- moesha was something that i wanted to do because i wanted to see a story about a black teenage girl, and i did not see that on tv. - she don t know who i am by now. she better ask somebody! - [unison] baby! - moesha was my first staff writing job. it was a groundbreaking time. it was a place where we all belonged. it was a place that you could actually launch a dream. - they introduced nikki parker on the last episode of moesha, which was the pilot for the parkers. on this slot, it was moesha, the parkers, the wayans brothers. so can you imagine what that parking lot looked like, sound like, and smelled like. it was incredible. - and while some of these shows may be popular in african american households, they may not have enough crossover appeal to survive. - so you ve got upn, and you ve got the wb. they come together to create the cw. beautiful, right? not if you re a black sitcom. black shows disappear. - we felt the shift of the shows trickling away.
(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. i wanted to bring america into mine. this is my house. - bernie had a very clear idea of the kind of show he wanted. bernie mac goes, you know, reggie? of all the people in hollywood, you get bernie mac. - ma am, don t do that. this is my car. i m trying to tell you something. - my goal working on the show as a director, as a producer was to make sure bernie mac stayed bernie mac. (horn blows) (upbeat funky music) - i don t mean to toot my own horn, america, but bernie mac s genius. - i m overwhelmed, as you see.
i m gonna be successful - [male reporter] fubu means for us by us. - fubu. - [female reporter] blacks are watching more tv, 70 hours a week, say the nielsen numbers. - these networks understand that when they re trying to get a foothold in the industry, the first thing they do is go to an underserved audience because they can get a lot of eyeballs. - in the 1990s, you had all these fledgling networks coming up, upn, the wb, who were specifically targeting black audiences. - [man over loudspeaker] attention, stars at the wb. - that strategy did enable a rap of black shows, black actors, black creators to shoot their shot. unforgettable (audience laughs) (upbeat music) - he used to hang with me with me and my band, the high tops, perform for the queen of england. - i love that entire era of television, the show, sister, sister, half & half, smart guy, one on one, wayans brothers, cause i literally saw myself in those characters.
- 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. i wanted to bring america into mine. this is my house. - bernie had a very clear idea of the kind of show he wanted. bernie mac goes, you know, reggie? of all the people in hollywood, you get bernie mac. - ma am, don t do that. this is my car. i m trying to tell you something. - my goal working on the show as a director, as a producer w
sic) i m gonna be successful - [male reporter] fubu means for us by us. - fubu. - [female reporter] blacks are watching more tv, 70 hours a week, say the nielsen numbers. - these networks understand that when they re trying to get a foothold in the industry, the first thing they do is go to an underserved audience because they can get a lot of eyeballs. - in the 1990s, you had all these fledgling networks coming up, upn, the wb, who were specifically targeting black audiences. - [man over loudspeaker] attention, stars at the wb. - that strategy did enable a rap of black shows, black actors, black creators to shoot their shot. unforgettable (audience laughs) (upbeat music) - he used to hang with me with me and my band, the high tops, perform for the queen of england. - i love that entire era of television,