1. Grand Crew– Six friends navigating L.A, going through the ups and downs of love, life, career, journey to self. Witty, intelligent, well written, relatable. I am literally that person with everything in her bag, when Nicole Byer pulled out that second purse I diedddd. This show almost makes me view Los Angeles in a positive light…I never thought I’d see the day. A stellar crew.
2. Family Reunion– An ex-NFL player moves his family from mostly white Seattle, to Georgia. A culture shock indeed for those who haven’t grown up in the south. The McKellan’s are hilarious and a spectrum of color, not just in skin tone, but in character. Black people are not a monolith. The hues of this family are an accurate depiction of our physical variations. My mom is three to five shades lighter than me, my skin is brown, copper red, we come red headed and Albino. African Americans mixed ancestry is diverse and varied. And while everyone is a standout, Loretta Devine cracks me up. She’s ridiculous and extra I can’t! She’s a typical black mom, it takes one look for everyone to behave, quick to curse you out and on the ready with a belt to whoop that ass. That skateboarding accident with the 360 is just SO absurd. I was dying. DYING. Tia Mowry, comes second, she’s out of her mind in the best way. This cast is phenomenal.
3. The Upshaws– High school sweethearts (Kim Fields and Mike Epps) hit a bump in the road, when a misunderstanding leads to a love child. Determined to make it work, they stay together. This show has curse words, just fyi. One of my favorite parts, is the unhindered expression when they come for each other. Set in Indiana, the Upshaw’s aren’t perfect, but they love each other enough to try. Genuinely funny. That episode when that little girl goes missing had me in tears from laughter, especially the candle vigil scene.
All of these shows are actually laugh out loud funny. I’m proud to be black. Try as you might, you can’t break our spirit. Black television has come a long, long ways. Overjoyed by the variety of shows that accurately depict us beyond “palatable” caricatures. Will you watch? Via: NBC & Netflix