Yesterday, Netflix announced that it acquired the rights to seven classic Black sitcoms that they will release on the streaming service over the next three months. The newly acquired series include Moesha, Girlfriends, The Game, Sister Sister, The Parkers, Half & Half, and One on One.
The stars of those shows made the announcement on a video for Strong Black Lead, a division of Netflix dedicated to highlighting Black stories and voices. They expressed their excitement at the thought that new people would get to discover their shows while old fans would be able to bathe in nostalgia.
Time to pop bottles
The following classic shows are coming to @Netflix (US)Moesha – Aug 1
The Game S1-3 – Aug 15
Sister Sister – Sept 1
Girlfriends – Sept 11
The Parkers – Oct 1
Half & Half – Oct 15
One on One – Oct 15To celebrate, here’s a message from your faves: pic.twitter.com/zohNPEo0rz
— Strong Black Lead (@strongblacklead) July 29, 2020
Netflix said that they had been flooded with requests to add more Black sitcoms to the platform for a long time. As Hollywood continues to be criticized for its lack of Black representation, it’s not surprising to see Netflix acquire the rights to shows that have already been proven to be popular among Black audiences.
The shows Netflix acquired are part of a roster of Black television staples from the 1990s and 2000s that include other shows like Martin, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, A Different World, and Living Single. All of those series centered on Black people and stories with a unique brand of humor that revolved around the African-American experience.
The boom of the Black sitcom began in the 1980s with “The Cosby Show.” It was popular among all audiences and was one of the most popular shows during its run. This led to a slew of new Black sitcoms during the 90s, most of which aired on Fox.
However, as the division between Black and white audiences grew wider, most networks abandoned the Black sitcom and began appealing to white, male audiences. Most Black sitcoms began to air on The WB and UPN (later combined to create The CW), and the audience for those shows were majority Black. Audiences also began to favor drama and reality television over comedies and by the end of the early 2000s, the Black sitcom all but disappeared.
It wasn’t just the numbers that led to the fall of the black sitcom. Black creators and show-runners began to feel like a show that was pure comedy couldn’t fully portray the Black experience. Comedies that revolve around Black characters such as Atlanta and Insecure now include dramatic elements. These shows have become both fan-favorites and critical darlings, as they highlight both the amusing and upsetting experiences that Black people face living in America.
When Netflix made its announcement, fans were already demanding that more shows like those be added to its roster. As the sitcom formula is still popular and there is more of a demand for Black representation, a revival of the traditional Black sitcom seems like a real possibility.