Black TV
Bethonie ButlerWritten by veteran TV reporter Bethonie Butler, Black TV tells the stories behind the pioneering series that led to this moment, celebrating the laughs, the drama, & the performances we’ve loved over the last 50 years. Beginning with Julia, the groundbreaking sitcom that made Diahann Carroll the first Black woman to lead a prime-time network series as something other than a servant, she explores the 60s & 70s as an era of unprecedented representation, with shows like Soul Train, Roots, & The Jeffersons. She unpacks the increasingly nuanced comedies of the 1980s from 227 to A Different World, & how they paved the way for the ’90s Black-sitcom boom that gave us The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air & Living Single.
Butler also looks at the visionary comedians—from Flip Wilson to the Wayans siblings to Dave Chappelle—& connects all these achievements to the latest breakthroughs in television with showrunners like Shonda Rhimes, Ava DuVernay, & Quinta Brunson leading the charge. With photographs reminding readers of memorable moments & scenes, Butler revisits breakout performances & important guest appearances, delivering some overdue accolades along the way. So, put on your Hillman sweatshirt, make some popcorn, & get ready for a dyn-o-mite retrospective of the most groundbreaking & entertaining shows in TV history.