FOX NETWORKS, KEEPIN IT REAL?!!!

Tonight, Fox’s new sitcom “Brothers” premieres and I’m looking forward to it.

I saw a sneak peak of some scenes and it was pretty funny. Plus, the cast is stellar—I’ve always been a fan of Darryl “Chill” Mitchell and commend his determination to keep his life and career on track after an accident left him wheelchair bound. And of course the talented Carl Weathers and CCH Pounder. That on top of what sounds like an interesting premise should be enough to carry newcomer/star Michael Strahan if his acting isn’t quite up to par. But let’s be real, many a rap artist and athlete has transitioned successfully to acting and this shouldn’t be any different.

But there are some other interesting things going on which makes tonight’s premiere especially exciting. The number of sitcoms is dwindling each season, and family-based ones are truly suffering. This season, "Brothers" is the ONLY sitcom on broadcast network television featuring an African-American family. Period. Amazing. But here’s a twist. There’s one other show featuring a black family on network television, but it’s animated! “The Cleveland Show” a spin off of “Family Guy” features soft-spoken Cleveland Brown, who’s now moved to Virginia after his wife cheated on him with Quagmire to start a new life with his first love. Can’t wait for that either. But really, who would have thought that Fox would be the only channel to keep black folks in the mix on network television? This is such a big deal that the NAACP Hollywood Bureau sent out a release giving Fox kudos. (http://naacp.org/news/press/2009-09-23/index.htm)

What does this mean to you? Well it’s just like in the movies where box office numbers determine success. Except in this case it’s ratings. So if you want to see more shows about people of color, you have to support. That means at least watch the first episode and see if you like it. If you don’t, keep it moving. If you do, don’t just watch it—let the networks know you love it!

I recently went to an entertainment summit where an executive from The CW explained this in no uncertain terms. Having just seen the demise of Girlfriends and The Game, she explained that if you want a show to stay on the air, ratings is great but it’s not enough. You’ve got to chime in and let studio execs know that you love a show while it’s on. Write them letters, leave posts on the show website, Twitter about it and really stand behind the show. She said this did not happen with The Game, but it did and is happening with “House of Payne” Tyler Perry’s hit sitcom that airs on cable station TBS.

I’m not an advocate of supporting a wack show just because it’s black. If you hate a show, you’ve got to do the same thing—send letters, posts etc and let them know what it is you are looking to support.

One thing’s for sure, this new television season is exciting for many reasons. I love premiere time! Hit me back on the blog and let me know what you think of the shows. I'll have a review also.

Brothers premieres Tonight, 9/25 on Fox at 8/7c
The Cleveland Show premieres Sunday, 9/27 on Fox at 8:30/7:30c

Laughs, Hugs & Blessings!