By Ralph Richardson

Hey ya’ll, I’m back, this time with the Top Ten African-American TV Shows of All Time. For my guidance, I used some simple rules, much like the ones I used to choose the Top 25 African-American Films.

First of all, the show has to be about black life. Secondly, the barometers I used were cultural influence, internet polling, and longevity. Selected programs had to have a minimum of three years on television, which is the required minimum for a program to go into syndication, or re-runs. This led me to exclude some great shows, like Frank’s Place and Chappelle’s Show. (Remember, Dave left abruptly during the third season, and so that final season didn’t even come close to the genius of the first two, when Dave was the creative force making the magic happen.)

So, without any further ado, here are my top ten picks for African-American television programs:

10. Roc (1991) - Created by Stan Daniels, Roc debuted on FOX, August 24th, 1991. Roc () gives us the ups and downs of Baltimore garbage collector Roc Emerson (Charles S. Dutton), who constantly brought home “gifts” from his job for his wife Eleanor (Ella Joyce, who got her Baltimore accent just right), a registered nurse. As the show found its footing, the series struck a more dramatic tone, full of social commentary while not being preachy . This is a show that had Malcolm X framed prominently on the wall before he became fashionable. While the show had a cult-like following and stellar, theatre-trained actors, their numbers were low for three seasons. Roc gained recognition in the form of award nominations, including an Emmy nomination for its camera work, with Charles Dutton receiving an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in comedy.

9. Soul Food: The Series (2000) – debuted on Showtime June 28, 2000 and ran until May 26, 2004. Created by filmmaker George Tillman, Jr. and developed for television by Felicia D. Henderson, Soul Food is based upon Tillman’s childhood experiences growing up in Wisconsin. Soul Food aired for an unprecedented 74 episodes, making it the longest running drama with a predominantly black cast in the history of North American prime-time television. Soul Food, starring Irma P. Hall (Mamma Joe), Nicole Ari Parker (Terri Joseph), and Vanessa Williams (Maxine Chadway), follows the ups and downs of the Josephs, a tight-knit African-American family living in Chicago. Soul Food was an overnight success. Its popularity and huge fan base immediately earned the show a record-breaking renewal of 40 episodes in 2001. The show earned many awards during its five-season run on Showtime. It received five NAACP Image Awards nominations for Outstanding Drama Series and won three consecutive times in 2002, 2003, and 2004.

8. The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1990) – Created by Andy and Susan Borowitz, this hit show originally aired on NBC from September 10, 1990 to May 20, 1996, starring Will Smith as a smart-ass, street-smart teenager from West Philadelphia whose Mom sent him to live with his wealthy relatives in Bel Air, California, for a better life. Will Smith, on the verge of bankruptcy in real life, captures the hearts and minds of young America with his undeniable charm, breezy wit, and good looks and goes on to become one of the highest-paid actors of any color in Hollywood. The show rocketed up the ratings and became one of the most popular sitcoms for young adults during its time on television. One of my favorite scenes is: [after Vivian asks Will to be her partner on Soul Train] Will: “I’d like to, Aunt Viv, really. But it’s hard to get my groove on with an old woman.” Will Smith’s comic timing was impeccable, reminiscent of Tom Hanks’ character in Bosom Buddies. Alfonso Ribeiro, James Avery, Tatyana Ali and Karyn Parsons make up the strong support that every great show needs. Will Smith was nominated for two Golden Globes: Best Performance by an Actor in a TV-Series – Comedy/Musical.

7. Good Times (1974) – Good Times was created by Eric Monte and Michael Evans and produced by Norman Lear. The show was a spin-off of Maude, which was itself a spin-off of All in the Family. The program premiered in February 1974; high ratings led CBS to renew the program for the 1974–1975 season, as it was the seventeenth-highest-rated program that year. The series starred Esther Rolle as Florida Evans and John Amos as her husband, James Evans, Sr. Florida and James Evans and their three children live in Chicago in the infamous Cabrini-Green projects. Their children were James, Jr., also known as “J.J.” (Jimmie Walker), Thelma (Bern Nadette Stanis), and Michael (Ralph Carter). JJ was the clown and artist, Thelma was the sexy serious student a whole generation of boys had a crush on, and Michael was the militant midget. During its first full season on the air, 1974–1975, the show was the seventh-highest-rated program in the Nielsen ratings and a quarter of the American television-viewing public tuned in to an episode during any given week. Three of the top ten highest-rated programs on American TV that season centered around the lives of African Americans: Sanford and Son, The Jeffersons, and Good Times. The show was nominated for three Golden Globes.

