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Black TV : five decades of groundbreaking television from Soul train to Black-ish and beyond / Bethonie Butler.

By: Material type: TextTextPublisher: New York, NY : Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers, [2023]Copyright date: ©2023Edition: First editionDescription: 287 pages : illustrations (chiefly color) ; 24 cmContent type:
  • text
  • still image
Media type:
  • unmediated
Carrier type:
  • volume
ISBN:
  • 9780762481514
  • 076248151X
Other title:
  • Black television
Subject(s):
Contents:
Pioneers under pressure -- Black entertainment -- A piece of the pie -- Roots -- 80s sitcoms -- Comedy and variety shows -- 90s sitcoms -- UPN and the WB -- A dramatic turn -- The future of Black TV.
Summary: "The first of its kind, this illustrated gift book, written by veteran Washington Post TV reporter Bethonie Butler, is a comprehensive look at the rich history of groundbreaking--and often underappreciated--television shows with leading Black characters from the last fifty years"-- Provided by publisher.
Holdings
Item type Home library Collection Shelving location Call number Materials specified Status Date due Barcode Item holds
Adult Book Adult Book Dr. James Carlson Library NonFiction New 791.4565 B985 Available 33111011106842
Total holds: 0

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

With iconic imagery and engrossing text, Black TV is the first book of its kind to celebrate the groundbreaking, influential, and often under-appreciated shows centered on Black people and their experiences from the last fifty years.



Over the past decade, television has seen an explosion of acclaimed and influential debut storytellers including Issa Rae ( Insecure ), Donald Glover ( Atlanta ), and Michaela Coel ( I May Destroy You ). This golden age of Black television would not be possible without the actors, showrunners, and writers that worked for decades to give voice to the Black experience in America.



Written by veteran TV reporter Bethonie Butler, Black TV tells the stories behind the pioneering series that led to this moment, celebrating the laughs, the drama, and the performances we've loved over the last fifty years. Beginning with Julia , the groundbreaking sitcom that made Diahann Carroll the first Black woman to lead a prime-time network series as something other than a servant, she explores the 1960s and 1970s as an era of unprecedented representation, with shows like Soul Train , Roots , and The Jeffersons . She unpacks the increasingly nuanced comedies of the 1980s from 227 to A Different World , and how they paved the way for the '90s Black-sitcom boom that gave us The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and Living Single . Butler also looks at the visionary comedians--from Flip Wilson to the Wayans siblings to Dave Chappelle--and connects all these achievements to the latest breakthroughs in television with showrunners like Shonda Rhimes, Ava DuVernay, and Quinta Brunson leading the charge.



With dozens of photographs reminding readers of memorable moments and scenes, Butler revisits breakout performances and important guest appearances, delivering some overdue accolades along the way. So, put on your Hillman sweatshirt, make some popcorn, and get ready for a dyn-o-mite retrospective of the most groundbreaking and entertaining shows in television history.





"The first of its kind, this illustrated gift book, written by veteran Washington Post TV reporter Bethonie Butler, is a comprehensive look at the rich history of groundbreaking--and often underappreciated--television shows with leading Black characters from the last fifty years"-- Provided by publisher.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Pioneers under pressure -- Black entertainment -- A piece of the pie -- Roots -- 80s sitcoms -- Comedy and variety shows -- 90s sitcoms -- UPN and the WB -- A dramatic turn -- The future of Black TV.

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