mara went from writing for "moesha" to creating the influential sitcom "girlfriends." - hey, girl. - hey! - the vision i had for "girlfriends" is i wanted to document our existence as black women. i was a big fan of "sex and the city," and i appreciated that it wasn't centered around a man's opinion about how women were. - i'll be on my way and leave you to your hot lesbian action. - we were trying to figure out if we could have it all. all my black "girlfriends" were wondering that, too. we wanted it all. we wanted it all. (upbeat music) (bernie whistles) - give me a chance. (men laugh) i'll take wb. i'll take upn. i'll take usa. - by the early 2000s, networks are only looking for big name black comedians to headline their shows. - when you talk about "the bernie mac show," you get a slice of life, of african american life. - yeah, my sister's on drugs. what am i supposed to do? allow these three kids to go to some foster home? - you don't know what you're getting yourself into. - i didn't wanna come into america's living room.