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Jul 3, 2024 · Black sitcoms have been around since the early days of network television, but shows like The Cosby Show and Diff'rent Strokes are arguably more famous than any other Black sitcoms throughout TV history. Which shows appear on this list of the top '80s Black sitcoms? A Different World and What's Happening Now!! top our list.
- The Best '80s Black TV Shows, Ranked By Fans
These shows are from every genre of television in the 80s....
- The 80+ Best Black Sitcoms Of All Time - Ranker
Vote up your favorite sitcoms and comedies that center both...
- The Best '80s Black TV Shows, Ranked By Fans
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- 'The Jeffersons' (1975-1985) The Jeffersons is a sitcom about a self-made millionaire and his family who move to a penthouse on the Upper East Side of New York City.
- 'The Cosby Show' (1984-1992) When The Cosby Show premiered in 1984, audiences got to see what life is really like behind the closed doors of an upper-middle-class Black family in Brooklyn.
- 'Benson' (1979-1986) Benson DuBois (Robert Guillaume) is sent to work as the widowed Governor Eugen Gatling's (James Noble) butler by Benson's previous employer.
- A Different World (1987-1993) A Different World follows the lives of African-American college students as they make the transition to adulthood at the predominantly black Hillman College.
- The Cosby Show (1984-1992) View this video on YouTube. youtube.com. Network: NBC. Worst kept secret ever, right? After running for eight seasons on NBC and receiving accolades as one of the best TV shows of the 1980s, The Cosby Show is the best black sitcom ever produced.
- The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1990-1996) View this video on YouTube. youtube.com. Network: NBC. In the fall of 1990, a skinny kid from West Philly decided to try his hand at acting.
- A Different World (1987-1993) View this video on YouTube. youtube.com. Network: NBC. "That's a different world like Cree Summer's." This reference to the Winifred "Freddie" Brooks character played by Cree Summer is one of many A Different World nods from the college dropout himself, Kanye West.
- Martin (1992-1997) View this video on YouTube. youtube.com. Network: Fox. Very few programs remain every bit as entertaining over 15 years after their conclusion as Martin, a show about a big-eared radio DJ from Detroit with enough personality for an entire cast.
- Sanford and Son
- Melba
- What’s Happening Now!!
- Amen
- Benson
- Gimmie A Break!
- A Different World
- The Jeffersons
- 227
- The Cosby Show
Sanford was far more short-lived than some of the other shows on this list, but it still deserves a spot. Following the popular 70s sitcom, Sanford and Son, Sanford once again starred Redd Foxx as Fred Sanford. However, this time around, his son, Lamont (Demond Wilson), was not a part of the series because Wilson decided not to reprise the role. Al...
Melba is another show that was very short-lived. In fact, it is often overlooked due to the fact that it only lasted for one season. The series starred Melba Moore as a character named Melba Patterson. She was a single mother living in New York City and raising her daughter. She relied on help from her mother and her good friend, a white character ...
What’s Happening!! was one of the most popular Black sitcoms of the 70s, and What’s Happening Now!! aimed to pick up where the original left off. Debuting in 1985, What’s Happening Now!! followed the lives of the original characters as adults. Although these types of reboots typically tend to struggle, What’s Happening Now!! actually did very well ...
Starring Sherman Hemsley as a widowed deacon named Ernest Frye, Amen was set in Philadelphia. In addition to his role in the church, Ernest was also an attorney and a sketchy one at that. He also had a daughter named Thelma (Anna Maria Horsford) who ended up marrying the pastor of their church. The series covered several serious topics such as addi...
Starring Robert Guillaume as Benson DuBois, Benson debuted in 1979 and ran until 1986. The show turned Guillaume into a household name and earned him an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series in 1985. Unlike most of the other shows on this list, Benson did not feature a predominately Black cast. Instead, Benson was typically the o...
Starring the legendary Nell Carter, Gimmie A Break! is easily one of the most memorable Black sitcoms of the decade. In the series, Nell played a woman named Nell Harper who worked as a housekeeper in the Kanisky home. Nell had taken the job as a favor to her longtime friend who had passed away from cancer. As part of her role, Nell also assumed pa...
Over the years, there have been quite a few sitcoms about the college experience. However, A Different World was the first to show the experience of Black college students attending an HBCU. The series, which was a spin-off of The Cosby Show, started as a way for Lisa Bonet’s character, Denise, to get her own spotlight. The first season focused hea...
The Jeffersons debuted in the mid-1970s, but it was such a popular show that it went on to dominate through the mid-1980s. Starring Sherman Hemsley in the role of George Jefferson, the series was actually a spin-off of the white sitcom, All in the Family. George and his wife, Louise (AKA Weezy) were introduced in All in the Family as the Bunkers’ n...
Debuting in 1985, 227 was originally intended to be set in 1950s Chicago. However, by the time the show went into production, the setting had been changed to present-day Washington D.C. The show followed the lives of Black women living in an apartment building. The title for the show was derived from the apartment’s address which was 227 Lexington ...
The Cosby Show is one of the most popular sitcoms of all time, and it just so happens to also feature an all-Black cast. When The Cosby Show debuted in 1984, Bill Cosby was already a well-known star. However, the success of the series took his career to new heights. In the show, he played a successful doctor named Heathcliff Huxtable. His wife, Cla...
Jul 3, 2024 · These shows are from every genre of television in the 80s. Some good 1980s African American TV series were comedies, others were dramas, and some pushed the envelope of genre convention. A few of the top 80s Black TV shows even feature live performance, music, and interviews.
Jul 10, 2024 · Vote up your favorite sitcoms and comedies that center both Black stories and Black characters. Latest additions: All of Us, Half & Half, Good Times. Most divisive: The Royal Family. Over 8.5K Ranker voters have come together to rank this list of History's Funniest Black Sitcoms.
As these ’80s Black sitcoms became more and more popular, the Black actors and Black actresses who starred in them became household names. Below we have listed ten of the best Black sitcoms of the ’80s. These shows may not be remembered by younger folks amongst us, but they can be enjoyed by us all. Read on!
