are on television, there should be way more black shows. Black people help the GDP and we spend more money than anyone. Why shouldn’t we have shows we like on air. Stop giving the corporatists a pass.

    Reply
  6. sandy Avatar
    sandy

    In hard times "some people" like amos and andy like carricatures…Seen this before: well before many of you were born…

    Reply
  7. sarah Avatar
    sarah

    yeah politicallyincorrect…Akil should get in where she fits in like Perry and produce minstral shows…because that’s all Perry is putting on TBS: Black Face for the New Millinium. I applaud Akil and others like her for trying to do something of substance…something that protrays our people as more than just loud talking babbling, gyrating, slapstick baboons. I am assuming that most of the people that comment on this blog are educated with halfway decent jobs…don’t we deserve to see ourselves on television too?The only thing that Hollywood likes to portray about the black race is its underclass…now that is apart of the experience and culture true enough but that is not where our culture begins or ends. And to say that black content doesn’t generate revenue is insane. Look at what the Cosbys did for NBC. What about Family Matters on ABC, the flagship show of the TGIF series that generated a lot of money for ABC and was a ratings champ for years. What about what Rock and In Living Color did for FOX…don’t forget Arsenio either. Also pisses me off that the only people allowed on late night TV are white men in suits. With all the brilliant comedians of color out there and even white female comedians, the only thing they can find to replace a Conan or a Leno is a Fallon. Hollyweird sucks!

    Reply
  8. Mr. Noface Avatar
    Mr. Noface

    The TP sitcoms are just not funny…LIKE REALLY NOT FUNNY. It’s a shame too because I enjoy his work in movies and such. I don’t understand why his show House of Payne is so unbearably unfunny (I won’t even waste my time with The Browns).I think TP made a smart move in not dealing with these start up networks whose MO is to garner funds from pimping good to great black shows only so they can "trade up" (sarcasm) to all white pretty teen/youg adult dramas when they have enough cash. UPN and WB already had a track record in that regard so people should have known what was gonna happen when they merged to become the CW.@ PoliticallyincorrectLiving Single did not run its course, like New York Undercover (another show with POC leads) it was put on hiatus for like a whole season after a season finally cliffhanger, and then it was brought back on with next to zero promotion only to be ultimately cancelled.For shows like the two mentioned above and Moesha (Miles is still in the hands of those kidnappers) such a send off is hardly worthy of the success and money that they brought to their respective networks.

    Reply
  9. Danielle Belton Avatar
    Danielle Belton

    @ Politically incorrectAkil is actually trying to get her shows picked up by cable. Her point was she’s been in the industry a long time and worked on many shows. Girlfriends went 8 seasons. Any other producer in her position would have an easier time getting work because of her past performance record, but because she’s primarily done black shows her success is not viewed the same. She routinely has to prove herself over and over. That was her point. As for Living Single, my point was that it was dumped off the air when it was the highest rated show on FOX at the time and it did not get a series finale. Yes, the writing was faltering, but most shows with that much of a following would have at least got a series finale. My point is that new, fledgling networks use black shows to build advertising revenue. So obviously someone watches them and they do make money, it’s just most networks want to go for the valued 18 to 24 demographic because advertisers prize that one even more, hence all the shows geared towards young white people.And you have to remember the only reason why Turner Broadcasting took Tyler seriously is because he built his empire from the ground up, touring his stage plays, building an audience and then produced — for cheap — DVDs of his stage plays, THEN used that money to make his films — for cheap — with no help from the mainstream and when they saw the checks come in the easy money bells began to ring. If Tyler had approached them just as a writer they never would have given him the time of day. He turned himself into a brand that could not be ignored. But Hollywood is short-sighted. Just because Tyler is making money doesn’t mean they’re all that interested in any other black writers or producers. They just treat Tyler like he’s the money unicorn.Akil is a screenwriter who has been working in the industry for decades. She has worked her way through the studio system like other writer/producers. She’s not a gospel stage play producer. It seems insane that a black writer basically has to jump through incredible hoops to be taken seriously, even if she’s proven that she can run a show and keep it on the air. And Akil’s shows weren’t dumped because people didn’t watch them. They were dumped because the network wanted to go in another direction. And I can especially understand her frustration with the major networks as there was a time they did produce sitcoms with black casts and now there are zero black shows on network television. So basically we’re going in the opposite direction from say the 80s and 90s when there were several black comedies on the air.