6. In Living Color (1990) – In Living Color, a sketch comedy series, was created by Keenen and Damon Wayans and debuted on Fox April 15, 1990, running until May 19, 1994. This comedy show was so powerful and impactful in its short time on television that it was able to come up with some of the most memorable characters in TV history, like Homie The Clown, Fire Marshall Bill and Blaine Edwards and Antoine Merriweather, the flamboyantly gay film critics in the “Men On Film” series. These characters stand the test of comedic time. In Living Color was phenomenal in the way it launched the careers of Jim Carrey, Jamie Foxx (Academy Award winner for Ray), and David Alan Grier. And don’t forget about the Fly Girls. They also helped launch the career of J. Lo and kept Rosie Perez (Academy Award nominee ) hot. I would put this show head to head with the best of S.N.L, yet the suits at Fox didn’t feel that way, and Keenen Ivory Wayans left the show in 1992 after the end of the third season. In Living Color was nominated for 17 Emmys and won an Emmy in 1990 for Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Series: Keenen Ivory Wayans.

5. Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids (1972) - The Fat Albert animated series was created, produced, and hosted by the wonderfully talented Bill Cosby, who also lent his voice to a number of characters, including Fat Albert. Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids premiered on September 9, 1972 on CBS. Bill Cosby first used the character Fat Albert in his stand-up comedy routine “Buck Buck,” as recorded on his 1967 album Revenge. The stories were based upon Cosby’s adventures growing up North Philadelphia. During each episode, Fat Albert and his friends, known as The Junkyard Gang, dealt with issues that children face, from skipping school. (“Man you like a day off of school…no class”) to puppy love. Fat Albert was a ground breaking animated show because it spoke to kids that live in the ‘hood and the problems that they face.

The show always had an educational “lesson” (the reason why NBC passed on it) reconfirmed by Cosby’s live cameos, and the gang always came to their junkyard to play a song on their cobbled-together instruments that looked like they came from Fred Sanford’s. Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids received 4 Emmy nominations for Outstanding Entertainment – Children’s Series and won an Emmy in 1981 for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Children’s Programming – Performers – Bill Cosby. In 2002, Fat Albert was placed at number 12 on TV Guide’s list of the 50 Greatest Cartoon Characters of All Time.

4. Sanford and Son (1972) - Sanford and Son was a revamped British sitcom (Steptoe and Son) and was created for the American audience by Norman Lear and Bud Yorkin. Sanford and Son premiered on the NBC television network on January 14, 1972, and was broadcast for six seasons. The final original episode aired on March 25, 1977. The comedy was a big hit in the ratings during its six-year run (1972-1977) on NBC. Despite airing in the so-called Friday night death slot, it peaked at #2 in the ratings right behind another Norman Lear creation from a BBC show, All in the Family. As in All in the Family, Fred Sanford (Redd Foxx) plays the bigoted owner (with his son Lamont, played by Demond Wilson) of an antiques and junkyard whose money-making schemes constantly backfire. Although each owned an equal share in the business, Fred was the boss, while Lamont did all the work and had to keep his father out of trouble. Fred’s main foil was Aunt Esther (LaWanda Page) and they fought like cats and dogs. Some of my favorite quotes are: “You ol’ fish eyed fool;” “Your face looks like it was made out of Gorilla cookies;” “You Big Dummy;” and, when things really got out of hand, “I’m coming to join you ‘Lisabeth.” The show is a pioneer of edgy, racial humor that reflected the changing politics of the time. Sanford and Son helped to redefine the genre of black situation comedy. In 2007, Time magazine included the show on their list of the “100 Best TV Shows of All Time.” The show was nominated for eight Emmys, and Redd Foxx won the Golden Globe in 1973 for• Best TV Actor – Musical/Comedy.

