Rebooting television, just because you can…
Rebooting television, just because you can…
Ok, let me start by saying I’m something of an old school kind of girl. I was raised with, well certain standards. There are ladies and there is something called lady-like and well, Roseanne Barr has never fit into either category. She did not wish to. She did not have to and there is almost always going to be a place for her style which is defined as “the female clown”. The more traditional role is the “female bawd”, you know the “dirty girl”. Barr loved this role, but it didn’t make her funny to me. My idea of funny ladies: Mae West and Sophie Tucker. West and Tucker were funny sexy women. Barr’s comedy reminded me of a girl dressed up in her brother’s sports uniform trying to be funny telling locker room jokes. It just didn’t work.
I was not surprised that the non-sensical reboot of the Roseanne sit-com was a hit. Nostalgia gets people going, up until the point where the next big thing shows up that is really, well, new. What surprised me was the number of thoughtful and talented people who signed up again to be part of what was once appointment television. Up until of course it was not.
So here’s the thing: Barr just seriously messed up. Barr also didn’t seem to realize that the boss at programming for ABC/Capitol Cities/Disney looks a lot like Valerie Jarrett. Yeah, its like the Black Girls With Power Club have their chapterhouse at ABC. You’ve heard of Shondaland. You haven’t? Guess that happens when your career fades and you try farming on Hawaii.
So seriously, can we consider some replacements for Roseanne? How about a Black version of Glee? Code Black which has been airing on CBS just got cancelled. It’s produced by ABC studios. Maybe a worthy show about a middle aged woman doctor who pretty much lives for her job and a Hispanic male head ER nurse should go home to ABC and get some love. “Sarah Neale” is an idea I’ve had for a while about a retired JAG judge who becomes a juvenile court commissioner and a first time adoptive mom. I’ve been missing Lt. Van Buren for a while now from Dick Wolf Land. What about a Black female law enforcement executive who takes over a troubled county sheriff’s office, much to her son’s displeasure.
My point is simple: class and race conscious television is not that hard to come up with.
Your job, folks, is to make it good.
