Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, February 5, 1994 TAG: 9402070247
SECTION: SPECTATOR PAGE: S-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By GREG BRAXTON LOS ANGELES TIMES
DATELINE: HOLLYWOOD LENGTH: Medium
For a while, at least, the fact that a prominent news magazine had just singled out ``Living Single'' as a prime example of the flood of urban-oriented shows that perpetuate negative stereotypes didn't seem to matter.
As the cast, producers and writers read the script in a large room at the Warner Bros. Studio Ranch, every punch line was greeted with laughter, and dialogue about a male character's physical attributes - ``His butt's so hard you could bounce a quarter off it'' - was met with a particularly loud response. At the conclusion of the reading, everyone at the table applauded their approval of the episode, which dealt with male sexual harassment in the workplace.
Sitting at the head of the table and leading the party-like mood was Yvette Denise Lee, creator of the show, which follows four ``upwardly mobile'' single black women living in New York as they deal with men, their lives and their careers.
Lee has plenty of reasons to smile. Although the overall ratings for ``Living Single,'' which airs Sundays (at 8:30 p.m. on WJPR/WFXR-Channel 21/27), would classify it as a moderate hit at best, it has stood its ground by attracting a significant audience within its time period, the most competitive hour on the network prime-time schedule.
Even more surprisingly, ``Living Single'' in its first season has consistently scored better ratings than its lead-in, ``Martin,'' which is now in its second season. The show has become the fourth most popular show on Fox behind ``The Simpsons,'' ``Beverly Hills, 90210'' and ``Married ... With Children.''
But despite the success and the bouncy mood, Lee was still troubled. She feels that ``Living Single'' has gotten a bad rap from some television writers ever since its premiere. Critics said the characters were too obsessed with male-bashing or with viewing men as sex objects. Some of the characters were described as being stupid and shuffling.
Lee's frustration was heightened by a Newsweek article that rubbed more critical salt in her creative wound.
The article blasted ``Living Single'' and other Fox comedies featuring largely black casts for following in the tradition of ``Good Times'' and ``That's My Mama'' of turning minorities into racial stereotypes. The story said that ``top black entertainers'' felt that young black men on the shows were being portrayed as ``oversexed wha's-up, man buffoons, and young black women as booty-shaking sugar mamas.''
One of those entertainers was Bill Cosby, who said in a separate interview in the magazine: ``In the comedies (women) are usually there to talk about men. Suppose I did a sitcom about four African-American women like Fox's `Living Single'? In my show, two of them might be sitting around discussing men all the time. But the other two women are going someplace, something else is happening in their lives. Is that too much to ask?''
In targeting ``Living Single,'' the article said, ``This comedy is supposed to be a black `Designing Women,' but it's got quadruple the sex drive and none of the smarts. Though all the roommates have college degrees and upscale jobs, they behave like man-crazed Fly Girls. The men fare no better: The pair who live next door like to drop in by announcing, `We hungry.' The rest of the hilarity runs to big-butt jokes, nappy-hair jokes, even long, er, male-member jokes.''
On the show, rapper Queen Latifah plays Khadijah James, the founder and editor of urban-oriented Flavor Magazine. Kim Coles is her ``naive'' cousin Synclaire, who also works at the magazine. Kim Fields plays a materialistic social climber whose main goal in life is to marry a rich hunk. Erika Alexander is an outspoken divorce attorney who frequents the brownstone the other three share.
The male neighbors who continually drop in on the women are a conceited stockbroker (T.C. Carson) and another ``naive'' character, the slow-talking handyman Overton (John Henton).
Lee and other members of the cast said the show's female fans have related to the teasing but affectionate friendship between the women, while the male fans have enjoyed getting a glimpse at what women talk about when they're among themselves.
Fields said, ``People like seeing four black women who aren't into cutting each other down. It's all in the name of sisterhood.''
Memo: ***CORRECTION***