The Cosby Show In American Culture

The black sitcom, is a sitcom in American culture that features a primarily or entirely black cast in the lead role. Although sitcoms with primarily black characters have been present since the earliest days of network television, this genre really rose to fame in the 1980s and 1990s. The black sitcom as described by Coleman and Mcllwain was a form of cultural expression for the black community. It was finally a way they could express current issues, whether it be in society or just everyday family obstacles, through comedy television. In 1984/85 NBC created the hit show The Cosby Show. This show depicted an upper-middle class black family as the lead characters of the show. The Cosby Show was unique however. It strayed away from the traditionally black depictions and stereotypes that were seen in earlier black

African Americans are rarely ever seen in television dramas that primarily focused on black culture. This can also be seen in the movies today. We see black actors star as the lead role in all sorts of film genres, however, when it comes to a full lead cast of African Americans with a plot focused on black culture, it is guaranteed to be a comedy. Examples of this are movies like Barber Shop, Big Mamas House and This Christmas. The text explains that this is due to the sad fact that black life and black issues are not able to be taken seriously, this is why everything is presented with a comedic twist. It is a shame that this is something that has been subliminally placed in our minds. I cannot even picture a serious television drama that stars an all black or primarily black cast that focuses on African American culture without being funny. Unfortunately I feel that if someone decides to take on the challenge of creating an all black drama for television, the show would not have the success that other television dramas have. This is our