Why UPN’s Black Sitcoms Ended - Here's Why
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- Опубліковано 21 вер 2020
- comedyhype.com/ - The UPN network would bring a series of black sitcoms and actors to the forefront but just as a void looked to have finally been taken care of, the network disappeared. Instagram: @ComedyHype & Twitter: @ComedyHype_ Written by Cameron Rivers.
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Just came to say REST IN PEACE to Thomas “Tommy” Ford, Lamont “Hakeem” Bentley and Yvette “Andell” Wilson
Sharene D yeah she was sick for a while. Passed in 2012. Didn’t get NEARLY enough coverage.
Tommy & me worked together 😄
RIP Tommy 👍🏽
Is it true Tommy had AIDS?
R.I.P. Merlin Santana
Lucky A that’s a fact. Can’t forget Romeo. RIP
I don't agree with your description of the Cosby show...black is diverse it's not always ghetto, hood, or inner city. Cosby was a black show that showed a different side of black social class.
Agreed
He's saying what I said about the Brady bunch. I never looked at that as a white show. It was a family show(Full House also). Friends was a all White show(that I've never watched). I didn't see white when I watched Step by Step or News Radio. I just saw good comedy
"Just happened to be black." Exactly how I feel the culture sees its people that are not the cultures definition of black. Contributes positivity to the culture and gets played down as if it's lucky to be around.
I figured he was talking about in terms of marketing. Moesha and the Cosby show were similar shows in terms of family, and the values the father was trying to teach. Since Moesha was named Moesha and came on UPN Monday night it was marketed as a black show.
Even CBS passed on the pilot. Looking at CBS broadcast history you can tell who the audience for CBS is
"The Cosby show was a show about a family that just so happens to be black" whoa whoa whoa. That show was blacker than you think. Just because they had more money doesn't mean they werent black
Exactly! Everything was intentionally Black on The Cosby Show. Black art, music, HBCU sweaters, conversations, everything
Yeah that was a goofy statement they made
There are so many black people living and striving like the Cosby and more
I agree that was an ignorant statement.
I can't relate to the Cosby Show. MARTIN was more relatable.
The Huxtables just weren't stereotypical black but they were black
Yes this is why I love the cosby show and the show cosby all they give us now to look at is drug infested...stripper infested shows....then tyler perry makes girlfriends and no one supports just a mess.....mora brock akil makes love is and its canceled they only want to push trash I was a faithful watcher of love is
THAT WAS THE PURPOSE MR COSBY NEVER WANTED 2 PORTRAY HIS PEOPLE'S IN NEGATIVE WAYS HE WANTED 2 SHOW THEM WITH HARD WORK AND COLLEGE YOU CAN ALSO BE SUCCESSFUL AND RESPECTABLE IN ANY SOCIETY
They showed us a side to our culture they didn't wasn't us to see. There are black doctors, lawyers, dentist, judges and so on. But they don't want you to see anything but court tv and a bunch of bs that keeps you hating who you are while imitating everything we do and we still can't see how that empowers us. They do and that's why they get away with the shit. Not enough of us fighting the right people for the right reasons.
Facts....but where was the household problems?? I understand everything not gonna be hand clapping and etc...but where was the smart mouthing to they moms
@@joeowens3951 even then they knew how far to travel with those words because Clair was sweet but even Doc knew better than to test her. It's not like what you see with poor families where the kids call their parents by name. They still had the utmost respect for their parents.
One on One, Bernie Mac Show, Sister Sister, and everybody hates chris was my shit.
Jaelen Haskin Everybody hates Chris was a Classic
Jaelen, l love all those shows plus a few others like The Parent Hood, Good News, Out All Night, Malcolm and Eddie, and Homeboys ln Outer Space.
I miss Bernie Mac
RIP Bernie
Yess
I miss UPN. The 1990's had great black shows and music
Yes they did.
Ditto!
Mid,late 90's and early 00's was so fun!
You're right, Marvin
they were on in 2000 (00’s) on upn too
Black'ish, Atlanta, and Insecure don't hit the same as the throwback shows 😭
Because they're not sitcoms.
What's sad is the only black sitcom I've seen lately is something with Cedric The Entertainer about being old
What the hell do you think Blackish and Grownish are? Blackish, black upper middle class family. Grownish their daughter in college.
Anna Draper it’s not the same. Black-ish is good, but it doesn’t hit. I love Insecure. I love it, but these shows, haven’t seen Atlanta, today always have the characters point out that they’re black like it’s not obvious and say something weird about white people
Blackish don't even cut mustard to these shows.
All these shows are different because television is different. Black-ish is a very 21st century take on black culture living in 21st century in the burbs of LA.
