Television
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Ain’t We Lucky We Got Good Times Coming to a Live Studio Audience?
If you’re scratchin’ and survivin’ while awaiting another installment of the “Live in Front of a Studio Audience” series from ABC, well, it looks like you’re going to be successful and thrivin’, instead. According to Variety, the network has confirmed a double-episode special of All in the Family and Good Times. The network showcased a…
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I Went To The Dress Rehearsal of The Little Mermaid Live! and Became Part of Its World
If I told Tiny Tonja that she’d be stepping onto the Walt Disney Studios lot so that she could watch a live performance of The Little Mermaid, she’d squee with absolute delight. That’s right, I was invited by the power of Disney magic (or their publicity team, same difference) to catch a dress rehearsal of The…
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John Witherspoon Almost Turned Down the Role of 'Grandad' on The Boondocks. His Son Convinced Him to Take It
The world became a little less funny when longtime actor and comedian John Witherspoon died in his home on October 29. No one talked nor ate on camera the way Mr. Witherspoon did. There was truly no one like him. Along with F. Gary Gray’s Friday, one of the most common projects associated with Witherspoon…
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Tootie! You Take the Good, You Take the Bad, You Take Them Both and There You Have the Facts of Life Cast Reunion on Lifetime
Remember when I said holiday movie season is upstaging Halloween before it even arrives? Well, one of the top champions of holiday movies, Lifetime (Hallmark is the other), is dishing out a special holiday treat. That treat is Lifetime’s You Light Up My Christmas, starring Kim Fields, as part of the network’s It’s A Wonderful…
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Regina King Has 'A Nose for White Supremacy' in HBO's Watchmen
Tick tock—we’re counting down to Watchmen’s series premiere on HBO. From the series’ press release: Set in an alternate history where masked vigilantes are treated as outlaws, Watchmen, from executive producer Damon Lindelof (Emmy winner for Lost; HBO’s The Leftovers) embraces the nostalgia of the original groundbreaking graphic novel of the same name, while attempting…
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Netflix’s Top Boy Is A Series You Absolutely Should Binge (If You Haven't Already)
Top Boy is one of the best shows I’ve seen this year, but no one seems to be talking about it. In 2011, we were introduced to Dushane (Ashley Walters) and Sully (Kane Robinson), two drug dealers in East London’s Hackney neighborhood, as they tried to navigate the treacherous waters of the London underworld. They…
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First Look: Forest Whitaker’s Bumpy Johnson Dodges Casual Racism and White Women in Godfather of Harlem
That moment when you realize microaggressions don’t only happen in the corporate office. EPIX’s Godfather of Harlem series is underway and this Sunday, we’re talking boxing. From the series’ official press release: Godfather of Harlem is inspired by the true story of infamous crime boss Bumpy Johnson (Forest Whitaker), who in the early 1960s returned…
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The Wealthiest Black TV Characters of All Time
Was Jefferson Cleaners’ seven locations worth more than Cliff Huxtable’s basement OB/GYN practice? Would Whitley Gilbert qualify for a Pell Grant? Was Flavor Magazine struggling so badly that Khadijah James needed two roommates? These are the arguments that can ensue when the staff at The Root gets a break from the unending meetings we are…
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Kid Fury and Crissle West Want to Bring Us a 'More Intersectional Point of View' With Their New TV Show
Cue The Read’s mix of “Oh Happy Day” because Kid Fury and Crissle West are about to adjust your television settings to “shade.” I recently hopped on a phone call with the 2019 Root 100 honorees Kid Fury and Crissle to chat about what they’re going to explore on their upcoming television show, whether or…
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Fox Ordered a Pilot for a Show Called Diversity Hire and I’m Looking Forward to It Calling Out Some Bullshit
Calling all diversity and inclusion campaigners! There’s about to be a TV comedy specifically for you! According to Variety, Fox has ordered a put pilot from Cameron Johnson and Felicia D. Henderson titled Diversity Hire. The pair already have a relationship with Fox through the show Empire, where Johnson is a story editor and Henderson…