Pop Culture Retrospective Podcast #65 - Black Sitcoms of the 80s and 90s Part II

Episode #65

On episode #62 of the Pop Culture Retrospective Podcast we discussed four of the most well-known television sitcoms led by black actors or an all-black ensemble including Diff’rent Strokes, Gimmie a Break, 227 and Amen.  We discussed how the shows came into development, some behind-the-scenes information and I provided a brief description of some of the show’s unique episodes.  I learned so much putting that show together and I wanted to continue that discussion on this episode because there are so many great shows to touch on.  Before we get to that though, I wanted to share a beautiful bit of poetry that I stumbled across recently:

It's a rare condition, this day and age,

To read any good news on the newspaper page.

And love and tradition of the grand design,

Some people say it's even harder to find.

Well then there must be some magic clue inside these gentle walls

Cause all I see is a tower of dreams

Real love burstin' out of every seam.

As days go by,

We're gonna fill our house with happiness.

The moon may cry,

We're gonna smother the blues with tenderness.

When days go by,

There's room for you,

Room for me,

For gentle hearts an opportunity.

As days go by,

It's the bigger love of the family.

God, that sounds really familiar but I just cannot put my finger on it.  Anyways, grab your flip glasses, your lazy boy chair and strap on your suspenders, here we go!  

Hello and thank you so very much for tuning in to the Pop Culture Retrospective Podcast, a show inspired by, and in memory of, my big sister Rebecca and her love for all things pop-culture, especially the people, places and things of the 80s, 90s and early 00s.  My name is Amy Lewis and I am your captain aboard this pop culture time machine. You are tuning in to episode #65:  The Rise of Black Sitcoms in the 80s and 90s, Part II.

We begin our journey today with the Cosby Show which aired from 1984-1992.  I debated about whether or not to include this show due to the whole downfall of Bill Cosby.  

However, I think it’s hard to argue the positive impact that the show had on American culture and also because I feel it’s important to recognize the show’s other stars.  It’s really a shame that this horribly sad situation overshadows their contributions to an excellent television show.  So, I decided I would talk about the show, and just highlight the other actors because my sister and I watched this show and loved it when it was on.  Plus, some people say they want Morgan Freeman to narrate their life, I would like Phylicia Rashad to narrate mine.  Seriously.  Her voice is so soothing.  

So let’s get back to the show.  As I said, it aired from 1984-1992, and to this day, it is one of the most popular television shows of all time.  It was based on the standup of Bill Cosby which would later become the inspiration for several other shows like Home Improvement, Everybody Loves Raymond, Roseanne, etc.  For many years the show competed with Magnum PI which aired on CBS.  The premise of the show mainly revolves around two parents- Clair and Clif Huxtable.  Clif is often fearful that his children will never be able to leave home and Clair tries to reassure him that they will.  Clif Huxtable is a doctor and Clair is a Lawyer.  Clif Huxtable was played by Bill Cosby and Clair Huxtable was played by Phylicia Rashad.  Rashad was born in 1948 in Huston, TX.  Her mom was actually a poet and was nominated for a Pulitzer prize for her writing.  Her mom is a doctor, named Dr. Vivian Elizabeth Ayers.  Her dad was an orthodontist.  And as if her family wasn’t already full of overachievers, Phylicia’s sister is none other than famed dancer and director, Debbie Allen.  In the 1950s, Rashad moved to Mexico for a period of time due to the racism that was rampant in the south at the time.  As a result, she became fluent in Spanish.  She later moved back and attended Howard University, graduating in 1970.  A few fun facts about Rashad, at one point she was married to the lead singer of the Village People and she was also once married to sports broadcaster Amad Rashad.  Bill Cosby walked her down the aisle.  Ouch.  OJ Simpson was Amad’s best man.  Double ouch.  After her stint on the Cosby Show, Rashad became a stage director, starred on Broadway and has been a narrator many times for the Epcot Candlelight Processional at Walt Disney World.  She is also the narrator for the Dinosaur attraction at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.  Also, Rashad is a stage director, has won many NAACP awards and she is close friends with Marla Gibbs who you may remember from my last episode on sitcoms, Gibbs was the star of 227.  