Insecure is on HBO, before that she [ Issa] wrote a book about her insecurities. It about a young woman who young going through life again in the 21st century with her friends.
Atlanta is about a bunch a black folks living in the A in the music business.
If you watched any comedy from 70s-2005 they all had a theme behind it with characters. However the television industry has changed because the business models have changed now with these streaming platforms taken over. Cable is doing better tv than the broadcast networks which owned the cable outlets. Netflix, Hulu, Amazon and streaming are hitting hard. It what we had in the past was the gold standard and tv so fragmented everyone trying to get your attention. Then you have reality shows that over the top and not real. Plus we all live 24/7 life.
WTF u mean Cosby's were family who just happened to be black?
-incorporation of dancing and singing
-strong HBCU influence
-strong black female co-star who really ran the family
-father who took no mess from the children threatening to take him out if unruly
-competition between Theo and Cockroach to be on a black dancing tv show
-an accident with none other than STEVIE WONDER, giving him another media platform
-a spinoff where daughter goes to Hilman
-Pam and her friends
-jazz music with theme by Grover Washington, Jr.
-mentions of travels to Port-au-Prince (look it up on the map if you can't figure it out)
-strong black families with black spouses
Most black families I knew were more like the Cosbys than Martin and the Fresh Prince. Seriously? Being black does not mean us taking out a horn and blaring it to the world. There are many different forms of expression of a culture.
Just because we're not running around acting a fool does not make us any less BLACK. I quit listening after that bullsh*t.
-A Boogie Black Man
Also let's not forget:
A strong black woman and mom who laid down the law and took no mess when her children became disobedient or copped an attitude.
The show led to the spin-off "A Different World" which showcased social life on a black HCBU campus and tackled racial and social issues of the time.
Theo does an internship at a black middle school.
Sandra and Elvin's twins were named after Winnie and Nelson Mandela.
The Ray Charles sing-a-thon.
Denise runs off to Africa to "find herself" (not to Europe or Italy)
There were episodes in which the grandfathers and black elders discussed significant points in black history with the children and teenagers (The March on Washington, The "I Have a Dream" speech, how blacks were treated in the military by white officers and the German enemy,) and South Africa's Apartheid.
A strong black father who NEVER liked any of his daughter's boyfriends and was "Ole Yeller" and would never allow any of them to become pregnant.
They always cancel the shows we love.
True they never try to save shows we love
And most of them shows still had high ratings. Like Half and Half. Ratings were still great. Left us with a cliffhanger.
This was a the time TivO and DVR first came out.... the popularity of a show was not properly represented on their ratings scores. If i work into the prime time houses and record my favorite show, it would be like i never watched it
These days DVRd shows are kind of reflected in the ratings but not exactly because the ratings system was created in the days of Lucy and Honeymooners
Well everything is about money
Then why the hell didn’t you watch?
They use black shows to built up there network then basically gentrified
BART TARTS They did the same thing with In Living Color. It was the most popular show on Fox at the time, and they had a great block of Black show as well. Once they build it up, they always replace them with shows with White leads.
@@katoetonic Its interesting because they were good. Like, so good to be replicated.
Exactly
Pretty much.....Black shows got to appeal to white audiences to get a "buzz" but their show could care less if it appealed to black viewers....
Theohybrid The Wayans left when Fox wanted greater control of In Living Color. This show was pulling in millions of more ratings than Saturday Night Live when they had creative control. Then Fox like everyone else figures they know what Black viewers want to see.
Shout out to Kelsey Grammar for producing a ton a late 90s and 2000s black shows
true indeed
As an African, seeing African Americans on TV inspired me alot as well as other Africans. Facing so much struggling in our land gave us hope seeing other black people do amazing things. Love and family was what people wanted to see
What occupation do you do? Glad you were inspired 🙂.
What did it inspired you to do?
@@T_Time_ Learn English…
@@T_Time_ inspires us fashion-wise, music-wise etc, we also get to learn a lot from you guys -- racism/colorism is kinda ignored in Africa but you guys really speak up about it, also it's just really cool seeing people who resemble you as main characters experiencing life and we also get mentioned like countrywise/languagewise in some of these shows instead of just hearing 'Africa/African language' you hear like, "I'm going to Uganda, she's speaking Swahili" and it's just nice to feel represented :)
@@kitxart Colorism is divisive, that's why. It's not like USA where you are a minority, majority of Africans are black and if you want to represent yourself then create your own stuff to promote people like you. Whining and complaining isn't going to do anything but sully the relationships between women and make men pit women against each other like in America.
