The Question:
What happened to this? He was asking why we have lost these shows and traded down for shows like Love & Hip Hop, Housewives, and Bad Girls Club. This was posted October 14th.
Like I said, I will hate myself for this because I know we didn't lose black shows, people moved around, and we acquired new shows. In fact, we probably have more black shows now than ever.
In the picture above, we adored these shows. We had a constant fixation on these shows. But not just these shows. There's Fresh Prince of Bel Air, Family Matters, That's So Raven, The Cosby Show, and A Different World. As time progressed, the sophistication of television dwindled, along with the audience's education or desire for progressive shows, or that's what we're led to believe.
I'm not writing this to prove Dr Gray wrong, but I am writing this to insert a correction. Yes a lot of black people watch Love & Hip Hop series, and Real Housewives. But remember, that can be substituted for what our parents, grandparents, and older relatives used to watch. Soap Operas ruled the airwaves in the 80s and 90s. That stuff was just as foolish as these reality shows.
One show - I can't remember the name - had a woman have a baby by an older gentleman, that baby grows up quick, gets married, and then her mom has a baby by her husband. Then she rekindles things with her original baby father who has an ulterior motive. Don't ask me what show. I watched it over a week with my late grandmother. It was ... stupid, for lack of a better word.
We can't be so quick to judge something there's a market for. Drama was a huge market when I was a kid. Now, Tyler Perry has his own series that is a throwback of soap operas, and let me tell you, my news feed indicates all my old friends and family watch it.
Now, as for this picture, Steve Harvey has 3 shows. He's a host on Family Feud, a show I rarely watched until he made it hilarious to viewers. He has his own talk show, I can't stand to watch - it makes him look old, which he is, but ... never mind. He also has a radio show. Martin has a show with Kelsey Grammar. Queen Latifah has her own show. Piggy aka Regina from The Steve Harvey Show is on The Game with Tia Mowery from Sister Sister. All of those shows have viewers.
The Wire went off, but drew many viewers. At least three of the actors from The Wire are on America's biggest TV series, The Walking Dead. The only show watched by more black audiences than The Wire is the new Starz hit Power. It doesn't stop there, however. Like I said there are probably more black shows than before. There's Treme, starring Wendell Pierce and Clarke Peters, both from The Wire. House of Lies, my favorite show starring Don Cheadle aka The GOAT. How about Scandal? Scandal is huge. Scandal is everywhere. Its prime time, or the definition of it. Now Gotham is on, produced by Will Smith's Overbrook. Finally, you have How To Get Away With Murder. I can't go on. It becomes redundant after that.
I'm not trying to prove any points. Its just not a real question to ask about classic shows like the ones above, when television is bigger than those shows now. I would just like to say, since Love and Hip Hop comes on Monday nights, I have truly found a reason to say, "I hate Mondays".
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