‘Real Husbands’ Sheds Light on Decreasing Black Sitcoms

Kevin Hart features other former Black lead actors in a parody-show, premiering Tuesday on BET.

Even though Kevin Hart’s “Real Husbands of Hollywood” is clearly a parody of current television, the show draws attention to the lack of black sitcoms and dramas on television today—particularly shows with black male leads. Set to premiere Tuesday night on BET, ‘Real Husbands’ features Boris Kodjoe, Duane Martin, and J B Smoove, all black actors who at some point in time were leading men in television or film. Today, television shows have replaced black sitcoms with “token diversity,” featuring maybe one or two black characters that don’t threaten the racial dynamic of the shows.

Following ‘Real Husbands,’ BET is premiering another show with the same periodic undertone, “Second Generation Wayans.” (NY Times)

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