Black sitcom

A black sitcom is a sitcom in American culture that features a primarily or entirely black cast or an African American in the lead role. Although sitcoms with primarily black characters had been present since the earliest days of network television (and indeed predate network television, as popular radio sitcoms included Beulah and Amos 'n' Andy), this genre rose to prominence in the 1990s.

History

The favorite programs of television audiences tend to reflect their different ethnic origins and affinities. The exposure of the black community on US TV has been greater than that of other minorities but continues to reflect racial divisions within American society. (To date, there has been a scarcity of Latinos and Asians on American TV and "Latino sitcoms" or "Asian sitcoms".)

Since US networks were criticized by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) for allegedly failing to portray the racial diversity of real-world settings, drama shows such as The West Wing have cast more black characters. Black households make up over 20 percent of regular TV viewers.