I hate when people say the Cosby Show wasn't a black show lol. The Cosby's was Black af and spawned another super black show in a Different World. Just because they didn't constantly push being black down your throat, don't mean it wasn't a black show.
It wasn't a black show. Even cosby said it wasn't a black show
Right?? Like it's sad that the characters can't just be people, cause when I last checked, black people are people too, sometimes race isn't a factor in everything we do
@@BlackGoldSoul he said that because anybody could relate to it. But it was still a black show . And they also promoted alot of black stuff. From HBCUs, to Jazz, and black artist.
Different world was ok it didn't capture my eye that would relate to HBCU colleges.
It wasn't black, like typically black shows, but I can't comprehend that ot wasn't a black show.
Family Matters however....
I'm glad to grow up in a time of Black dads that were doctors, young Black people in college, that were rich etc. It mattered. Watching these kids grow up on... whatever this is they watch just hits different.
Lol exactly. And it wasn't a big deal. Carl winslow was a cop, Uncle Phil a judge, Cosby a doctor and they was so cool about it. Didn't try to be overly black or fake it. Just good people
Yes. Representation is very important
@LadyDaye Green I think Robert was a college professor.
@LadyDaye Green I think he was a Professor if I remember correctly
PotOfDuality thank you, I’m glad to have found this video. REPRESENTATION is important. I loved that the Jeffersons were on top, I loved that Carl Winslow was a cop, Uncle Phil was a Judge, Claire was a lawyer, and Bill was a Doctor. That mattered, the content shown now, is just sad. It’s creating this narrative that “all” black people deal with gangs, drugs, jail, racial discrimination, and can’t get out of poverty. Yeah, there’s people who can relate, but not everyone. What happened to the shows with a black cast that had good writing, and we can see black people do anything and just be people. Being black was a part of them, but it wasn’t everyone’s character
“In The House”, “Roc”, “Under One Roof” so many great shows back then
K jones wtd
Moesha, the Parkers, Girlfriends, Martin, Living Single, Fresh Prince define my past tv line ups and my present streaming playlist😁😁😁😁
Mine too
BOUNCE TV is trying to recapture a lot of 90s Black Magic.
Facts!! Those shows really capture what we grew up on. It
True
Facts
Family Time is one of my favorites.
David Porter I peeped that everybody hate Chris up 🔝 next I see on bounce
Thank God for Netflix picking up most of these great shows to introduce them to a new audience.
Watching these shows as an adult is a whole other experience
Most is a overstatement.
I got my daughter watching Moesha and she loves it. We watch it together ,and I reminisce about my teenage years with her.
@@JayBelafonte Moesha is still such a great show. Even though it hits different now. I love it.
@@wyntonmohorn yeah me too it was one of my favorites back in the day. Your right it does hit different. I find myself getting upset with Frank sometimes.
Everybody Hates Chris was my show. It doesn't even get reruns anymore smh
Fr?! I thought on MTV2 had it
@@kyrenramey6665 does it ?? 🤔🤔
Rude_Boi it used to, until it did not
@@kyrenramey6665 I might just bop the whole series on Amazon. I ain't got time to play with these networks. lol
Rude_Boi right fuck the networks
I object to the idea that the Huxstables weren’t Black people. They were upper middle class Black people which seems to upset Black commentators. I don’t know why. The Huxstables had Black art on the walls of their home for their children to look up to. It was the first show to work MLK into a script credibly. Future Black sitcoms failed at this simple idea. It was the first sitcom to put HBCUs as part of Black life on the air. Hell Dr. Huxstable is wearing a TUSKEGEE sweater in a video! Black characters on television didn’t do that before. Black music of all genres was seriously highlighted on the show. Not one child in that house listened to hard White rock; not even Denise who looked like she should have. The Civil Rights struggle was worked into a script where Theo had a write a paper on the 1963 March On Washington. He came to discover his parents and grandparents were there and they told him the eye witness history of that event. The Huxstable family was down for the struggle. A scene like that has never been replicated to my knowledge. Grandfather Huxstable fought in WW2 and isn’t that an illustration of a black history. The children never brought home a White love interest; so someone taught them Black was beautiful. This show also showed a Black family of different hues without drama as it fought colorism too which is missed by everyone. The Cosby show was very Black but on a more sophisticated level that has to be acknowledged. Black from the Blackness of Claire chewing out Vanessa for going to see the Wretched without permission to going to church to worship and not to bury Chuckles The Clown. The Cosby Show is about Black people being Black people. Period.
I agree wholeheartedly. And He wore numerous sweatshirts of HBCU colleges. I'm from small Savannah, GA and once saw him wearing a Savannah State University sweatshirt. Couldn't believe he had even heard of Savannah back then, lol.