    Reply
  10. Danielle Belton Avatar
    Danielle Belton

    Oh. Apparently while I was writing my response everyone else was too!

    Reply
  11. nOva Avatar
    nOva

    I wrote about this issue extensively before and it’s sad. Sad because Mara is frackin’ great at what she does. And I really don’t know what we can do. I mean, saying Mara should follow TP’s model is ri-damn-diculous. TP got his deal on the strength of his box office viability (which is inversely proportional to his attention to detail and storytelling ability, among other things) whereas Mara tried to stay committed to developing quality Black network TV. I also don’t see where moving her stuff to cable will make a huge difference since (1) many of us refuse to buy that over-priced garbage until they go a’la carte and (2) some people just can’t afford cable to begin with, not even a basic package.But I think the Black audience must also accept some culpability in this. There were many of us that came on board WAY TOO LATE in the game (no pun intended) and they just didn’t translate to the numbers the corporate folks needed to justify continuing. I looked at a sampling of show ratings on the CW and the ‘The Game’ ranked higher than ‘Top Model’ encores and a bunch of other shows that also got cancelled. But it so much as approach the numbers of ‘Gossip Girl’ or premiere episodes of ‘Top Model’. Granted, the Neilsons method is outdated, but it’s what the networks rely on right now. To expect them to keep ‘The Game’ on because we’re outraged is to expect them to do something they don’t have in them–have sympathy. Sympathy don’t generate a profit.

    Reply
  12. Adeshola Blue Avatar
    Adeshola Blue

    That would be affirmative! I liked this post. Sad but true.

    Reply
  13. TAG Avatar
    TAG

    I’m so glad Living Single was able to get a series finale. I can’t remember Martin’s series finale. Does anyone remember? I think it was kind of awkward or weird because drama between Martin Lawrence and Tisha Campbell-Martin.Moesha didn’t get a proper series finale; Miles is still missing… What about All of Us, Girlfriends, and a host of other shows who did not get a proper series finale? Now ‘The Game’ was the last hope and that was taken away from us. I understand both sides of the argument with Tyler Perry’s productions but he did take the independent route which gives you 100% control over your content and it’s up to your audience to support you.

    Reply
  14. PCH Avatar
    PCH

    The only hope for a revival for The Game would be if the DVDs, if they are produced in time, are gobbled up in huge Familyesque numbers. The cliffhanger ending was done beautifully, but we will probably never know what happens with Kelly and Jason. She seemed so crushed when Chamile showed up to pick up Jason from jail. Jason was my favorite character up to that point. Sure he was a controlling, cheap skate, who abused steroids, but he was witty, and not as shrill as the other characters. During the episode when Kelly fainted, and his father was introduced, you really got a good read on why he is the way he is. He is probably the most fleshed out character on the show.

    Reply
  15. Mr. Noface Avatar
    Mr. Noface

    The fact remains, that if you are trying to create a black show with a startup network you are going to get screwed over in 2-3 years (whether you are brand like Tyler Perry or a veteran screenwriter like Akil). I mean, it’s a tried and true method used by the likes of FOX, UPN, WB, and now the CW.

    Reply
  16. politicallyincorrect Avatar
    politicallyincorrect

    How am I giving corporate folks a pass. I stated that this issue must be taken up with the advertisers. Gossip Girl and shows like that have a more "desirable" demographic to advertisers. And networks make money off of commercials. Cosby and Family Matters made big bucks b/c they crossed over to the mainstream. The Game and Girlfriends are niche shows that mainly appealed to black audiences and mainly black women. Advertisers don’t think we are much of the valued audience, what do you see when the show black shows? Dr Miracle commercials, ringtones and cars.They do the same thing to black music radio. Black music stations will be the highest in the city and not be highest in revenue. News talk and pop radio both make more money than black radio stations.Girlfriends I liked, but The Game I didn’t watch much. And I notice BW are fighting for a show that showed the black women as being either bitter or emotional wrecks and the lone white girl was the nice one.

