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Oct 17, 2022 · Breaking Barriers. Episode 105 | 50m 29s |. My List. Trace the journey of people of color featured in American television — trailblazers including Diahann Carroll (Julia), Desi Arnaz (I Love ...
- The Cosby Show
- Julia
- Star Trek: The Original Series
- All-American Girl
- I Love Lucy
- Battlestar Galactica
By 1983, television sitcoms were in steep decline. Of the top 10 shows, none were comedies. Enter veteran actor Bill Cosby (“I Spy”) and his modern family comedy, “The Cosby Show.” More than any other sitcom of its time, NBC’s “The Cosby Show” broke through color and class barriers and into the living rooms of the American people. Millions tuned in...
In September of 1968, NBC premiered the first episode of what promised to be a truly revolutionary sitcom. “Julia” starred African-American actress and singer Diahann Carroll in the title role, making waves as one of the first television shows to resist placing African-American characters in stereotypical parts. Carroll’s Julia was a mother, a wido...
When “Star Trek” premiered in 1966, the beloved science fiction series imagined a distinctly diverse future. The original crew of the starship Enterprise featured no less than two people of color as leading characters – African-American actress Nichelle Nichols as Nyota Uhura and Asian-American actor George Takei as Hikaru Sulu – making “Star Trek”...
By the time her short-lived family sitcom hit the airwaves in 1994, Margaret Cho was already a successful standup comedian. With “All-American Girl,” Cho wanted to provide television audiences with an image of an American family that more accurately reflected the one she and so many other Asian-Americans had grown up yearning to see. The sitcom sta...
The classic comedy series “I Love Lucy” will forever be recognized as one of the first American television programs to cast a Latino actor in a lead role. The show made Lucille Ball a beloved icon, but it was her husband, Desi Arnaz, who had the most profound effect on the American television landscape. Throughout “I Love Lucy’s” incredibly success...
Though he already had lead roles in a range of important shows including the hit series “Miami Vice,” Latino-American actor Edward James Olmos viewed his performance as Commander William “Bill” Adama on the award-winning “Battlestar Galactica” as having the greatest impact in changing racial views. The show, which premiered in 2005 and spanned four...
Apr 29, 2014 · Breaking Barriers: Directed by Steve Boettcher. With Benjamin Bratt, Jimmie 'JJ' Walker, Margaret Cho, Diahann Carroll. From PBS: This episode traces the story of people of color on American television -- including the mid-1960s breakthroughs of African Americans Diahann Carroll ("Julia") and Bill Cosby ("I Spy").
- (20)
- Documentary, History
- Steve Boettcher
- 2014-04-29
Apr 28, 2014 · Airs Friday, July 25, 2014 at 10 p.m. on KPBS TV. "Breaking Barriers" - This episode traces the story of people of color on American television — including the mid-1960s breakthroughs of African ...
More than 200 breakthrough stars bring their stories to life in season four of the Emmy-nominated documentary series Pioneers of Television. Each episode melds compelling new interviews with ...
Apr 21, 2014 · Breaking Barriers Preview. This episode traces the story of people of color on American television—including the breakthroughs of African-Americans Diahann Carroll (Julia) and Bill Cosby (I Spy); Latinos Desi Arnaz (I Love Lucy) and Edward James Olmos (Miami Vice); and Asian-Americans George Takei (Star Trek) and Margaret Cho (All American Girl).
May 6, 2014 · Breaking Barriers Preview. This episode traces the story of people of color on American television—including the breakthroughs of African-Americans Diahann Carroll (Julia) and Bill Cosby (I Spy ...