You know exactly what he was talking about he's not saying The Cosby Show wasn't a black show it just wasn't marketed as a black show
@@wildsidetv313 EXACTLY!!
Well said!!👏👏👏
I think a lot of it had to do with Cosby’s attacks on the black communities.
They took down the black sitcoms and replaced them with reality television shows like "Love and Hip Hop" and Dramas like "Power" so that black people can feel depressed instead joyful.
No, that is not quite right. 2015 was a long time after the sitcom era that this expose speaks about. In addition, the music, fashion and advertisment differences are what was a problem. Sponsors always waffling and wobbling because good money would be going to a lot of black actors. So GENTRIFICATION had to happen before syndication.
NO THE HELL IT DIDN'T!!...Just stop
I like reality shows, but l don't think that all the black sitcoms should have been cancelled for them.
@Alex Kanyima This we know, that the sitcoms ran their course is inevitable due to pre writers strike. Reality tv was due to the lack ok writers for shows. Facts.
Tsedek Ogun I have to disagree with you about dramas “like power” 🙄
Smart Guy was the shit to, off the intro song alone 😂😂
Lmao hell yea my top 5 they had a cool ass father
Hell yea
It sure tf was! Intro was the shit Lol
Doo doo dooodooo
I watched the pilot yesterday.
Kenan and Kel was the wayans Bros of Nickelodeon now thats a die of laughter tv show
This basically answered all our questions on why there’s no longer any black sitcoms for us. So sad 🤦🏾♀️
That’s jacked up
Mekk mekk i c ya
I can barely stand to watch tv anymore ⚡︎
Sadly sitcoms in general are a lost art … now everyone trying to do drama series.
This video is missing one component: Les Moonves is also responsible for the end of UPN & the WB. Moonves & Summer Redstone canceled both networks to merge them into the CW because they thought it would be better a business decision. Moonves is also the same man who was hellbent on ruining Janet Jackson's career after the Superbowl wardrobe malfunction performance.
They were replaced by ratchet reality shows. Smh
Flavor flav
Those reality show by numbers are very successful lol hence its dominance and every network having one in a course of 5 years from flavor of love to Jersey shore bad girls club etc lol
Thats another thing. The introduction of reality television. I hate it also.
Exactly
Lol I just said that too in my comment it's true man I miss those days
The 90s and early 00s were truly a golden era for Black television-sooooo many black actresses/actors got the chance to showcase their talents. Truly was a blessing to be alive during that period
"In Living Color" (a sketch show, before 'House of Buggin'" (John Leguizamo), like SNL (Saturday Night Live); after "Buggin'," came "Mad TV" (to rival SNL, on Saturday night). "Martin," "Roc," "True Colors" & "Living Single."
I miss those days. A lot of these shows were actually my favorite as a child.
I remember when all those shows were cancelled. That was the beginning of the end of me watching television.
It always pisses me off when people don't even mention the slew of '80s sitcoms such as "227," "Amen," and "Gimmie a Break!" There were more black sitcoms than just "The Cosby Show" during that time and some even predated "The Cosby Show."
That's because these stupid people is doing the video is too young to remember but you are right
Yeah, and "Good Times", "Give Me a Break" , " Sister, Sister" and more
227 and Amen was the shiznit
Agreed. I even like the Cosby's for different reasons but there were definitely other good shows around then and before it.
Now those were good sitcoms! Tbh the shows on UPN didn’t appeal to me at all.
Man UPN had the best shows. I miss those days
Yes. I miss the 90s early 2000s
@@jaguar4120 the best times 😌
Angel, l do, too.
I miss them too and I hope they coming back on Bounce tv.
@@jaguar4120 and bernie mac and wwe smackdown I missed those days
I'm a white, English guy from Hereford, UK and the death of Lamont Bentley still troubles me. God damn, I love him as Hakeem.
Yea theres always a little pit in my stomach when i see him
@@yendaaaa it's an awfully bittersweet moment whenever I watch Moesha.
I loved the fact that most of those shows’ plot had absolutely nothing to do with drugs, street life, or race. Sometimes they would have episodes about those things but it wasn’t overly saturated like things are today.
They were shows that showed little black kids like me that a normal life was possible if you work hard and that it’s ok to speak properly.
My mother was a single-parent in college. These shows helped me visualize what she was working towards and understand why we couldn’t be hood rich.
