A Funny Compromise

"In the mid-1980s good pitches or show ideas presented to producers, began to be defined as those appealing to both "urban" and mainstream" audiences. NBC, in particular boasted crossover hits such as The Cosby Show (the nation's number one program for five seasons), A Different World, and The Fresh Prince of Bel Air" (Kristal Brent Zook).

Ok, so everyone can agree that Fresh Prince and The Cosby Show were both a huge success. Black people and white people alike loved and still love them, watching and re-watching re-runs to this day. The thing about it though is that the families of the Huxtables and the Banks were not your typical "black families." So, some people may get mad at me for saying this and say I'm being racist and stereotyping, but the truth of the matter is that they both had mad money and unrealistic lives. The average black family does not have the mother as a lawyer and the father as a doctor and time to just have fun with the 5 kids. The average black family does not have a butler who cooks, clean, and answers the door to their mansion. Now this is not true for just black families, its true for white families too. If these same family were white with as much money and a butler and everything like that, the audience would view them as more upper class, but thats not the case. Mainstream audiences are able to relate to these families. It is because the families were black, they had to overcompensate by being super rich to be able to get on the same level as mainstream white audiences?

I'm not saying that either of these shows is a sell-out. Will definitely brings a street element to Bel Air as does Cockroach and other characters in the Cosby Show, however, its a strange mix of two world that ends up in a seemingly happy, but foundationally weak compromise.

Watch this clip of some of the "funniest moments" from Fresh Prince.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUSR1PZ3meE

What are the situations? Will is in trouble for wrecking a car, he runs away with $20 bucks he tricks from his uncle, he and Carlton break into a house while Carlton is wearing all black and a ski mask. Carlton doesn't realize Wills already inside and he urgently says, "Will! There's a big black guy in the house!" Will is always roping Carlton into different schemes, hustling people, getting him to talk street, to act not as proper. These are the funniest moments on the show. Something just seems inconsistent. I can't exactly figure it out. It just seems like the wealth, the huge house, and nice neighborhood is the pass to be accepted in the white eye and the skin color and street element is what makes them "such successful black shows." They're funny shows and I love them, but when all is said and done, it does seem a lot like a funny compromise.