Back to the show though, Clif and Clair are parents to four children- Sondra - played by Sabrina LeBeauf, Denise played by Lisa Bonet, Theodore or “Theo” played by Malcom Jamal Warner, Vanessa played by Tempestt Bledsoe and Rudy played by Keshia Knight Pulliam.  Sondra is the oldest and most mature of the Huxtable children.  She is very academically oriented and philosophical.  The woman who played Sondra, Sabrina LeBeauf was only 10 years younger than Phylicia Rashad.  She actually competed with Whitney Houston for the role of Sondra.  Huston apparently wouldn’t sign the contract because she really wanted to become a singer.  So, the role went to LeBeauf.  

Since the show, LeBeauf hasn’t done much on the small or big screen regarding acting, however, she does tour with a Shakespeare theater.  Denise is the second oldest daughter on the show, she is a bit of a free spirit and she is really into music and fashion. Bonet appeared in the first 3 seasons of the Cosby Show and then went to a spin-off show entitled “A Different World” which we will talk about next in this episode. Bonet was born in 1967 in San Francisco and got started in show business with beauty pageants and guest spots on TV shows when she was a child.  She landed her role on the Cosby show during her late teen years.  She was famously married to Lenny Kravitz and Jason Mamoa.  More recently, Bonet starred in a movie called Road to Paloma in 2013 and she has also directed several music videos.  She has also starred in TV roles like Girls and Ray Donovan.  Theo, the sort of goofball and athletic child of Clif and Clair was played by Malcom Jamal Warner.  Warner was born in 1970 in New Jersey and was named after Malcom X.  His breakout role was playing Theo, he was hand picked by Bill Cosby to play the role.  During his time on the Cosby Show, he starred in an educational video about AIDS alongside Magic Johnson.  Warner is currently a Director, primarily of TV shows.  He also continues to act including in off-Broadway plays and lends his voice to a character on the Magic School Bus.  Tempestt Bledsoe played the role of Vanessa, she was born in 1973 in Chicago.  Like her TV siblings, her major breakout role was the Cosby Show.  The character of Vanessa is kind of a nosy little sister at first.  She is often snooping on Denise and Theo and fighting with her other little sibling, Rudy.  She matures though as the show carries on and she ends up starting college early.  Following playing Vanessa, Bledsoe graduated from NYU with a degree in finance.  She had her own talk show from 1995-1995 called “The Temptest Bledsoe Show” which I distinctly remember watching. Recently she has starred in movie roles such as Instant Mom and Family Reunion.  Rudy, the youngest of the Huxtable children was played by Keshia Knight Pulliam.  She was born in 1979 in New Jersey.  By the time she got the part on the Cosby Show, she had already appeared in ads for Johnson and Johnson and on Sesame Street.  Following playing Rudy, she attended Spellman College and has starred in movies like Beauty Shop alongside Queen Latifah, Tyler Perry’s House of Payne, Celebrity Big Brother and Madea Goes to Jail.  Originally, the role of the youngest child in the Huxtable family wasn’t necessarily going to be a girl.  At one point there were thoughts that it would be a boy and that the role would be played by Jaleel White.  That didn’t work out of course and White would go on to star in Family Matters which we will talk about later in the show.

From 1985 to 1990, the Cosby Show was the most popular show on television.  It was produced by the same company that was behind “Three’s Company” and “Mork and Mindy.”  Throughout the show’s run, it won an Emmy, a Golden Globe, and an NAACP image award. It helped revive the sitcom genre on television.

Despite its popularity, the Cosby show was often criticized for not being political enough and not touching on more racial issues that were still plaguing people of color.  People said the show was “too white.”   

That being said, the show did touch on some more serious topics like dyslexia and the mother was the disciplinarian in the show, not the Dad which was often typical.  It was also pretty powerful to see two working parents with prestigious careers.  It should also be noted that Clif Huxtable has some very notable sweaters which were often lovingly referred to as “Bill Cosby” sweaters.  My Dad was and is the proud owner of many a Bill Cosby sweater, something both me and my sister noticed growing up.  Anyways.   

