An Ode to Black TV Icons

Erin E. Evans: “Diahann Carroll is a historymaker. She was the first Black woman to star in a TV series—in a non-servant role—when Julia aired in 1968. Carroll had a long career in Hollywood, but one of my favorite on-screen roles is Carroll as Whitley Gilbert’s mother on A Different World. This scene when Whitley is at the altar with Byron is priceless.”

EEE: “Felicia D. Henderson is a true unsung hero of Black TV. She worked on Family Matters, writing jokes for Steve Urkel, and then did something completely different and groundbreaking with the seriously sexy drama Soul Food on Showtime. Henderson paved the way for Black showrunners like Shonda Rhimes, Courtney A. Kemp, and so many others.”

EEE: “You can’t talk about Black sitcoms without talking about the theme songs. It’s almost a lost art today (aside from the Power universe’s banger ‘Big Rich Town’ by 50 Cent and Joe.) Kurt Farquhar was the ultimate theme song maestro in the ‘90s and 2000s and every single song he created is still an earworm. ‘Mo to the, E to the, MOESHA.’ And now that the Proud Family reboot is on its way, I can’t wait to hear how he tops himself.”

EEE: “I’m obsessed with Netflix’s Strong Black Legends series. Obviously Jackée is a TV icon, full stop. She could steal a scene on 227 like none other, and has the Emmy to prove it. I see a lot of her in Janelle James, who stars in new workplace mockumentary Abbott Elementary as Principal Ava Coleman. She reminds me so much of Jackée with her biting comedy on the series.”

EEE: “There’s one thing I know for sure: If Queen Latifah is on a screen or a stage, her hair is gonna be on point. Even when she’s kicking ass in The Equalizer. As a kid, I always loved how flowy her hair was on Living Single. And she constantly switched up her styles, just like Issa Rae does on Insecure.”

EEE: “The Wayans were everywhere in the ‘90s and early 2000s: Damon Wayans in My Wife and Kids, Shawn and Marlon Wayans in The Wayans Bros, and of course, damn near the whole family was part of In Living Color. That series set the stage for other sketch comedy shows to come such as A Black Lady Sketch Show and Astronomy Club.”

EEE: “It’s almost wild to think about all the twists and turns that Will Smith’s career has taken. And soon, he could be an Oscar winner! For now though, I cannot wait to see ‘Bel-Air,’ the reboot of Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, starring newcomer Jabari Banks.”

EEE: “My colleague Taryn Finley wrote this wonderful profile of TV creator Mara Brock Akil, the mastermind behind Girlfriends and Being Mary Jane. Her most recent series, The Game, is a bit of a Hollywood rarity: The show has spanned three decades and three networks since its launch in 2008. She’s even passed on the torch to showrunner Devon Greggory who now runs the series on Paramount+.”