A black sitcom is a sitcom that features a primarily African American cast. Early examples of these kind date back to the 70's and 80's. Though many of these sitcoms target a niche audience, some shows break out and find a wider audience.

Examples

1970s

• Sanford and Son
• Good Times
• The Jeffersons
• What's Happening!!
• The Flip Wilson Show

1980s

• 227
• A Different World
• Amen
• Cosby Show
• The New Odd Couple

1990s

• Cosby
• Family Matters
• Fresh Prince of Bel Air
• Hangin' with Mr. Cooper
• Homeboys in Outer Space
• In Living Color
• Kenan and Kel
• Living Single
• Malcolm & Eddie
• Martin
• Moesha
• The Parent 'Hood
• Roc
• The Sinbad Show
• Sister, Sister
• The Steve Harvey Show
• The Wayans Brothers

2000s

• The Bernie Mac Show
• Kevin Hill
• Proud Family

Trivia

• Dave Chappelle featured a sketch on his controversial show called "I Know Black People" in which average people of all backgrounds were quizzed on black pop-culture; many of the questions centered around plot elements from classic black sitcoms, including Good Times, What's Happening and Sanford and Son.

Television coverage

UPN, in particular, specifically schedules its programming to target African-American audiences. In 2004, they attacked the Nielsen's controversial people meter ratings system for systematically underrpresenting black households. The organization Don't Count Us Out formed specifically to protect the representation of black households in the new system.

External link

• Don't Count Us Out