At one point, the show was competing against television juggernaut, the Golden Girls on Thursday night.  I believe the Golden Girls ultimately took the lead but I think anyone who grew up during this period would tell you that both shows were truly excellent.  

Here are some episode examples of the Cosby Show:

In Season 3, Episode 15 in an episode entitled “Say Hello to a Good Buy” Clif purchases a new car.  Also, Rudy cuts pictures of animals out of Clif’s fancy animal book and the girls try and cook Clif dinner to soften the blow.  It all started because Rudy was trying to draw pictures for a school project and Vanessa said they weren’t good enough.  Sinbad and Gilbert Gottfried were in this episode.  This was the most popular episode ever of the Cosby Show.

In Season 6, Episode 14 in an episode entitled “Clif’s Nightmare”, Clif has a nightmare that he is eating late at night and all of a sudden his kitchen comes to life.  Muppet like characters such as a talking sandwich and a refrigerator with an attitude scare him in the dream.  He thinks he is having surgery and all of a sudden he wakes up.

In Season 7, Episode 25 in an episode entitled “Theo and the Kids” Theo starts an internship working with kids at a community center.  They initially test him but he develops empathy for the kids and realizes that one kid may be dyslexic like he is.  

On April 30, 1992, the Cosby Show aired it’s final episode.  

A spin off from the Cosby Show titled “A Different World” ran from 1987-1993 THEME HERE.  It follows a group of students at a historically black college as they work through the ups and downs of college life.  It is set at a fictional college named Hillman College and was created by Bill Cosby.  The show originally starred Lisa Bonet, Jasmine Guy, Kardeem Hardison and Marissa Tomei.  Originally, the show was going to focus on Tomei’s character being one of the few white characters at a predominately black college, but she left after the first season.  Alfonso Ribiero was supposed to be a re-occuring character on the show, but he decided to take a role on the Fresh of Bel-Air instead.  I can’t imagine anyone else being Carlton.  

Lisa Bonet also only starred in the first season of ADW but left the show due to becoming pregnant and Bill Cosby didn’t think Denise’s character would have had a baby out of wedlock so they were not able to write Bonet’s actual pregnancy into the show.  

Jasmine Guy played the initially uptight and snooty, but later more laid-back character named Whitley.  Guy was born in 1962 and had a successful career in Broadway before her role in the show.  She starred in musicals such as the Wiz, Chicago and Grease.  She was a close friend of Tupac and actually wrote a book about his mother, Atria Books.  After her role on ADW, she starred in Fresh Prince of BelAir, Living Single, Dead Like Me, and Vampire Diaries.  She is also a motivational speaker and teaches dance to underprivileged children.  More recently she has starred in the TV series, Harlem.  She is also a singer, she released an album called Jasmine Guy.  Very clever. 

Kardeem Hardison plays Dwayne Wayne, a math genius who is a fast talker and loves checking out girls.  He famously wore the half glasses/half sun-glasses eye wear that everyone wanted to have at that time.  I am pretty sure you could get a knock off pair at Claire’s.  Get your ears pierced and get glasses just like Dwayne Wayne’s all at Claire’s.  Dwayne Wayne’s nicknames on the show were pookie and chipmunk.  Hardinson got his start in acting by starring in an ABC Afternoon Special.  After ADW, Hardinson starred in White Men Can’t Jump and in TV shows like Black Monday and Teenage Bounty Hunters. 

Debbie Allen, Phylicia Rachad’s real life sister, was hired during season 2 to help create a more accurate depiction of black college life.  As a result, the show started to focus on some more serious topics - for example, it was one of the first American TV shows to address the AIDS crisis.  It also touched on other serious topics like unplanned pregnancy, the LA Riots, etc.  

Following the change of some of the main characters of the show, Whitley and Dwyane Wayne became the focus of the show - they were the on-again/off-again couple of the 80s and 90s.  Originally, Whitley only went to college so that she could find a suitable husband, but she realized she loved to learn and so she stayed away at school for additional time.  Also, Dwayne Wayne’s character originally had a major crush on Denise, then she left and Whitley became his focus.  