    Reply
  17. PCH Avatar
    PCH

    That is a trite interpretation of the female characters on the show. Melanie, though annoying, was in medical school. Tasha, though loud, fashioned herself into a high-powered sports agent. Kelly was probably the weakest character because so tended to be under someone else’s thumb, and easily controlled. It took a lot for her to finally start standing up for herself, but she still had the tendency to revert back to her bad habits of being a pushover. See-Cliffhanger season finale where she crawled back to Jason, only to get her feelings hurt.

    Reply
  18. politicallyincorrect Avatar
    politicallyincorrect

    Having a career or an education doesn’t exclude one from being an emotional wreck. But out of all the women on the show I would rather hang out with Kelly.

    Reply
  19. booga Avatar
    booga

    I disagree with the idea that Akil should "get in where she fits in like Tyler Perry". pffft. Snob- you hit the nail on the head when you said that Bamboozled is real life. Perry has some decent (and a few very good) drama (movies) out, but his tv shows and comedy movies- well, the actor’s may as well put on blackface. Ugh. If that’s where someone "fits in", I encourage them to instead opt out. I’d rather not see Black folks in the media if our only recourse is to be a bunch of clowns. NO THANKS!

    Reply
  20. PCH Avatar
    PCH

    Tasha is pretty stoic as are pretty much every female character on the show not named Melanie or Kelly. For the most part the women on the show are proactive in getting what they want out of life, and are not prone to break downs.

    Reply
  21. OneChele Avatar
    OneChele

    It is extremely frustrating. I attempted to watch the TP shows and in the words of your blog sister Luvvie… iCant. I was watching with a group of people of different races and I was actually embarrassed (red in the face) of what was on the screen. My 8 year old niece looked at me and said, "We don’t act like that, why do they act like that?" Without any good answer, I replied, "It’s TV. TV isn’t real." In true child fashion, she gave me the "I’m not buying it" look before getting up, grabbing a book and retreating to her room. I couldn’t blame her.I spent 18 months in Hollywood knocking my head against a brick wall, er – uh, writing for a channel that was represented by a little frog. I was brought onto a show about a white chick coming of age who had fabulous hair (yes, that show). I came onboard to add "a diversity storyline" to the show. Out of the 800 pages of script I wrote, 6 pages made it into on show. My episodes were "too ethnic" and might "alienate the viewing base". What about expanding it, I asked naively. Just adding a black character to your show will get a whole new "base" to check it out. They added the character but gave her nothing to say and little to do besides walk alongside the main character nodding sympathetically.I bailed, moved back to Texas disenchanted and started writing books. But the point is for every step we take forward in some arenas (see 1600 Penn Ave) we seem to get pushed backward two in others. Besides Lincoln Park on ABCFamily, No. 1 Ladies Detectvie Agency on HBO (completely ignoring TP shows), can anyone name a quality all black show on TV anywhere? <sigh> My family and I play a game as we watch TV – where’s the black character? Kind of like Where’s Waldo but harder to spot 😉

    Reply
  22. politicallyincorrect Avatar
    politicallyincorrect

    How can you knock Tyler for giving people what they apparently want. I was on the bus the other day and these women were talking about how they had to go home and catch House of "Pain", and I know a couple of Hispanics who also go to his movies and watch his shows. So people are watching, and on cable you can get away with having an audience under a millionI don’t like his shows and his first movie is the only one I have watched more than once. I don’t support him in theatres. Can you knock they guy for apparently filling a void for a particular audience.People are getting emotional about when its more business. This use a black show to build a network has been used over and over again, you would have to be a fool to walk into that situation to think you will be treated differently. The WB did the same thing to the Wayans Brothers show and the Wayans family was established in the industry by then. Even Chris Rock said screw it and made sure his show went out with an actual series finale.

    Reply
  23. Kylor2 Avatar
    Kylor2

    I do not watch any of the TP nonsense I tried *and won’t be back. I like all the ones mentioned but very very rarely watched The Game, it was okay if NOTHING else was on. I still think that it is unfortunate that there is still not a venue for AA on television other that the Same ol Sh*t. *kmt, shaking my head.

