What is a sitcom? By definition, a sitcom is a situation comedy. That’s it, just somebody writes about a particular situation going on, and the actors try to make light of the problem. Some of the sitcoms on my list are popular, one I know people have changed their opinion on. Still, no matter if you agree with me if these are some of the best Black sitcoms, we can all agree that they made us laugh, and the topics they brought up were critical to the Black community at that time, and some of their issues are still problematic today. This list is a combination of old and new sitcoms. I want to note that the list is in order by the date the first episode aired, and they are not listed from my favorite to least favorite. Let’s start with the oldies and go back to the 1970s.
- Good Times: February 8, 1974-January 30, 1980
What was going on in the 1970s? I believe the 70s was a time of change in America, especially for Black people. We were starting to be seen as equals, no more of that colored shit. We got to go to the same places white people went. Segregation ended in 1964 when President Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act. Now that I gave you all a little history lesson, let’s talk about Good Times.
Eric Monte and Mike Evans created Good Times, and it was the first-ever Black two-parent family sitcom to appear on TV. Florida and James lived in the hood, quite frankly with their three kids, JJ, Thelma, and Michael. Florida was the dutiful, ever hopeful housewife who just knew that one day they would get out of the hood. She was always talking about the future with her best friend and neighbor, Willona Woods. James was the disciplinarian and kind of mean, in my opinion. The poor man worked at least two jobs to support his family, so I guess he had the right to have an attitude. JJ was the funny man of the house, wasn’t particularly smart, but was a damn good painter, and his character is known for saying “Dyn-o-mite!”. JJ was always in something, pretty much stayed in trouble, and was never without a girlfriend. Which I found surprising because he wasn’t the brightest or best looking, but it was just something about JJ. Thelma was kind of hard for me to get a grip on. She was smart, pretty, and helpful around the house. She did what she was told and rarely caused problems, but she never took crap from anybody. She dated and even got married to a professional football player. The youngest, Michael, was my favorite sibling. He was young but proud to be Black. He was always fighting something and was never afraid to speak his mind. Good Times tackled problems in the 70s like gang violence, unemployment, discrimination, poverty, and child abuse. Now, I know y’all are probably like child abuse; what child abuse? That issue was brought up when Penny, aka little Janet Jackson, came on the show. She was abused by her biological mother and adopted by Florida’s best friend, Willona. All-in-all, Good Times showed Black people that their problems were valid and anyone could experience them and that living in the hood had its good and bad sides, and eventually, they could get out.
- The Cosby Show: September 20, 1984-April 30, 1992
Now, before y’all try to come for me for putting this show on my list. The Cosby Show paved the way for so many other Black actors and TV shows. There is no denying that The Cosby Show was one of the most influential and successful shows of its time. I know some people hate this show now because of what Bill Cosby did, but I won’t be talking about that in this article, not because it’s unimportant but because I am attempting to separate Bill Cosby from Dr. Huxtable. So, with that being said, let’s have a mini-history lesson. The 1980s signified the end of the Cold Wars, but not only that the 80s was when technology began to evolve slowly, but Tim Berners ( the creator of the World Wide Web) was on to something he just needed a little more time. The ’80s was the era of some of our favorite older singers and actors like Tina Turner, Eddie Murphy, Whitney Houston, and Michael Jackson, who released his second solo album, Thriller. Alright, history lesson complete, let’s talk about the Huxtables.
The Cosby Show showcased Black people in a completely different light. They weren’t low or middle class. These Black people had MONEY! Cliff Huxtable was an OBGYN, and Clair Huxtable was a lawyer. Not only were they well-off, but they had careers that young Black people could see and aim to achieve. I am 90 percent sure that some of y’all decided to become a doctor or lawyer because of Cliff and Clair. Dr. Huxtable and Clair had five children: Sondra, Denise, Theo, Vanessa, and Rudy. The Cosby Show showcased issues like dyslexia, teen pregnancy, and other family issues. This show was so influential that if I continue, I would not be able to move on to the other shows. 2000s kids even knew about The Cosby Show because it was always on TV, up until the truth came out about Bill. I HATE that this show has been tainted because of what Bill did. I know I said previously that I would not talk about what he did, but it’s inevitable. If you speak on The Cosby Show, you have to speak on Bill. After the allegations of his sexual misconduct in 2014, networks stopped airing reruns of the show. When he was convicted of sexual assault in 2018, I have never seen the show again. I wish that they would not have taken it off-air because so many other great Black actors were on it.