Here are some episode examples:

In Season 1, Episode 6, in an episode entitled “Rudy and the Snow Queen” Rudy sees Whitley as a role model when she goes to visit Denise at college.  

In Season 3, Episode 13 in an episode entitled “The Power of the Pen” Dwayne struggles to write a poem for his class.  When he does, Whitley thinks its about her, but its actually about his love for math.  

In Season 5, Episode 2 in an episode entitled “The Dwayne Mutiny” Dwayne starts teaching and gets off on the wrong foot as he is a bit too strict and the students eventually revolt.  Dwayne learns he needs to relax a little bit or he may not be teaching much longer.   

On July 9, 1993, A Different World aired it’s very last episode.  It did have a significant impact on it’s viewers.  It inspired a lot of African American and Black students to enroll in predominantly African American and Black schools.  Many AA and Black students were inspired to just attend college in general.  

And a fun fact about the show, the theme song was incredibly memorable and it had several different performers.  During the first season the theme was sung by none other than Phoebe Snow, a singer my sister and I grew up listening to thanks to my mom and in seasons 2-5 Arethra Franklin sang it and during the final season, Boyz II Men performed it.  

From 1990-1996, tweenagers, like me and my sister were glued to their tube TVs set on NBC to watch:  FPOB theme here.  The premise of Fresh Prince of BelAir of course was about a young man named Will who grew up in tough part of Philadelphia is sent to live with his wealthy Aunt Vivian and Uncle Phillip Banks who live in BelAir, California.  It’s a tough transition for him at first, adapting to a new life and way of being on the other side of the country, but eventually, he thrives.  

Will Smith played the lead role of Will.  He was born in 1968.  He began his career as a rapper with his childhood friends DJ Jazzy Jeff and Ready Rock C who was a beatboxer.  Smith actually earned a grammy for his musical talents, during the first year rap was recognized as a category at the awards ceremony.  Smith actually ended up spending a lot of his earnings like crazy from his success as a rapper and was essentially bankrupt when he thankfully landed the role of the Fresh Prince.  

James Avery played the role of Uncle Phil.  He was born in 1945 and served in the Navy during the Vietnam war.  He moved to California after his time in the military and had success in writing for TV.  He also provided the voice of Shredder in the TMNT.  The character of Uncle Phil was firm, but loveable.  He was a judge who tried to help keep Will on the straight and narrow and was a father figure to Will.  Avery performed in Shakespearean theatre productions post FPoB and sadly he passed away in 2013. 

Daphne Reid portrayed Aunt Vivian, the 2nd actress to play that role believe it or not.  The first person to play the role was Janet Hubert who played Aunt Vivian during season 1-3. 

Due to some alleged tensions between her and the producers as well as with Will Smith, she was fired after Season 3.  Reid who played Aunt Vivian for the final 3 seasons, was born in 1948 in NYC and attended Northwestern University.  At first she was a model and then she became an actress.  She starred in the TV show Simon and Simon before landing the role in FPofB.  After her role on the show, she founded a film studio with her husband and at the time, it was the only black-owned film studio in the US.  She sold the business in 2015.  Now in her 70s, Reid is still involved in Hollywood but hasn’t had any major roles in several years.   

Alfonso Ribiero played Carlton Banks, the son of Phil and Vivian and Will’s cousin.  He was born in 1971 and made his television debut at a young age on a PBS show.  He also starred in a Pepsi commercial opposite Michael Jackson and later starred on Silver Spoons as Ricky Schroeder’s best friend.  In the show Fresh Prince of BelAir, Ribiero became famous for developing the classic Carlton Dance which he often busted out while listening to Tom Jones.  He was the classic nerd character on the show, and Will’s close friend, too. One of my favorite television scenes from any show ever was when the cast of Fresh Prince of BelAir goes to the Oprah show and Carlton overhears the Oprah show theme song and starts dancing to it. Following his role on the FPoB, Ribiero has participated in celebrity car races and was on Dancing with the Stars.  