The Cosby Show was actually a very black show. The music(tons of jazz), the artwork(ellis wilson) the guest stars (Lena Horne, Nancy Wilson, Dizzy Gillespie). Cliff stayed with HBCU sweats. The men even wore kente neckties. They just didn't play into stereotypes. But the show was one of the blackest as far as showing our. culture
Very much so. I don't understand why so many people seem to disapprove of a show displaying upward mobility. Not everyone lives the same lifestyle. There's lots of diversity in our lives even within the same family sometimes. I enjoyed seeing the richness of the culture and music. The wisdom and respect and the lessons they taught.
I agree. I miss those shows.
Apparently people misconstrued what black culture is.
Pam Grier guest starred too.
💯
I've been telling people this. It was obvious what they did to UPN.
@Mike Bailey say it again✊🏾
@Mike Bailey Preach!! Someone knows what they are talking about!❤❤
@Mike Bailey I don't really understand but imma go do some research on that.
It wasn't some grand conspiracy to cancel black shows, UPN was a very troubled network. It lost a lot of money and many people lost their jobs. They tried everything to keep their shows on the air... Remember what they did to the 5th season of One on One? They basically got rid of all the adults on the show to appeal to a younger demographic but it still didn't work
@Rondough Howell Don't they have the goldenbergs?
Wayne's brothers, Fresh Prince of Bel-air, and Family Matters were my favorite shows growing up.
Yep an Martin
My favorite show of the 90’s was “New York Undercover”
Loved that show. Loved how they would play the music at the beginning during the crimes
Oh yeah! Can't forget that show. Thursday nights right after Martin and Livin Single.
Once 'The CW' took over, the whole channel went to trash!
It wasn't the channel. It was the actual shows. They were getting trash before that happened. Blame the writers and the actors for the shows getting horrible after 1 or 2 seasons
The CW aka "cause white"
I loved the parent hood. It was funny with a message in every episode
Some repeats are on channel 540 direct TV
Some of the shows became hard to watch after the .2nd or 3rd season. Moesha became hard to watch after season 4
Let's not forget that Living Single's concept was stolen to make Friends. Historically our works have been imitated and reimagined in non-Black scenarios and somehow reach more people, become more popular and get more clout even though it's not better than the original
@Mike Siegel Taste in television shows are subjective. Friends was trash to my opinion...my mom used to watch it when I was kid and I hated it. I didn't understand the appeal of Home Improvement or Everybody Loves Raymond either. Seinfeld is the greatest sitcom ever to me though
And friends cast got paid millions .. way to much money
@Mike Siegel how.. I love white dramas but their comedies alot of them aren't good just white ..
say it louder please
Living Single just did what “Designing Women” and “Golden Girls” did, 4 women hanging out/living together. Friends was a different dynamic based on the fact that it was 3 guys and 3 girls, the show went to each ones apartments, even though there was one they shot in more than the others, but also showed them out at different locations. All sitcoms borrow themes but you cant honestly say Living Singles concept was “stolen” by a show that was completely different and not say Living Single stole its concept from Golden Girls 😂 No one stole anything in this case
I get so sick of Tyler Perry’s shows straight trash!
So poorly written the diologue sucks and they are just strerotypical characters
I can say this those shows are wack but he is employing black people. But he needs to get them some acting classes or something or hire some writers.
He prides himself on writing his own shows. I think he needs to hire some writers and dialogue coaches. Maybe he can provide the storylines and ideas and get some help in story and character development. I certainly appreciate the fact that he provides opportunities for so many. Hope he has continued success with all he does
Very stereotypical I agree
I'm sick of the Tyler Perry wigs he puts on black females
The Bounce channel is bringing back Everybody Hates Chris starting in October
I watched all those shows with so much pride! Thanks for the walk down memory lane.
Essence Atkins hit the nail on the head about how these networks work. Most adults who think outside the box know these things are done by design and keep working because we don't own our own networks like we should. Honestly, I don't think there is any of these shows won't be still running if we had our own.
@Sharene D ,Agreed and well said.
@Maximus Prime the term show killer for any actor is fucking stupid. 10 percent or less of shows make it past one season. If you are a working actor that primarily works on tv, you will have a string of failures behind you. And most "show killers" have one or two successful shows under their belt that renders the term pointless.
@Maximus Prime She didn't kill Smart guy the cast on that show was perfect..The WB didn't bring it back along with The Wayans bros cause they started to go in a different direction
Back when you had to get a copy of the newspaper to see what was coming on tv!
🤣
Yep. TV guides got made redundant
UPN shutting down was the one of the saddest days of my childhood 😔 no kizzy
Those 90s sitcoms also raised the youth that came up in a household without a genuine family or parents even....
Viacom ruins everything they touch
Yes !! 😞
Yep
Facts
not according to their shareholders
This is probably one of the best video essays I've watched on your channel. Very informative video. More videos like this one would be great 😎👍
Girlfriends had 8 seasons, two seasons longer than Sex and the City (a show it was often compared to). So much success yet they were not allowed to have a proper finale and still haven't been given a movie.
