Black T.V. - Is It a Wrap?

Another one bites the dust. The ever-constant theme of black sitcoms being abruptly snatched from the air has struck again with the long-running hit comedy, Girlfriends. A victim of the writer’s strike, it was reported late last week that Girlfriends, like many other shows, would not be returning once the writer’s pulled back out their pens. Girlfriends was in it’s 8th season and next year would have garnered the accolade of longest running black sitcom. Yet, it had already been determined that this was the finale season, but now there will be no closure at all. Despite sluggish ratings, the pulling of this show got me to thinking about how so many Black shows have been snatched off the air, without so much as a finale. The Wayans Brothers, Living Single, and New York Undercover.

I think it is time for our black networks, BET & TV One, to offer an opportunity for our black shows to thrive. When ABC, NBC, and the CW say no, why can’t we say YES. Why not develop some original programming instead of only providing reruns and reality tv. Let’s try something new, because it’s obvious that if we don’t do it for ourselves, we may not end up on the small screen at all.

-Mike