Tatyana Ali who played Ashley Banks, Carlton’s sister.  She was born in 1979 in New York.  She actually appeared on Star Search as a child and won TWICE.  Eventually, she performed on Broadway.  She moved from NY to LA at the age of 11 and soon landed the role of Ashley.  Ashley is sort of the typical little sister on a sitcom in the show, she is impressionable and looks up to the older kids, especially her cousin, Will.  After the Fresh Prince of BelAir, Tatyana Ali attended Harvard University and continues to work in music and acting.  

Karyn Parsons played Hillary, the oldest of the Banks Children.  Hillary is a bit of an airhead but she had a good heart. Parsons was born in 1966, she got into acting when she was about 13 years old.  She took on a few more acting roles following the end of Fresh Prince of BelAir and she currently runs a non-profit dedicated to teaching children about Black Americans who made important contributions to society but who are not as well known.  

Here are some examples of classic FPofB episodes:

In Season 1, Episode 2 in a show entitled “Bang the Drum Ashley” Ashley tells Will that she does not like playing the violin, so he takes her to get a drum set.  There is a great scene of Will dancing in a very 90s outfit complete with a neon colored t shirt and hat as well as LA Raider pants.  Her teacher is Jazzy Jeff which Uncle Phil is not happy about.  

In Season 2, Episode 7 the Four Oh, Aunt Vivian is turning 40.  She has a bit of a midlife crisis and decides to become a middle aged dancer.  What is wrong with that?  Geez.  

In Season 4, Episode 24 in an episode entitled “Papas Got a Brand New Excuse” Will’s father shows up after being gone for over a decade.  This leads to an incredibly emotional and well-acted moment between Uncle Phil and Will.  It’s probably one of the most memorable and sincere episodes of the entire series.  

After Season 4, despite it being a seemingly popular episode NBC canceled the Fresh Prince of BelAir.  Due to an outcry by fans, which must have happened via snail mail and rotary phones, they decided to keep the show on the air.  It only lasted 2 more seasons, but at least we got to enjoy more of the hilarity of Will Smith and his interactions with his family members.  I think everyone wanted to have a cousin like Will, Carlton and Ashley, I know I did.    

Our final classic sitcom is the unforgettable show, Family Matters.  THEME HERE.  

Family Matters was actually a spin-off of Perfect Strangers.  I always thought it was a spin-off of Gimmie a Break due to the overlap in some of the characters, but apparently, it was from Perfect Strangers.  The show revolves around an extended family living in Chicago and their pesky neighbor, Steve Urkel.  

The matriarch of the family is Carl Winslow who is played by Reginald Val Johnson who was born in 1952.  He was born in New York and studied art at NYU.  Surprisingly he never got married or had any children in real life, despite being such an incredible paternal figure in the television show.  He has a long history of playing police officers in TV shows and movies like Crocodile Dundee and Ghostbusters.  He played the role of a Police Officer in Perfect Strangers alongside Marie Payton who also played his wife in Family Matters, Harriette. After his role on Family Matters, Johnson has worked in theatre both as a writer and actor.  Marie Payton was born in 1950 and attended Albany State University.  She played a beloved elevator operator in Perfect Strangers that audiences just loved so that was part of the reason why Family Matters was developed. In the show, Harriett was originally a police officer like Carl, but she left to raise her family.  Harriet has a lot of patience for their irritating neighbor Steve, but Carl finds him incredibly annoying.  She left before the end of Family Matter’s run because she felt like the focus of the show was too much on Urkel and not on her character which is why the show started in the first place. Following her role on the show, she’s had many guest appearances on TV shows like Will & Grace, Moesha, and Girlfriends.

Eddy Winslow was played by Darius McCray.  Prior to Family Matters, McCray appeared on an episode of Amen and What’s Happening Now.  The character he played, Eddie Winslow was not the greatest student and makes a lot of impulsive decisions.  At first he is focused on girls and school.  Eventually, though he becomes a police officer just like his dad.  After his role on the show, McCray appeared on the Young and the Restless and is also a singer.     

