Black sitcom

A Black sitcom is a sitcom that principally features Black people in its cast. Prominent Black sitcoms to date typically come from the United States with African American casts, forming a branch of African American comedy. Although sitcoms with primarily Black characters have been present since the earliest days of network television, this genre rose to prominence in the 1990s, mostly then on upstart networks outside the Big Three.

In the early days of television, Black actors were often cast in stereotypical roles, often as comic clowns in a tradition tracing back to the genre of black minstrelsy popular in the early 20th century through the late 1940s or as servants, usually maids. In 1948, the sitcom, The Laytons starred singer and actress, Amanda Randolph. It was the first time a Black actor was a series regular on a network TV series in the United States. Randolph portrayed a problem solving maid to a white suburban family.

The first television sitcom to principally portray black people, Amos 'n' Andy, was widely popular among diverse audiences. The actors on the original radio show were both White, but the 1951–53 CBS television show portrayed them with Black actors, and represented Black individuals as businesspeople, judges, lawyers and policemen. After over seventy episodes, it was taken off the air after protests from the NAACP and others who alleged that the show engaged in stereotyping. Beulah, a CBS radio sitcom 1945–54 and ABC television sitcom 1950–53, centered on a female Black character in a racially mixed cast and faced similar criticism.

Julia (NBC, 1968–71) and Room 222 (ABC, 1969–74) each had a black performer as first-billed lead of a racially mixed cast. The Bill Cosby Show (NBC, 1969–71) had Cosby as its sole billed star. For her portrayal of Julia, actress Diahann Carroll became the first black woman to receive an Emmy nomination. Otherwise, after Amos 'n' Andy there were no new sitcoms with an all or mostly black permanent main cast in the U.S. until the 1970s.

Several popular black sitcoms appeared in the 1970s, including Sanford and Son, Good Times, That's My Mama, The Jeffersons, and What's Happening!! While the sitcoms were widely popular among diverse audiences, celebrated black culture and addressed social issues, they were critiqued for an excess of loud and buffoonish characters, mostly in lower socioeconomic classes with the exception of The Jeffersons. Impressed with child actor Gary Coleman, the president of NBC created the sitcom Diff'rent Strokes specifically as a vehicle for him. Coleman would eventually become NBC's highest paid actor on a comedic series during its run. Although the series starred two black child actors and addressed social issues mainly from their perspective, it featured an otherwise all white cast and in retrospect has been criticized by some as a White Savior narrative. Good Times was adapted into the British sitcom The Fosters (ITV, 1976–77), one of the first British series with an all black cast.

In the 1980s sitcoms such as The Cosby Show, A Different World, 227, and Frank's Place challenged stereotypical portrayals of black people, with subtler comedy and characterization and much increased representation of the black middle class. These series were well received with diverse audiences. The Cosby Show became the most-watched series of any genre on television for five consecutive seasons and in the top 20 for all its eight seasons.

After the 1980s, the major American television networks appeared to lose interest in black sitcoms. In the 1990s, newer networks such as Fox, The WB and UPN, anxious to establish themselves with a black audience, featured black sitcoms such as Martin and Living Single, which drew high ratings among black households and were profitable even with a limited white viewership. Several black sitcoms of the 1990s were successful with both black and white audiences, especially family, adolescent, and young adult oriented series like Family Matters, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Moesha, and Sister, Sister. Roc, about a working-class family, was critically acclaimed for combining comedy and drama with a cast led by theater veterans.

The WB released multiple sitcoms such as The Jamie Foxx Show, The Parent 'Hood, Smart Guy, The Wayans Bros., and The Steve Harvey Show. The Famous Jett Jackson also debuted on the Disney Channel along with Hangin' with Mr. Cooper on ABC. Beyond the sitcom format, In Living Color and Kenan & Kel innovated in sketch comedy, and Def Comedy Jam showcased black stand-up comedians. In Britain, Desmond's (1989–94) became the longest-running sitcom by number of episodes to originate on Channel 4.