We love diversity. It’s the way the world should be; but, as we know, it doesn’t exist in every situation. No where is this more evident than in the media. And while diversity is the ideal, just because a show lacks it, doesn’t always equate to a complete failure. No matter the racial make up of the cast, if you can relate to their plight, you’ll begin to see your own family and friends in their stories.
Will and Grace
There’s nothing like a good guy friend who you know doesn’t want your body. This was the life of main character Grace Adler in the NBC series Will and Grace. Their insanely close relationship was the epicenter of the drama that ensued amongst their loveably outrageous friends Karen and Jack.
Fraiser
Whether you’re the person who thinks you’re better than everyone around you or you have someone like that in your life, you can get down with Fraiser. Despite his intelligence and high brow tastes Fraiser constantly found himself in humbling situations. Whether it was his blue collar father lounging in that broken down recliner in the middle of his apartment, reminding him of his humble roots or a verbal slip on his radio show, Fraiser reminded us we aren’t as important as we think we are.
Wonder Years
Aaaah the good ole coming of age story. Not only was little Fred Savage the cutest thing ever, the adult narration of his childhood life reminded us of our own history. The show was about one boy and his family; yet, it accurately depicted the climate and culture of America during the late sixties and early seventies. When I watch the reruns of Everybody Hates Chris, I wonder if it was patterned after this Anglo Saxon predecessor.
Seinfield
Sometimes it’s the most unexpected, everyday moments of our lives that make up the comedic tapestry of our existence. This was the premise of Seinfield. This group of four friends found themselves in more self inflicted, petty drama than ever before. The show was actually criticized for lacking diversity so they sprinkled some blacks in there. George Wallace was among them. Judging by Michael Richards’ racist tirade, he could have certainly benefited from some more color on set.
The Sopranos
Maybe you and yours aren’t out in the street offing people like The Sopranos but we all have a little family dysfunction we’d rather not talk about. Even though Tony was the boss, we got a good look at his issues and the pressure he felt runnin’ thangs at home and in the streets. Some of us know what it’s like to try to keep ourselves and everybody else in check, only to find they have their own agendas. Tony Soprano reminds me an awful lot of Teri Joseph from Soul Food, panic attacks and all.
Sex and the City
The title of this HBO hit is a little deceiving. Sure there’s plenty of boning and moaning to last a life time; but if you pay attention you’ll find the core of the show is centered around the relationship between four friends as they grow and evolve as women. If your circle isn’t that wide, we can relate to sister-friends who’ve seen and guided us to the women we are today.
Friends
They really kept simple with this name. Friends explored the dynamic of female-female relationships, male-male relationships and what happens when they intersect. That’s real, seeing as I don’t know too many men who can just be friends with attractive women who live just across the hall. By the end of the show everyone had probably swapped spit and other bodily fluids. (Yuckster!)
Roseanne
Roseanne and her family were just average. They didn’t live in a big, glamorous city, they didn’t have an abundance of money (until she won the lottery) and she didn’t have a job that utilized her skills and abilities. What Roseanne did have was a smart mouth, a husband who still dug her, moderately behaved kids and her intelligence. Roseanne is everybody’s smart mouthed mother, auntie girlfriend. Even though she came from little money she was nobody’s fool and could exchange words and wit with anyone, often leaving people embarrassed and humiliated. Go Roseanne! Raise those kids, work that job, love your husband! Who doesn’t love to see the underdog come out on top?
Golden Girls
Thank you for being a friend! These saucy seniors led anything but a boring life in Miami, Florida. They went on dates, contributed to their communities and even got some on occasion, (yes even the old lady.) That’s entertainment. Who among us doesn’t want to be active and vital in their latter years? Golden Girls shares striking similarities with the younger, darker cast of Living Single. There was the dim-witted friend (Rose/Sinclaire), the intelligent, goal driven friend (Dorothy/Khadijah) and the slightly trampy, Hot friend (Blanche/Régine.)
What did we miss? What are your favorite lily white shows?
