Black TV

October 23, 2023
Washington Post journalist Butler debuts with a solid survey of television shows “that center Black people and their experiences” from the 1960s through the present. Profiling notable shows from each decade, Butler credits the sitcom Julia (1968–1971), which followed the exploits of a Black single mother and her son, with being “the first TV show to feature a Black family,” and discusses how Issa Rae collaborated with veteran comedy writers Larry Wilmore and Prentice Penny to retool her web series, The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl, as HBO’s Insecure (2016–2021). Butler explores sometimes complicated behind-the-scenes dynamics, explaining that Sanford and Son star Redd Foxx struggled to convince NBC to add Black writers to the first season’s all-white writers’ room; Richard Pryor was eventually hired, but soon left, displeased his scripts were changed to reflect the white writers’ perceptions of Black people. The matter-of-fact presentation, complemented by copious photographs, doesn’t include much analysis, but there are some intriguing tidbits; for instance, Butler reports that “affable TV dads” were cast as racists in ABC’s miniseries Roots to “offset the guilt and shame that white viewers might feel while watching the series.” This straightforward tribute to “series that helped increase the visibility of Black entertainers” is worth a look. Photos. (Dec.)Correction: An earlier version of this review mischaracterized the author’s beat at the Washington Post.

December 1, 2023

Washington Post features reporter Butler looks back on television shows hosted by or starring Black entertainers in this amply detailed book. In 1968, the television sitcom Julia premiered. The main character, played by Diahann Carroll, was a middle-class nurse, which wasn't a stereotypical role typically seen on TV. As with most shows, however, Julia's directors and writers were white. As more programming with Black leads was produced, the fight to get representation behind the scenes grew. Meanwhile, programming such as Soul Train, created and hosted by Don Cornelius, gave audiences a mirror and a window to Black culture. Butler extensively covers sitcoms such as Family Matters and Girlfriends and dedicates chapters to variety TV series and the groundbreaking miniseries Roots. Treatments of some of the programs are inexhaustive, such as the Moesha spin-off The Parkers, only mentioned in passing. It isn't until the contemporary chapter about dramas such as Scandal that Butler writes with joy as a viewer tuning in to see what happens next. VERDICT Readers who fondly remember watching programs such as In Living Color and Everybody Hates Chris will especially enjoy this. Same goes for TV enthusiasts looking for something to rewatch.--Anjelica Rufus-Barnes

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