WE DESERVE A GIRLFRIENDS MOVIE!!!!! Mara Brock Akil said something along the lines of she'd make the movie if there were investors with money willing to make it. I mean honestly she could crowd source the funding because I know I'd pay to see a proper finale for the girls. Perhaps with a lot of these shows going on streaming services the younger generations can drum up some new interest in telling these old, but tuneless, stories.
BounceTV reminds me a lot of how upn use to be in the 90’s.
Yeah they have come along way in the past few years. Bounce used to play a few, but I wish they could pick up some more of the rare 80/90’s black sitcoms they don’t show anymore.The licensing for these shows can’t be much. I watch a lot of these shows here on UA-cam.
@@JayBelafonte I agree with that
True that, and somewhat off topic but for a kid with no cable, UPN had dope cartoons on Sunday morning. Yes, Sunday. Good times, good times.
@@dapperfan44 yes those were the days
Maximus Prime yes they still do!
The wayans bros. Was my shit
Hell yeah, I missed that show.😎
Still is #reruns
Blake Corea Yeah, I had just started smoke 💨 bud then, I used be high asf Lmao 😂, watching the WB line up 🤔90’s boyyy!!
It still sucks they never got a true series finale episode.
Blake, mine too.
Thank you for the quality content Comedy Hype ❤️💯
I think your timing is impeccable because we need shows like these back
Awww. I watched ALL of these shows. Every single one.
All, Except enterprise but my mom watched that
@@TXejas19 I gave Enterprise a chance. I couldn't really get into it. So pretty much all except that one.🤭
The 90s is my whole child hood!!
Amazing time!!
Social Media Took Life our of LIFE🤦🏾♂️💪🏾💯
@@whoodyGPonder-fj6hq Amazing time. I wanna go back😔
Me too
Damn this just made me sad. The steve Harvey show, the Jamie Foxx show, girlfriends, moesha, the parkers, all of us, half and half, eve, game I watch all of them! It sucks cause alot of these shows didn't get they proper send off especially when that Hollywood strike happen. I miss seeing ppl that look like me, remind me of my story on TV. Now tv I fill with housewives who look plastic, yelling and fighting each other and overly sexual contents. I know it's black shows out there but imo it's not the same. I miss the essence of the 90s and 00s
Lucky A right, like I don’t watch Empire, Power, Black Lightening, The Chi, HTGAWM is slightly different, Atlanta, I stopped watching Black-ish. They’re not comedies or at least some of them don’t have the same substance as the ones as Everybody Hates Chris and prior. They don’t capture my eye, or make me say “oooo, that’s ma shít” no, something is lacking
Remember Sparks, Good News, Out All Night, and Homeboys In Outer Space. These were great shows, too. They just didn't get enough audience to boost their ratings. I'm pretty sure if these shows were given a chance, they probably would have been loved shows by viewers.
@@josephclegg3562 Homeboys in outer space had a interesting concept but something was off with it lol most people will say that..but the rest of the shows you named were really good
@@OReily08080 You can't really compare those shows cause it's a different target audience mostly then what it was for shows like Family matters or Everybody hates chris..It's enough room for all of it.Check out "Family time" with Omar gooding on bouncetv
@@brandonbates9259 compare those shows to now?
Well, all I know is this one thing for certain.... I will always be thankful for my time at UPN.
All of us that worked at the UPN station here in Atlanta absolutely LOVED working there together. We were like a family. Everyone genuinely liked one another and they treated us so well.
Viacom gave us THE BEST all catered Christmas AND New Years Eve parties and each of us always got individual Christmas gifts plus a nice end of year Christmas bonus check too....
I worked in Master Control which is the heart of a TV station. Our job was to edit the shows and keep everything on air. So those of us on the overnight shift crew couldn't leave to go to the Christmas party....so Viacom would bring the party to us every year by sending a catered dinner to the station for us and each of us got a nice bottle of champagne with crystal championship glasses/flutes for and other gifts for working on New Years.
The promotional parties were the absolute best too. The private employee only and celebrity events were amazing!!! I met several of the stars on those shows and WB and still have the pictures of all those good memories to this day.
I especially loved that they held private screenings for us to all the Paramount/ Viacom new movie release premiere's to view first before the general audiences did.
I met so many good people there I worked with.... many of whom I'm still friends with today....even met and dated one of my dearest boyfriends there. I left on 99 and to this day I still can't say enough good things about my employment season at UPN Atlanta. It was first full-time job that kicked off my career in radio/tv broadcasting. And it by far was one of the best jobs in television I ever had during the decade long stint I worked in television here in the Atl.
