The article below was a post by IanCogneto from Black Voices. Read it and tell me what you think about it. Is Hollywood out to punish others because of Tyler's success going another route? Has Tyler opened the door and paved the way for others to have the success he has by going their own route? Could Tyler's 34th Street Productions become the Hollywood for other African American writers, producers, etc.? Let's talk about it.
Did Tyler Perry Kill TV for Black People?
Lately there has been a huge shift in current black television sit-coms. Basically, they don?t seem to exist anymore. What happened? I thought it might have just been me noticing this strange new phenomenon but when my kid brought it up I realized I wasn?t hallucinating. She used to watch the Disney Channel and mentioned that once ?That?s So Raven? ended there were no more Disney shows with a black cast. ?Corey in the House? lasted a minute but then that was gone. Now she feels they are ONLY catering to White kids. The result? she doesn?t watch the Disney Channel anymore. I noticed that same trend on other stations. Black TV shows appeared to be going the way of the Dodo bird. Now before you say? Oh here goes another Black person complaining about Hollywood, the system, or racism, or whatever? just do me one favor and list five (5) currently produced, in-season African American or urban based television shows. Take your time. I?ll wait. (Tick-Tock-Tick-Tock) Can?t do it? Can ya? Don?t feel bad. Neither could we. I only came up with three (four if you count Lincoln Heights on ABC Family) and two on this list are from Tyler Perry?s camp, but that?s it.
Now I am a big fan of Tyler Perry?s work, especially the Madea movies, and I admire what he?s been able to accomplish, but what I have noticed is that aside from the new show ?Brothers? on Fox, with Daryl Chill Mitchell & Michael Strahan, there are no African American based prime time shows other than House of Payne and Meet the Browns. However, there is a ton of everything else on the air. Have the television production Gods that sit on the mount of the ?Holly-Land? forsaken an entire market or are they putting the pimp hand down as a message to all those who may even think about doing an end run around the Hollywood machine and taking the Tyler Perry route to get theirs. Is it Haterism? Is it punishment to the black production industry because one slave got free? Or? is it something completely different?
Now don?t get me wrong. There are still black people in TV shows and movies, but what happened to Black TV? No... not Negrovision. I?m talking about Black shows White people were watching too. From the mid 80?s through maybe a year ago we held a lot of program slots, both current and in syn***ation. Now it seems we?re mainly in syn***ation and even that?s dwindling. Let?s take a quick look back:
TV Then: The Cosby Show, In Living Color, A Different World, Family Matters, Martin, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, The Jamie Foxx Show, In The House (LL Cool J), The Hughley?s, Eve, Showtime at the Apollo, The Steve Harvey Show, Moesha, The Parkers, Sister-Sister, Smart Guy, Living Single, Half & Half, One on One, All of Us, NY Undercover, Girlfriends, Soul Food, Roc, The Wayans Brothers, Malcolm & Eddie, My Wife & Kids, Everybody Hates
Chris, That?s so Raven, Corey in the House, Just Jordan, The Game, etc.
TV Now: Tyler Perry?s House of Payne, Tyler Perry?s Meet the Browns, Brothers, and Lincoln Heights.
Sad! Just Sad!!!
And before any of you say? ?Why is he blaming Tyler Perry?? I?m not. I?m just noting the strange coincidence in the timing between TP?s coming to power, which was done outside of the Hollywood grip and the recent TV show abandonment by the powers that be, of a market that has been consistently on fire for over the last 20 years. But as I said earlier, what if it isn?t the God?s on the mount of the ?Holly-Land?. What if it?s us? Have we
changed, as viewers? as writers? as producers? I don?t know but America as a whole has gone through a generational shift. I?m in my 30?s and we grew up with a completely different view of life, sets of values, and we actually gave a damn about something.
Keeping it real was more than just a catch phrase. It was reflected in our music, our TV shows, and in our lifestyle, Black, White, Latino, and otherwise. This new ?Sugar Rush?
generation is growing up heavy on adrenaline. Just take a random kids show or cartoon, for example. It?s all sizzle and no steak. No lessons. No real messages. And most are actually not funny. The characters are always angry, always screaming, and they all have attitudes but no personality. Is this what the public wants? Is this the memo that Hollywood is getting? Is this mindset part of the demise of Black TV programming? I?m still looking for the answer, but like being at a restaurant, if this isn?t what I ordered, I?m sending it back.
