Shanice Harris

I wasn’t sure what I was going to write today. I was sitting at my local coffee shop—my usual spot for writing—getting some freelance work done and racking my brain for something to talk about. Was I going to jump into the internet’s debate on fried chicken sandwiches? Am I #TeamChickfilA or #TeamPopeyes? No thanks...I think Twitter has exhausted that conversation. Would I make commentary on the number of Netflix shows that are in my queue to watch? Well, I would have to be caught up to do that (Don’t judge, I haven’t had much time). I could rave about this newest season of Ava DuVernay’s masterpiece, Queen Sugar, on OWN? Maybe next time...that deserves a proper post.

As I sat at the coffee bar brainstorming, I was listening to Marlon Wayans’ interview on The Breakfast Club—the #1 radio show in New York City for Hip-Hop and R&B. He was promoting his new movie effort, Sextuplets, on Netflix. Any Marlon interview with the show’s hosts—DJ Envy, Angela Yee, and Charlamagne tha God—is a fun time. As I chuckled at the youngest Wayans brother’s antics, Charlamagne made a comment about Marlon’s canceled NBC show, Marlon, “I wish NBC would stop wasting black creative’s time with sitcoms.”

I started to think about this statement and the state of black sitcoms on network TV. NBC canceled Marlon in July of last year. The Carmichael Show didn’t see a fourth season after its cancellation in 2017. NBC aren’t the only culprits. Rel, a comedy by comedian and actor Lil Rel Howery, aired on FOX for only one season last year. But what is it about network that doesn’t allow these creatives to flourish? Cable seems to get it right. Issa Rae is killing on HBO and Donald Glover is successful at FX. Black-lead dramas seem to do better on cable and streaming services too.

Network isn’t the place for subversive, distinct comedy anymore. I think cable and streaming is where it’s at for, not only black creatives, but most creatives. I remember Jerrod Carmichael saying he had push back from NBC about the content of his show. Even Kenya Barris—creator of Blackish on ABC—had issues with the network when they decided to shelf a kneeling athletes episode of the popular show. I think network is trying to serve multiple audiences at once and they sometimes limit what their talent can do to appease that broad base.

In general, shows don’t have time to mature and grow in the current climate of media. Everything is fast-paced and if executives don’t see a return on their investment by episode three, you’re done. That’s not how the current landscape of TV works, and I think cable understands that.

Until next time…

Shanice