    Reply
  24. Kareem Avatar
    Kareem

    Even Asians have a hard time getting in. Avatar, a story based Asian and Inuit cultures is being adapted as a movie… with Caucasians. They’re not playing every part… just the heroes. Even "liberal" Hollywood couldn’t be bothered to reach out to the many Asian actors who can’t get work if they don’t know martial arts.And there was news that the new Doctor on Doctor Who would be black. Then there was outrage that a character who routinely changes his DNA would be played by a darkie… so soon a young white (and less experienced) actor was announced.I really don’t want to believe White Privileged has this kind of reach… but I keep getting proved wrong.

    Reply
  25. nOva Avatar
    nOva

    politicallyincorrect: "How can you knock Tyler for giving people what they apparently want."Good lord, where do I begin with this? I think the overriding conceit is that Black folks want a range and variety of representations and stories, so that ONE idea or representation doesn’t become the dominating one. "Black" is not a genre or a niche, but anytime something Black is imparted by the mainstream, only one-to-a-few representations can exist at one time. That’s a problem. If TP wants to produce some duck-walking, Sanctified Monkey type of product then he is entirely within his right to, and his audience will be more than served. But there’s a contingent of Black folks that CONTINUE to be ignored, overlooked and underserved, not just in film/TV but also in music. TP has established a brand and formula that makes him the donut$ and God bless him. But his ability to produce low-brow, infantile, shallow TV shows and films at a steady clip doesn’t mean he’s above reproach.

    Reply
  26. justelise Avatar
    justelise

    I just don’t relate to black TV shows. I think they’re just a bunch of stereotypes of POC strung together to a laugh track. My friends, neighborhood, and family never looked anything like what’s reflected on these shows, so why should I support them? I’m also tired of getting attitude from other Black people when I tell them that I don’t like Tyler Perry’s stuff or these other shows like The Game, etc. They’re not funny to me, period, and I’m tired of catching attitude from people because I don’t share their opinion.I’d like to see more diversity on TV, which means more multicultural dramas (like GA before Isaiah Washington lost his ever loving mind, and before Shonda ruined all of her characters), with more POC writing, directing, and producing them. Until there is more diversity behind the camera (producing, directing, casting, etc.) there won’t be more people of color in front of the camera.

    Reply
  27. dukedraven Avatar
    dukedraven

    Puleeze, no mas Tyler Perry!

    Reply
  28. dukedraven Avatar
    dukedraven

    Amen, Justelise. I couldn’t have said it better.

    Reply
  29. BlackMarketIndex Avatar
    BlackMarketIndex

    I will say that the mood out here in Hollywood is dominated by fear. The business is shrinking — fast. And a lot of people for a variety of reasons are being pushed to the side. Especially on the comedy side — where opportunities for all writers regardless of color or gender are scarce. Akil’s reasons for the show’s ratings — lack of promotion, bad time slots — are no different than what you’d hear from any Joss Whedon fan and echos the exact sentiment I’ve heard on the set and in the writers’ room of every show that’s been axed. Of course, it’s minorities and women who are feeling the pain first, but it is affecting everyone.Look at what’s happening on NBC with Leno? That’s five hours of programming hours — or as we like to call it out here, jobs — lost in on swoop. As for the CW, people have been betting for the past couple of years that it wouldn’t survive long. Now with the financial crisis and fallout in advertising buys, those doomsayers may finally be right.I think Akil has a point — black (and women) writers seemingly have to prove themselves more than their white male counterparts — but that’s not the news. The shit is bleak people and every show is feeling the pinch.

    Reply
  30. Tyler Avatar
    Tyler

    So true.And thank you for showing love to Jill Marie Jones. She was the heart and soul of Girlfriends, and frequently the funniest actress on TV. It’s a shame that she hasn’t been working as much since.I still argue that Mara has created the best, most three-dimensional portraits of contemporary black womanhood that I’ve ever seen. I loved Girlfriends because I felt like there was heart and soul in that show. The women were deeply flawed, crazy, funny, emotional, mean, loving, gracious in a way that no other television show has done before or since (not even Living Single, which was a more conventional sitcom type…to its credit it really REALLY holds up).