- The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air: September 10, 1990-May 20, 1996
Here come the 90s! My favorite era of all time. I am a 90s baby, so I go hard behind it. I believe the 1990s was a time of inspiration, growth, and achievement for Black people. Let me tell y’all a few things that happened in the 90s. Nelson Mandela was released from prison, became the ANC leader, and eventually became President of South Africa; Tim Berners-Lee officially published a proposal for the World Wide Web, eBay was created, and Princess Diana and Prince Charles got divorced. Princess Diana, unfortunately, passes away, Bill Clinton is elected President of the U.S. a second time, Apple reveals the first iMac computer, J.K. Rowling publishes the first book in the Harry Potter series.
Now, moving on to The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, if y’all don’t know what this show is, I don’t know how I feel about yall, lol. Did you have a bad childhood? The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air is where we got to know the acting icon, Will Smith. I don’t care what anyone says. Will Smith is one of the best actors of this generation. Andy and Susan Borowitz created The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. The show stars Will Smith as a fictional version of himself, a teenager born and raised in West Philadelphia who is sent to move in with his rich uncle and aunt in Bel-Air after getting into a fight in the local playground in his neighborhood, exactly what the theme song says. His mother shipped poor Will off to boujee ass Bel-Air to live with his Aunt Val, Uncle Phil, and his spoiled, stuck up, entitled cousins Carlton, Hilary, and Ashley. It is seen throughout the series Will has to get used to this way of living. His cousins are used to having things their way, and when Will shows up, it is hectic. Even though The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air is one of the “lighter” shows on this list, it still managed to tackle some pretty big issues, like sexism, drugs, alcohol abuse, gun violence, racial profiling, prejudice, parental neglect, and more. The parental neglect episode may be the most famous episode of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air when Will’s father abandoned him again, and he shouted “To hell with him,” cried and hugged Uncle Phil. That episode still makes me cry because it’s something that a lot of kids go through; a lot of children are fatherless. Even though the series ended before I was born, I can still tell you about how important it was, or I can tell you every detail of an episode because that’s how big of an impact this show had on the Black community.
- The Parkers: August 30, 1999-May 10, 2004
Alright, y’all, I know some of y’all are saying what does The Parkers have to do with significant issues or discussions. I am going to stop y’all right now; let’s discuss. The Parkers is a spin-off from Moesha, and it tells the story of a mother and daughter tackling college together. In my opinion, The Parkers tackled issues like parenting adult children, self-love, and education. Nikki Parker ensured everyone at Santa Monica College that she was not too old to get her education. Now, the main thing that made me mad about The Parkers was how they made Nikki obsess over Dr. Oglevee. You don’t need a man to be successful or happy! Dr. Oglevee was cute, but he wasn’t that damn cute, and he did all that running just to marry Nikki at the end of the series. I was also mad that they made Kim so dumb! Like in Moesha, she wasn’t the smartest, but she wasn’t so dense. In The Parkers, she was plain stupid, but I think they did this to show people that you don’t need a college education to be successful. In the end, Kim flunked out of Santa Monica College but still ended up becoming a successful fashion designer and went into business with her best friend, Stevie. Even though The Parkers had the least “issues” than the other shows, it is still one of my favorite shows to this day. Go watch it! It’s on Netflix, lol.
- Blackish: September 24, 2014
This is the last one on the list. I’m pretty sure all the kids watch this. Blackish was created by Kenya Barris and follows the life of an upper-middle-class Black family. Let me introduce the parents. Andre is an advertising executive at Stevens & Lido and was raised in the hood by a good old school Black woman; his father was in and out of his life. Rainbow is an anesthesiologist and is mixed with Black and white; this is an important detail to know; that’s why I am mentioning it. She was raised by a Black lawyer mom and a white stay-at-home dad and grew up in a slightly cultish commune. They have five children together and tackle many family, personal, and societal issues. Does that remind anyone of The Cosby Show? Dre constantly tackles this issue: Is his family getting the Black experience while living in the suburbs? In each episode, you can see that he continually looks for the answer to his question. Blackish has tackled issues like race, Black hair, adoption, police brutality, and more. Unlike every other show on this list, Blackish is still going on and discussing new issues within the Black community and the world. If Blackish doesn’t quite interest you, try watching the prequel, Mixed-ish, or the spin-off, Grownish.
Many other shows could be included on this list, like 227, Family Matters, Moesha, My Wife and Kids, Martin, The Bernie Mac Show, and Sanford and Son. This list could go on and on, but I digress. These shows and Black actors have played a large part in the lives of Black children and teens. Whether these shows made you laugh, cry, or both, maybe you believed some of these shows held no value. Regardless, these shows did something for the Black community. Let me know what your favorite Black sitcom is.