So I don't care what anyone says....UPN had some of the best classic black tv shows to date. And Viacom was took damn good care of us who were employed there... black, white and anyone otherwise. So Big Up to UPN and Viacom! 🙌💜🙌
Thanks for the information. I needed that!
I really miss Everybody Hates Chris!
That shit was wack: my opinion
@@Septemberizmine How was it wacky?
It’s on Hulu. 🤷🏽♂️
Septemberismine great show
@@Septemberizmine Nobody asked you
Wayans Bros didnt even get a final episode... Smfh
They never did
I thought u were quotin that scary movie line lol
@@africaRBG no I wasn't
@@africaRBG I am lmao
Yea last episode was with Roy Jones
It's crazy how most of these shows are on Netflix now lol
Netflix is trying to get that money
Where is Half and Half?!
That one really hurt when the took it away. 😪😭
I miss those days.
G. Marcus, me too.
Greatest Times ever
Me too
Moesha, Martin, The Parkers, Girlfriends, and One on One. 👌🏿👌🏿
Martin was on Fox
Fox had Martin
Moesha and The Parkers needs to join forces and reboot! 🧐
@@kimoramicheal8353 Yooooooo that would be Dope! Great idea. I would miss Andell though.
@@D.Z.A.-kp8lf Yeah, mad it ended so wack.
yooo, thanks for making this! I always wondered what happened. grew up watching UPN and a lot of black television.
Why didn’t you say anything about my wife and kids
The show had its initial run on the ABC network.
It aired on ABC
That show was horrible. Not sure why
That show was trash seriously couldn't think of another Black sitcom
That show was wack
Every network has used Black entertainment to build itself up, underpays that talent, then moves on. *SWRIL Films* in Atlanta is the new version of this.
@Zamza you don't understand business if you equate being a millionaire to being paid your worth. They are not the same thing.
How is swirl films involved? It appears they are keeping context relative black unless they recently changed.
@@gorgeouslymade1754 I can't even understand what you said
John Doe there’s an agenda that makes black women believe that black men don’t want them and can’t treat them right
Alex Kanyima indeed
90s kids had so much representation! Great time growing up and I’m happy Netflix is picking up many of these shows to provide the same sense of pride in younger generations. Great video.
Great video, we tend to get nostalgic, and wonder what happened, not knowing what took place behind the scenes.
We need black sitcoms like we had in the late 90s and early 2000s more than ever
Rest in Peace, Merlin "Romeo" Santana.😥
I miss him he was such a knucklehead on the Steve Harvey show
After smackdown left upn, Smackdown was never the same
On gang
True.
Outstanding, well-crafted video, brotha!!
The content on here is really good 💕
So just for my clarity, upn and wd/wb aren’t Black owned? They just had majority Black shows which were initially successful but later got further investment - buy in, from bigger money then turned away from focussing on Black shows which eventually declined in viewing numbers? Have I got that right in a nutshell?
Nailed it!!!
yup!
They were never black-owned! They just picked up shows that other networks weren’t airing. Black shows and teen dramas were the icing on the cake
The only channel black people ever owned was BET and you see what happened to that
He never said it was Blk owned so why would anyone assume that's the case just because they showed Blk shows? FOX showed Blk shows before WB was created.
SO TRUE about the Monday-Friday situation. Every one of those sitcoms was great, but who watched UPN every night? That network provided some much needed entertainment for black audiences but UPN itself just seemed all over the place.
UPN never had an true identity, which led it not having a clear direction. It was the simple fact that it and The WB came out at a time when the tectonic shift of cable and syndication was beginning to go on the rise.
Thank you for the information. Blessings
This is why I loved channels like WB, Kids WB, UPN etc... As a black man some of these classics were my favorites. Like One on One, the Wayan Brothers, etc.
Yooo One on One used to be My Ish I remember as a kid staying up late just waiting for it to come on, Damnnnn those was the good old days #90Babies
Anyway to anybody that’s watching this remember y’all, Keep Going & Be Safe 🤟🏾💯
2000s for One on One but yes,good times. In the late 90s early 2000s
Relly S Amen
Yessir one on one coming to Netflix October 15th
D3UCE16 & I can’t wait for it 😁😁😁
I wish One on One could have had a proper ending. It left us hanging.
This is why we need to starting owning networks #blackownership
The 90s shows had great stories and actors/actresses
We got OWN, Bounce, BET, and TVONE.
@@marlonharrison5511 BET is white owned now.