    Reply
  31. rikyrah Avatar
    rikyrah

    Do you remember HOW Tyler Perry got House of Payne in the first place? He went around to the networks shopping a show, and they reacted to him as they usually do with Blacks who come to television. And this was AFTER the plays. AFTER he had made several movies from nothing. Perry did that 10 episode, multi=-city audition of his shows, to prove that they had an audience. THAT is why TBS picked them up….AFTER Perry had proven that he had an audience. I agree about The Game and Everybody Hates Chris getting the shaft from The CW.

    Reply
  32. rikyrah Avatar
    rikyrah

    I still must ask…why are there no original dramas or comedies originated on BET or TVOne?

    Reply
  33. TruthTeller Avatar
    TruthTeller

    Supposedly, "Everybody Hates Chris" was finally cancelled because, as everybody with two eyes can see, the little boy who plays Chris is now damn near grown with a deep voice and 6 more inches of height. The character he plays is also 16 years old now. The same age Chris Rock was when he dropped out of high school to pursue comedy full time. So I’m not really upset about EHC being cancelled. The timing happened to line up perfectly and they got a real series finale. Chris Rock is doing great by black sitcom standards.I am, however, still extremely salty about "Girlfriends" being shafted with no finale. The characters weren’t perfect, but they certainly were not caricatures or buffons. All of the women were complex and showed real emotions and were SO STYLISH. I’ve heard rumors that there might be a "Girlfriends" movie. To me, that is the only way to rectify the shitty manner in which that awesome show was disposed of.On a similar note, I don’t know if anyone else notices, but every Sunday, WETV does minimarathons of Girlfriends where they play 6 or 7 episodes straight. EVERY SINGLE SUNDAY. I’m not sure if they track ratings for syndication, but methinks they wouldn’t be running minimarathons of "Girlfriends" every Sunday for no reason."The Game" was my favorite show and I am too pissed that I won’t be seeing Pooch Hall every week on my TV. And I am SICK that I will never know whether or not that was his baby, if Kelly and Jason get back together, if Kelly and Tasha repair their friendship….*sigh* I guess we’ll never know. I guess I can settle with being happy that Derwin married Melanie.

    Reply
  34. The A Avatar
    The A

    "doing great by black sitcom standards"thus confirming everything that is wrong with HOLLOWwood. Why it gotta be a different set of standards jus cuz I’m black?!I shouldn’t have to keep HBO (I see you Jill Scott & Anika Noni Rose) to see a show about black people doing something other than shuckin & jivin onscreen.& every time there is a show on TV with a little bit of depth, the black characters -if there are any- are relegated to the sidelines & kept around just to give street cred and flava to the plot about their white counterparts.Jill Marie Jones must’ve signed up with Staci Dash’s do not a damn thing agent. Beer commercials?! Booo!!!BET & TVOne are about regurgitating what sells not innovating. But I do get my Martin & Weezy fix on TVOne.

    Reply
  35. JannyD Avatar
    JannyD

    I have to ask this question….Does Hollywood see any color but green? My point here is this- Is the problem that quality ‘black’ shows dont make money? If they don’t why? In the examples you gave-In living color etc- these shows were making money so why kill off a cash cow…Makes no sense? Until I know the answers to these questions I am not sure all the hand wringing will help…I do know that promoting something and hyping it up and keeping it around for long enough can sometimes help make it happen…I am guessing that ‘black’ shows are not being given that opportunity….I dont know….Another question- How many people are living in the monoracial realities that some of these shows have…Are we better off fighting for more quality roles and better integration on ‘mainstream’ shows?Another observation- Jill marie jones does not have a job for the same reason that Gabrielle Union, Sanaa Lathan, Nia Long are not multi-million dollar earning actresses- You cannot have the Black bestfriend be hotter than the Blonde lead lest the heart-throb develop a sudden yearning for the chocolate- I mean just think, if Nia Long had been one of the girls in Sex and the City? There is no way in HELL, Jessica Parker would have gotten any arse EVER. Of course there is always room for Queen Latifah. I dont resent her abilities or career, I am just saying that it says something about the industry that there is only space for one type of Black womanFinally, can we find out why Shonda Rimes and all the few Black people with power aren’t focused on helping the situation…I mean much as I loathe TP, at least he gives Black people a paycheck…