Laura Winslow was the daughter of Carl and Harriette, she was sort of a smart aleck in early episodes but eventually becomes more academically focused on attends Harvard.  She was played by Kellie Shaygne Williams who was born in 1976.  She started out as a fashion model as a child and got involved with theatre because she was a shy little kid.  After her role on Family Matters, she started a fine arts program for kids at Howard University.  She has actually received several awards for her many philanthropic endeavors.    

Jaimee Foxworth played the role of Judy Winslow the youngest child of the family.  For some reason she was written out of the show after a few season and there’s not much explanation as to why.  It will always remain a mystery.  

Jaleel White played the unforgettable role of Urkel and his suave alter-ego, Stefan Urquelle.  White was born in 1976.  He got his start in commercials like one for Jello opposite Bill Cosby.  His television debut came in an episode of the Jeffersons. The character of Steve Urkel is an annoying neighbor of course, but he is also highly intelligent, an inventor and wants to be a part of the Winslow family, he would like Carl to be his dad.  He is also in love with Laura and wants to be best friends with Eddie.  Outside of Family Matters, White provided the voice of Sonic the Hedgehog for many years.  He has also starred in movies like Dreamgirls and Big, Fat, Liar.  He has found it hard to shed his prior image of Urkel but as time passes this seems to have improved.  The character of Urkel was so popular that at point there was even an Urkel doll (COMMERCIAL HERE).  I recently spotted one at a food truck and just had to take a picture of it.  Originally, the character of Urkel was only supposed to appear in one episode of the show, but he was so popular with audiences that he became a permanent fixture of the show. Eventually there were Urkelos cereal and I distinctly remember Bea Arthur impersonating Steve Urkel at an awards show where they did the Urkel dance together.  

Here are some episode examples:

In Season 2, Episode 3 in an episode entitled “Marriage 101” Laura is taking a home economics class where the lesson is on marriage.  She is hoping to be matched with some cool guy in her class but of course, she ends up getting matched with Urkel.  I think this exact same plot happened in Saved by the Bell.  

In season 3, episode 3 in an episode entitled “The Show Must Go on” Laura wins the lead role in Romeo and Juliet.  Romeo is supposed to be played by one of her classmates but he, unfortunately, becomes ill and Urkel has to take his place.  As expected, Urkel ruins the play.  

In Season 4, Episode 1 in an episode entitled “Surely you Joust” Carl and Urkel keep arguing and disagreeing on things as usual.  Somehow they end up on American Gladiators and duke it out on the show.  

Family Matters ran on ABC from 1989-1997.  In 1997 the show shifted to CBC where it lasted for just one more year.  After so many years, I think a lot of people, including myself and my sister, grew tired of the show.  There were just so many times that you could hear the phrase DID I DO THAT HERE before you would roll your eyes and change the channel.  The show initially was really supposed to focus on Carl and Harriet as a married couple with kids.  I wonder what would have come of the show if Urkel was never introduced, I guess the world will never know! People Magazine did a really great retrospective of the show on their YouTube channel.  I’ll make sure to include that in the show notes.  One thing I learned about Family Matters is that it is one of the longest running black sitcoms of all time.

I took a poll on both Twitter and Instagram about the four shows we talked about today and asked people which was their favorite.  I asked people to pick just one of the shows and to disregard the scandals that have plagued the Cosby Show and now the Fresh Prince of BelAir.  Both platforms had different results!  On Twitter, The Fresh Prince of BelAir received 75% of the vote for favorite TV show and on Instagram the Cosby Show & A Different World were tied for 1st place.  On both platforms Family Matters received 0 votes! 

I hope you have enjoyed this look back at some of the most memorable black sitcoms of the 80s and 90s which continued our discussion from episode 62 where we talked about Diff’rent Strokes, Gimmie a Break, Amen, and 227.  When we talk about television shows from this era we have to make sure to pay homage to the sitcoms that celebrated black characters, families and relationships.  And that’s really just the tip of the iceberg as there are so many more shows to dissect and there are so many other actors that were supporting characters on the show that we just didn’t have time to cover.   

I hope you will join me for my next episode where we will be taking a look at 

Until then, BKBSAHOTYM.