Did Tyler Perry Kill TV for Black People?
Lately there has been a huge shift in current black television sit-coms. Basically, they don?t seem to exist anymore. What happened? I thought it might have just been me noticing this strange new phenomenon but when my kid brought it up I realized I wasn?t hallucinating. She used to watch the Disney Channel and mentioned that once ?That?s So Raven? ended there were no more Disney shows with a black cast. ?Corey in the House? lasted a minute but then that was gone. Now she feels they are ONLY catering to White kids. The result? she doesn?t watch the Disney Channel anymore. I noticed that same trend on other stations. Black TV shows appeared to be going the way of the Dodo bird. Now before you say? Oh here goes another Black person complaining about Hollywood, the system, or racism, or whatever? just do me one favor and list five (5) currently produced, in-season African American or urban based television shows. Take your time. I?ll wait. (Tick-Tock-Tick-Tock) Can?t do it? Can ya? Don?t feel bad. Neither could we. I only came up with three (four if you count Lincoln Heights on ABC Family) and two on this list are from Tyler Perry?s camp, but that?s it.
Now I am a big fan of Tyler Perry?s work, especially the Madea movies, and I admire what he?s been able to accomplish, but what I have noticed is that aside from the new show ?Brothers? on Fox, with Daryl Chill Mitchell & Michael Strahan, there are no African American based prime time shows other than House of Payne and Meet the Browns. However, there is a ton of everything else on the air. Have the television production Gods that sit on the mount of the ?Holly-Land? forsaken an entire market or are they putting the pimp hand down as a message to all those who may even think about doing an end run around the Hollywood machine and taking the Tyler Perry route to get theirs. Is it Haterism? Is it punishment to the black production industry because one slave got free? Or? is it something completely different?
Now don?t get me wrong. There are still black people in TV shows and movies, but what happened to Black TV? No... not Negrovision. I?m talking about Black shows White people were watching too. From the mid 80?s through maybe a year ago we held a lot of program slots, both current and in syn***ation. Now it seems we?re mainly in syn***ation and even that?s dwindling. Let?s take a quick look back:
TV Then: The Cosby Show, In Living Color, A Different World, Family Matters, Martin, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, The Jamie Foxx Show, In The House (LL Cool J), The Hughley?s, Eve, Showtime at the Apollo, The Steve Harvey Show, Moesha, The Parkers, Sister-Sister, Smart Guy, Living Single, Half & Half, One on One, All of Us, NY Undercover, Girlfriends, Soul Food, Roc, The Wayans Brothers, Malcolm & Eddie, My Wife & Kids, Everybody Hates
Chris, That?s so Raven, Corey in the House, Just Jordan, The Game, etc.
TV Now: Tyler Perry?s House of Payne, Tyler Perry?s Meet the Browns, Brothers, and Lincoln Heights.
Sad! Just Sad!!!
And before any of you say? ?Why is he blaming Tyler Perry?? I?m not. I?m just noting the strange coincidence in the timing between TP?s coming to power, which was done outside of the Hollywood grip and the recent TV show abandonment by the powers that be, of a market that has been consistently on fire for over the last 20 years. But as I said earlier, what if it isn?t the God?s on the mount of the ?Holly-Land?. What if it?s us? Have we
changed, as viewers? as writers? as producers? I don?t know but America as a whole has gone through a generational shift. I?m in my 30?s and we grew up with a completely different view of life, sets of values, and we actually gave a damn about something.
Keeping it real was more than just a catch phrase. It was reflected in our music, our TV shows, and in our lifestyle, Black, White, Latino, and otherwise. This new ?Sugar Rush?
generation is growing up heavy on adrenaline. Just take a random kids show or cartoon, for example. It?s all sizzle and no steak. No lessons. No real messages. And most are actually not funny. The characters are always angry, always screaming, and they all have attitudes but no personality. Is this what the public wants? Is this the memo that Hollywood is getting? Is this mindset part of the demise of Black TV programming? I?m still looking for the answer, but like being at a restaurant, if this isn?t what I ordered, I?m sending it back.
Tyler and Television