    Reply
  36. Tia Avatar
    Tia

    Okay, I’ll admit I have never watched the "The Game" but I have watched "House of Payne". And stuck to watching it only because Tyler Perry build a brand that I understood and wanted to support. As for his show being a possible modern Amos & Andy theme I just ignore becuase I can point out many racial sterotypes in "The Game" etc… The truth is certain people don’t like Tyler Perry and don’t understand his success so they sour grape his shows and movies.

    Reply
  37. Tiyanna Avatar
    Tiyanna

    That show was a sham from the beginning.Staci Robinson also wants to stop the show from airingNew shows and yes, even a new lawsuit come with the territory of launching a new network.Author Staci Robinson is suing The CW, its owners and some producers for $40 million for allegedly stealing the concept of her unpublished novel to create the sitcom "The Game," according to The Hollywood Reporter.The writer claims that in 2001, she had interviewed for a job as a writers assistant at Kelsey Grammer’s Gramnet Prods. when she gave a manuscript of her novel to "Game" executive producer Mara Brock Akil. The suit, filed Sept. 14, alleges that the series copies her premise and the characters in the book.She names the CW and its owners, CBS and Warner Bros., Akil and Gramnet as defendants.Both the written and filmed versions center on a woman who is devoted to an NFL player, but wants to pursue her professional schooling. The show stars Tia Mowry as Melanie Barnett, who gives up Johns Hopkins Medical School in favor of a local school when her boyfriend Derwin Davis (Pooch Hall) is chosen as the new third-string wide receiver for the San Diego Sabers.

    Reply
  38. Honee Bee Avatar
    Honee Bee

    Okay. I am VERY upset the cw isn’t bringing back THe Game. That show is my favorite tv show right now so much so that I watch the reruns of the first two seasons everyday on BET. But for some reason I have a feeling they may get picked up on another station. But then again I had a feeling the cw would keep the show…..WHO KNOWS!!!I will admit that House of Payne had to really grow on me and now I really like it. As for The Browns…..well….it’s still in the growing process, but I continue to watch it in hopes that one day it will be better.The CW really messed up when they cancelled Girlfriends. I watched every single episode of Girlfriends in hopes that one day to see Joan finally get married and dammit they cancelled it before we could ever see this happen. It’s like going to a movie and they cut the projector off before seeing the end of the movie!!!And everybody on here seems to be upset about Toni leaving Girlfriends, but wasn’t that her fault??? I thought she didn’t want he contract renewed to do movies?? I love Jill Marie Jones just as much as the other Girlfriends but shouldn’t she have seen the example from other actors and actresses who leave their shows too soon only to find out they can’t get any better roles???

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  39. RainaHavock Avatar
    RainaHavock

    That’s it! I’m not watching the CW anymore! The Game was the only reason I still watched that channel. Well that and Steve Wilkos but still. NOO!!!

    Reply
  40. TruthTeller Avatar
    TruthTeller

    Jill Marie Jones was the "heart and soul" of "Girlfriends"? I don’t think so.She’s gorgeous, yes. She had an awesome storyline (although she wasn’t always great at acting out the more emotional scenes), wardrobe and hairstyles. I’d like to see her work more regularly now. But like HoneeBee said, she left the show prematurely on her own. I guess she thought she could turn "Toni Childs" into something bigger and better. Turns out commercials for some third rate beer company is the best she can do. How unfortunate…did she not realize that no single member of that cast is greater than the sum of its parts? I always saw Joan/Tracee Ellis Ross as the center of the show because everything was based out of her living room and in the beginning, her daydreams and inner thoughts were what was relayed. I also thought Tracee was the best actress out of all of them. Persia White was the one who should have left! lol*sigh* I’m so bitter about this show being cancelled! LOL

