Minorities on Television: Were the 80s and 90s Less Racist?

I was flipping through the channels last night when I came across a rerun of Family Matters. Immediately filled with nostalgic childhood memories I watched for a few minutes, remembering the days when sitcoms were actually awesome. And the '80s and '90s really did have some great shows for the whole family. Besides Family Matters there was Full House, The Cosby Show, and of course, Fresh Prince. Oddly enough, three out of four of these shows feature almost entirely all-black casts.

What I find really remarkable about this is that everyone I knew back then watched these shows. They were for everyone, not just people of color. Now, however, the only show I can think of that centers on a black family is Tyler Perry's House of Payne, and I don't think I know anyone who watches that show. Otherwise, the only recent show I can think of featuring a leading actor of color that people actually watched is Battlestar Galactica, which actually had a fairly diverse cast. Besides BSG, there aren't just a whole lot of shows that feature minority actors on a regular basis. The ones that immediately come to mind are Dollhouse and Firefly, as examples of cancelled scifi shows, and also Glee, and shows with black sidekicks, like House, The Vampire Diaries, and Psych. All of these shows, however, have white leading actors with people of color who show up mainly to help the lead characters in some way or to serve as the episode's b-plot.

So does the decreasing popularity of shows with all-black casts signal that our television shows have become more racist since the early '90s? Or is it a good thing, since we're now pushing for more diverse and inclusive casts (although we're obviously not making as much progress as we should be)?

Was the heyday of Steve Urkel and Bill Cosby racist in itself? Maybe those shows were a form of segregation, so other shows wouldn't have to include people of color? The networks could say, "Look at these shows featuring black families! Their existence proves we're not racist!" Or perhaps the shows catered specifically to white audiences: "These black families are so normal! Just like white families! So there's nothing to be afraid of!" I'm inclined to lean toward this argument, but I'd love to hear what others think.

New Doctor Who Post

So, it's been a couple of weeks, and I haven't even mentioned Doctor Who. Obviously this must be remedied. I'm actually really excited about the past two episodes, "Cold Blood" and "Vincent and the Doctor," and I'd like to do a largely positive Who post for once.

"Cold Blood" is the second of a two-parter, following "The Hungry Earth." "Hungry Earth," while fine, is obviously the setup for "Cold Blood," and therefore doesn't merit a whole lot of comment IMO. Most people are going to talk about this episode's fantastic ending, in which Rory is basically written out of existence and everyone's memory except the Doctor's. Rory's exit is unexpected and very sad, especially following his death in "Amy's Choice," and Amy's desperation to get him back in that episode. At the end of "Cold Blood," Amy doesn't even remember that Rory existed, which is all the more poignant after her indifference to him in previous episodes even though they were supposed to get married. One might think of it as Rory's worst fear, as he was always very jealous of the Doctor and unsure of his position in Amy's heart. Furthermore, this ending mirrors the show's season 4 finale and Donna's loss of memory of the Doctor. Perhaps the Doctor's painful memories of Donna explains his vaguely paternalistic behavior towards Amy in the following episode. More on that later.

I think the rest of the episode is just as good. We have human nature rearing its ugly head as the Silurian trapped with the humans eagerly anticipates her death so that her people will start a war--and her wish is ultimately fulfilled. There are also some great scenes with Amy and Nasreen negotiating with the Silurians, and attempting to find a way for humans and Silurians to share the Earth. I was unsure about the use of the narrator at first, but I think it actually worked, especially after the ending when they decide to use religion to prepare the humans for the return of the Silurians, which I think is actually a really cool concept.

The next episode, "Vincent and the Doctor" was penned by Love Actually's Richard Curtis, and you can tell. It's totally cheesy in many of the same ways as Love Actually, and I love it in many of the same ways. In this ep, Amy and the Doctor travel back in time to meet Vincent van Gogh and fight a silly invisible chicken monster. Much of the main characters' fawning over Vincent's paintings and the painter's low self-esteem verges on "yes, we get it" territory, but the episode handled his insanity well, and the chemistry between the three was absolutely wonderful.

I'm definitely enjoying the Doctor more and more as he is revealing himself to be incredibly affectionate and tender in a different way from his predecessors. He allows himself a lot of intimacy with Amy--not in a sexual way--that's really adorable to watch. He's always hugging her, pressing their faces together, and kissing Amy's forehead in a way that I suppose could be described as paternalistic--especially as he's so concerned about her after her loss of Rory, which she doesn't even remember--but honestly just gives me the warm fuzzies (yes, I'm easy).

The defeat of the monster was weak. Apparently, it was just blind and scared, and Vincent kills it by accident, and then completely over-identifies with it in a way that's sort of embarrassing to watch. But the rest of the episode really makes up for this. There's a wonderful scene in which the three lie on the ground holding hands and looking at the stars (again, cheesy, but sort of beautiful), and by this point I was ready for Vincent to travel with the two for awhile. Luckily, he does get one trip: to an art museum in 2010 where he sees that he's become appreciated as one of the greatest artists of all time. Again, this scene had the potential to make you barf, but the actors really sell it. Tony Curran, in particular, is really affecting as the tearful, overwhelmed-with-gratitude-and-wonder Vincent. And while it may seem unbelievable to Amy that van Gogh still killed himself after their adventure, the show manages to make us feel okay about that, too.

Overall, I'd call these two of the most successful episodes all season so far.