3. The Jeffersons (1975) – Created by Norman Lear, The Jeffersons debuted on CBS on January 18, 1975 and was a spin-off of one of the greatest sitcoms of all time, All In The Family. Edith Bunker and her neighbor, Louise Jefferson, played by Isabel Sanford, gave an emotional goodbye as she and her husband, George, the black Archie Bunker, played by Sherman Hemsley, and their son, Lionel, played by Mike Evans, moved from a working class section of Queens to a luxury apartment in Manhattan. The Jeffersons ran for 11 seasons and a total of 253 episodes. It is the longest-running show with a predominantly African-American cast in the history of American television. Mike Evans, my favorite Lionel by far, left the show after one season to work on his show Good Times, which he co-created with Eric Monte. The Jeffersons received 11 Emmy Award nominations during its time on the air. Sherman Hemsley and Marla Gibbs were nominated for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, respectively, each year from 1981 through 1985. Isabel Sanford was nominated for six consecutive Emmys, from 1979 until 1985. Her victory in 1981 made her the second African-American actress to win an Emmy Award; Gail Fisher preceded her in 1970.

2. The Wire (2002) – The Wire, which premiered on HBO on June 2, 2002, is the most realistic show ever put on American television. Created by David Simon, an author (whose nonfiction book Homicide:A Year in the Killing is the source on which the TV show Homicide, Life on the Streets was based) and former police reporter, gives us a stunning portrayal of the innards of Big City business. The Wire is set in Baltimore, Maryland. The show is so thorough and detailed in its depiction of the lives of every part of the drug “food chain,” from junkies to dealers, and from cops to politicians, that we as viewers feel as though we intimately know “Snoop” or “Omar” or “Det. McNulty.” It is an explosive mash up of Shakespeare and Greek Drama. There is something to be said about a show that can show us flaws and pathologies without being pathological and exploitive. It is nothing short of a crime that this brilliant piece of life in a big city has never won any of the major television awards. And despite the widespread hateration of the show from these ivory towered institutions, The Wire has frequently been described by critics as the greatest television series of all time. Because “Snoop” is my favorite character on the show, one of my favorite scenes in the series is when Snoop is in hardware store trying to buy a top of the line nail gun, so she can become a better killer. Ahhhh…ya gotta like it when people are trying to improve on their craft.

1. The Cosby Show (1984) – Debuting on NBC on September 20, 1984, The Cosby Show is the best black show of all time and one of the best and most influential sitcoms in American TV history. The Cosby Show was groundbreaking. It was monumental. It actually showed “normal” black family life on television. (Can you imagine?) And because NBC bought the show, and ABC rejected it, NBC was highly rewarded. The Huxtables single-handedly saved NBC from the dark basement of ratings hell. TV Guide ranked the show as “TV’s biggest hit in the 1980s.” One of my favorite episodes was when Rudy comes down the stairs screaming “Baby…Baby” from the Ray Charles hit Night and Day. The Cosby Show was so powerful and influential that it paved the way for shows like In Living Color and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and also opened up opportunities for the TV studios to produce “edgier” shows like Rosanne, Seinfeld, and Everybody Loves Raymond. The Cosby Show is one of only three American programs that have been #1 in the Nielsen Ratings for five consecutive seasons, along with All in the Family and American Idol. The show spun off another classic show, A Different World. The Cosby Show won two Emmy Awards : Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series (1984) and Outstanding Comedy Series (1985)

Honorable Mention:

• The Bernie Mac Show (2001) – Based loosely on Bernie’s life, this great show found its voice by letting you in on Bernie Mac’s unique theories on parenthood.
• Family Matters (1989) – A middle-class African-American family living in Chicago. Family Matters is the second-longest-running U.S. sitcom with a predominantly African-American cast, surpassed only by The Jeffersons.
• Martin (1992) – The brash and inconsiderate radio jock Martin (Martin Lawrence), creates mayhem and havoc in the lives of his girlfriend (Tisha Campbell Martin) and friends.
• Girlfriends (2000) – A look at the lives, loves, and losses of four different women, Toni (Jill Marie Jones), Maya (Golden Brooks), Lynn (Persia White), and Joan (Tracee Ross). It became the longest-running live-action sitcom on network television. Sex in the City for the sistas.
• Living Single (1993) – The lives of 6 black friends in a Brooklyn brownstone. Starring Queen Latifah, Kim Coles, Erika Alexander and Kim Fields. It’s Friends before Friends even aired.

Ralph Richardson is a filmmaker who lives in Brooklyn with his family.

The Editors of TheDefendersOnline were so inspired by Ralph’s list, that we were inspired to add our own picks for best African-American films of all time, in alphabetical order. Please add your own in our Comments section!

• Julia
• A Different World
• Everybody Hates Chris
• Under One Roof
• 227