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  41. JJ Avatar
    JJ

    @JannyDNetworks will pull shows if they ecide they "want to go in a new direction."Fox cancelled Living Single and The Roc (a show no one has mentioned but a great show about a middle class black family) because they were gonna start with their young "white" shows.Living SIngle and The Roc were the two highest rated shows on the network at the time.Dr. Quinn’s Medicine Woman – a show I LUVED was canceled off of CBS for the same reason. Ratings had nothing to do with it. A Big Butt and a Smile

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  42. Naturally Alise Avatar
    Naturally Alise

    I wish that at least the last black show was one I really could get behind and champion. "The Game" is far better than the TP shows, but not so compelling that I could really fight for it outside of the fact it was a black show. (Admit it, "The Game" could get real corny and often was over exaggerated and overacted)

    Reply
  43. BrokeandCopa Avatar
    BrokeandCopa

    Chocolate Orchid you had me LMFAO ! Good reply I am with you 100 on that .

    Reply
  44. vee Avatar
    vee

    it seems the struggle never ends. i wish that a station like BET would fund all these shows instead of the crap that they do. I dont expect anything from white people, but i do expect the black community ie BET to support these endeavors

    Reply
  45. PPR_Scribe Avatar
    PPR_Scribe

    I hope folks here will consider supporting "The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency" on HBO. It is a very rare show–filmed in Africa (Botswana), pretty much all-Black cast, starring a Black woman who is not Hollywood-thin, and a drama that does not involve blood sex and guts.

    Reply
  46. afia manu Avatar
    afia manu

    I must say that I am a fan of Gilrfriends,half and half,sister sister and pretty much all the intelligent black shows that came out between the late 80’s when I wan born till today but I do believe that as I speak there are 100’s more white shows where there are highly suitable black boys and girl actors that could play the roles in them. Why cant Hollywood see that the more stereotype the black characters are the less the shows will last. If we have to have Gossip Girl why dont we have uppidy Black characters(there could be politician daughters and sons,music producers kids,actors who had kids,alum kids etc etc….). Im just saying, if we have to continue to enjoy pretty white kids with problems we should in fairness because I know they exsist have "pretty black kids with problems " also! And we should keep the stereotyping to a minimum.

    Reply
  47. Adaobi Avatar
    Adaobi

    I raise my hand as one of the few who didn’t watch Girlfriends, The Game, or Everybody Hates Chris regularly. I’m just not drawn to sitcoms. Is comedy all we’re good for? Give me a good one hour drama and I will be there with the phone turned off and my "do not disturb" sign. I would love to see the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency but HBO is not in the budget. I will be first in line to rent the DVD when (if) it comes out though. I’m waiting to see how HawthoRNe turns out. Sure it’s an ensemble, but it’s centered around a black woman, which we haven’t seen in a very very long time. Grey’s Anatomy, despite having a cast with more POC than any other drama on TV, is still centered around a white woman. At least we can get a black comedy on the air. It’s next to impossible to find a decent drama . Was there anything else on broadcast TV after City of Angels on CBS back in 2000? But why is it we can’t see more dramas on broadcast TV? Why do we have to spend money that some of us may not have to see black people as leads in a quality drama?

    Reply
  48. George D. Avatar
    George D.

    Hey, ownership has its priviledges.Quit whinning; no matter how well you shine somebodyelses ride, it still ain’t yours. And when it starts to rain, and no room can be found (for whatever reason), your soapy ass, rags, brushes, and all will be walking. Dis’ Tyler all you want. You can reach him somewhere his "own" island.Remember the Negro Leagues.To conclude, we clearly need better talent representation. Perhaps instead of just artististic talent what we need is better agency talent, business talent, and entrepreneurial talent that can manifest a market For Us By Us and anyone else of like mind.Do you feel me?

    Reply
  49. Uncle Rudy Avatar
    Uncle Rudy

    I just got hip to The Game back in December of last year and I still hook like a crook for more of this show.I hate Tyler Perry’s House of Payne and Meet The Browns because ti’s a minstrel show and black radio support this dude.Everybody hates Chris wasn’t on my list but I would take it over Tyler Perry’s two show on TBS.

    Reply
  50. Makyamizicy Avatar
    Makyamizicy

    i am new, happy to be here.. need fix my keybordhttp://newsice.com

    Reply

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