Marlon Harrison yes but compared to the number of stations in USA we own a very small percentage unfortunately. Hopefully it will change with more Oprah’s n Tyler Perry’s
Cadillac Deville Viacom owns around 55% of BET
The 1990s-mid 2000s were definitely the golden age of black sitcoms.
Yep Fresh Prince, Martin, Living Single, Jamie Foxx show
This is so good, inspirational, solid. Good work, man. UPN was the last tentpole for Black stardom before streaming - someone play that One on One theme again
Moesha at its height was the most watched show in Black and Hispanic homes.
Edit:
Comment got some people in they feels. That’s the stat that was given back in the 90’s.
speck for your self, now the martin show(yes).
@Kenneth McBride Different run.
@El diablo da Costa That was the stat given in the 90’s. Stfu
@______ You 5G cause COVID-19 people are stupid. On a video talking about why Black shows disappeared for about a decade, im the very same video where ratings was discussed, you think it’s not important to state(As it was reported in the 90’s) that Moesha was the number one watched show in two different demographics? How stupid can you be?
@El diablo da Costa well actually there's no such thing as a black race, black just as Whyte are social classifications
I miss the 2000s sometimes. UPN is one of the reasons why. I remember being a teenager mainly watching WWE SMACKDOWN! but before it would come on, an episode of one of these shows would be on and I’d watch it waiting for SMACKDOWN! to come on. Then when it was over another episode from one of these shows would come on and if it was summer or WWE moved to Friday’s I’d stay up a little to watch one of these shows. Good times.
the 00s
Thanks for educating me bro I had no idea but always wondered what happened and why they all went away
Your best video essay yet!
You have no idea how black sitcoms shaped my life. I mean, im biracial(black and white) but man did I love them growing up. Family Matters being my alltime favorite. TV now is just LAME
TV is so garbage to the point where I don't even have cable anymore. It's not the same like it was back then.
@@virgog.houston3511 I havent had cable since ive lived on my own(16 years)and I refuse to get it. IM 34 now, I can definitely afford it, but I will not get it. Whenever I do watch tv, its of older shows like Family Matters, Saved By The Bell, Home Improvement....old school stuff
I literally watched two days a week. Once on Monday and on Thursday for WWE
TV has been trash for like 10 or 15 years. Most of the content I watch is old stuff from the 80s, 90s or early 2000s . I'm a big comic book nerd and even 90% the comic based tv shows are trash.
@@mnight207 I thought I was the only one who mainly watched reruns lol
starting to become such a fan for these mini-documentaries/breakdowns. keep em coming, we love to see them 💯
Comedy Hype you are the shit. Thanks for all your content.
Fabulous presentation! I googled why did One on One drastically change their cast and ended up here.
Malcom & Eddie 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Watching it on Hulu
So underrated
Crystal Taylor Thanks for letting me know where I could watch it ☺️
@@layparisss np! Its on Starz.... ☺
XO Paris you need a password 👀
Always wondered what happened to these shows Thanx💯
I have been waiting my entire life for this explanation
This was well put together, I enjoyed it
Me 2
I guess I was UPN's target audience. I literally watched black sitcoms, Buffy, Star Trek and WWE
I miss them days watching smackdown with my dad in the basement.
Buffy was the shit, but I honestly don’t remember it being on UPN though, I thought it was on WB...
As always good content. Love to see it!!!
Man UPN was a good channel back then growing up without cable. Im really thankful that I got to experience watching these black shows and Thursday Night Smackdown. Im almost in my 30s and I would watch all of these shows in a heartbeat.
Thanks for your hard work 😎✌🏿💯
If this was still the 90s or early 2000s we would be getting ready for all the good Horror movies to start coming on every weekend from Friday to Sunday night for the whole month of October on UPN facts 🎃
Good ol days 😂
@@cityboyyayarea4742 yes they was 😩
@Zamza 💩🤯🤪🤳👀 get better soon 🤨😏🤭😂😂
So many, positive, light hearted Black comedies in the 90's and early 00's. Now, nothing smh....Honestly, it's our fault. We should have had our own networks to begin with. All of our Black celebrities could have pulled their resources together instead of begging and degrading themselves for a damn gig. We as Black Americans have the skill and intelligences to create another Black Wall Street/Harlem, we just flat refuse to put our egos aside and work with one another. We developed a self-fish, bravado mentality which allows WS to take advantage and exploit our communities. I personally try to get brothas together in my city so that we can invest in real estate but it's always petty nonsense that kills the venture. Black America should not be in the dire situation we are currently in 2020 especially in the entertainment industry.
Well SAID✊
There used to be a recurring joke about UPN and WB being tv networks as a black hole in space with being “ all black with no stars” 😆
Bro good ass content you provide, keep doing you're thang man