Black TV: Five Decades of Groundbreaking Television from Soul Train to Black-ish and Beyond

Black TV is the first book to celebrate the groundbreaking, influential, and often under-appreciated shows centered on Black people and their experiences from the last fifty years. It explores the 1960s and 1970s as an era of unprecedented representation, the 1980s comedies, and the 90s Black-sitcom boom. It also looks at the visionary comedians and connects all these achievements to the latest breakthroughs in television with showrunners like Shonda Rhimes, Ava DuVernay, and Quinta Brunson leading the charge.

Format: Hardback
Length: 288 pages
Publication date: 21 December 2023
Publisher: Running Press,U.S.

Black TV is a groundbreaking book that celebrates the groundbreaking, influential, and often under-appreciated shows centered on Black people and their experiences from the last fifty years. Over the past decade, television has seen an explosion of acclaimed and influential debut storytellers, including Issa Rae (Insecure), Donald Glover (Atlanta), and Michaela Coel (I May Destroy You). This golden age of Black television would not be possible without the actors, showrunners, and writers who have worked tirelessly for decades to give voice to the Black experience in America.

Written by veteran TV reporter Bethonie Butler, Black TV tells the stories behind the pioneering series that led to this moment, celebrating the laughs, drama, and performances we've loved over the last fifty 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 1960s and 1970s as an era of unprecedented representation, with shows like Soul Train, Roots, and The Jeffersons. She unpacks the increasingly nuanced comedies of the 1980s from 227 to A Different World, and how they paved the way for the 90s Black-sitcom boom that gave us The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and Living Single. Butler also looks at the visionary comedians, from Flip Wilson to the Wayans siblings to Dave Chappelle, and connects all these achievements to the latest breakthroughs in television with showrunners like Shonda Rhimes, Ava DuVernay, and Quinta Brunson leading the charge.

With dozens of photographs reminding readers of memorable moments and scenes, Butler revisits breakout performances and important guest appearances, delivering some of the most unforgettable moments in Black TV history. Black TV is a must-read for anyone who loves television and wants to understand the impact that Black shows have had on the cultural landscape.

Weight: 986g
Dimension: 187 x 236 x 27 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780762481514