I wasn’t old enough to watch classic Black 90s sitcoms, like Family Matters, when I was growing up. Instead, I watched shows like Arthur and the Berenstain Bears on PBS until my mom finally deemed that I was old enough for the Disney Channel. I was transfixed by shows like Good Luck Charlie and Ant Farm, but my favourite by far was Jessie. I saw myself in Zuri – the show’s only Black main character – who was sassy, silly, and loyal. With Ant Farm, Let it Shine, Lab Rats, and Doc McStuffins being notable exceptions, there wasn’t much representation on TV for young Black kids when I was growing up. For the most part, Black actors were typecast: always the best friend, always sassy, and always there for the main character. And while aspects of this character do occur in real life, to reduce all Black characters in children’s TV down to the best friend who always has something snappy to say is very harmful and reductive. These programs that Black children consume at such a young and influential age don’t allow them to see themselves represented accurately.
Recently, I saw a TikTok from Christian Divyne (@xiandivyne) discussing his experience with the death of the “Black nerd” trope on television. When he was younger, his bullies constantly called him Urkel because he wore big wire-trimmed glasses and liked video games more than sports. A bonafide derogatory name, Urkel refers to Jaleel White’s character on the sitcom Family Matters Steve Urkel, a nerdy kid always dressed in his trademark suspenders, who always seemed to be making himself look like a fool. Divyne said that he hated this nickname growing up, and has been forced to confront it once again after receiving recent comments on his posts calling him “whitewashed” and the “whitest Black man.” He explains how people perceive his alternative, nerdy Blackness as whiteness, and that this perception stems from the fact that outside of Steve Urkel in the 90s, there is a lack of representation of the “Black nerd” trope in the media.
While this kind of representation hasn’t died out completely, it has decreased to the point where most Black people portrayed in TV shows and movies are rarely characterized beyond stereotypes. This change in perception has caused a multitude of problems that are not only limited to the Black community. When people outside of the Black community only see Black people in roles like the sassy best friend, angry Black woman, or the “on the come up” genre, their ideas of how Black people are in real life will reflect those harmful stereotypes.
Coinciding with the death of the sitcom, the multiplicity of ways Black people are portrayed in TV and film has decreased rapidly. During the 90s, there were so many sitcoms like The Bernie Mac Show, Girlfriends, Family Matters, Fresh Prince of Bel Air, and Martin, where Black people were shown in so many different ways. Within these shows, Black characters could be suburban, rich, poor, spoiled, nerdy, sporty, or any combination of nuances you would find in the real world. Unfortunately, as these sitcoms disappeared, so did the nuanced representation of their Black characters.
Fortunately, some Black creatives within Hollywood have since taken matters into their own hands, establishing production studios with the intention of reimagining the Black sitcom and telling stories that feature fully-realized Black characters.
Some famous producers like Kenya Barris have tried to reimagine the Black sitcom genre with shows like Blackish, which despite its headline-dominating controversies, didn’t have the same lasting cultural impact as the Black sitcoms of the 90s. While it was on air, Blackish tackled many divisive issues like colourism and police brutality in America. In part, these episodes served as education for its wider audience, as Kenya Barris sought to bring the Black sitcom into the homes of Black people and beyond. This intention was slightly different from the approach of Black sitcoms in the 90s, which were almost exclusively aimed towards a Black audience.
Nowadays, the future of Black representation in television is constantly being reimagined. Producers like Shonda Rhimes, Issa Rae, and Marsai Martin, are changing the game. Shonda Rhimes, specifically, has tackled the issue of diversity in TV in a distinct fashion. In all of her shows, Rhimes includes people of all different races, because she wants her shows to reflect how she sees the world in real life. To her, having a diverse cast isn’t a chore, it’s a given. In an interview with Oprah Winfrey, Rhimes elaborated a little more on her process of picking actors for her hit show Grey’s Anatomy: “We read every color actor for every single part. My goal was simply to cast the best actors. I was lucky because the network said, “Go for it.” If they had hesitated, I don’t know if I would have wanted to do the show.” Some of her most popular shows like How To Get Away With Murder and Scandal feature Black women in positions of power surrounded by a supporting cast of actors of all races. In an unprecedented deal earning her millions, Rhimes recently decided to move all the series produced by her company, Shondaland, to Netflix.
Black representation in television and media has been a long, hard battle for many Black creatives in Hollywood. This battle isn’t just about getting a Black actor in a role – which it has been made out to be for a long time. It’s important that in addition to getting roles, Black actors are playing characters that are reflective of real, dynamic people, rather than just being the butt of others’ jokes. When I was 10 years old, the Disney Channel came out with their hit show, K.C. Undercover. Zendaya played the starring role, portraying a character from a family of spies who fought evil in the world. Her character had a nerdy younger brother named Ernie, played by Kamil McFadden, who wore wire rimmed glasses and was a bonafide snitch. Her father was played by Kadeem Hardison, who had a major role in the Black sitcom, A Different World. In a further homage to the classic Black sitcoms of the 90s, Tammy Townsend, who featured in Family Matters, was cast as Zendaya’s mother. My family and I used to look forward to every Friday night when K.C. Undercover aired. In a way, that show was our sitcom.
Urkel might’ve died in the 90s, but his legacy survives in the reprisal of the “Black nerd” trope found in Ernie. I find myself wondering, who’s going to be next?
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I’ve compiled a list below of some of my favourite shows and movies that showcase Black people in all different walks of life and in ways that shatter stereotypes. Happy Black History Month!
If you’re in the mood for some tunes and heartbreak: High Fidelity on Hulu.
If you want to relive the magic of teen novels: Percy Jackson and the Olympians on Disney Plus .
For all sci-fi lovers: The Foundation on Apple TV.
Something about life: Insecure on Netflix.
If you want something light and relatable: The Sex Lives of College Girls on HBO Max.
If you want a creepy, head-spinning mystery: They Cloned Tyrone on Netflix.
Something for the girls and gays: Bottoms on Prime Video.
If you’re feeling hungry: Bones and All on Prime Video
For those who want to see Michael B. Jordan: Raising Dion on Netflix.