Drama of ‘South Central’ Stirs Debate : Television: Local groups call it one of the most negative programs ever about blacks. Now, such shows as ‘Martin’ and ‘Living Single’ are relatively unscathed by protest.

When media critics, educators and others last year were accusing African American-oriented shows such as “Martin,” “Living Single” and “Russell Simmons’ Def Comedy Jam” of perpetuating racial stereotypes, “South Central” was hailed as a breakthrough program that finally showed blacks in an honest, gritty yet positive light.

And it wasn’t even on the air.

Several local community leaders who viewed the pilot last year when it was under consideration by CBS lauded the show and lobbied the station in letters flowing with praise for its portrait of a single mother battling to make a home for her three kids in riot-torn South-Central Los Angeles.

Some of the community leaders, as well as Newsweek, said “South Central” would finally make up for numerous previous series showing blacks as underachievers or oversexed buffoons. “I must say that I was apprehensive about yet another black sitcom but . . . this show just might serve as a segue for a much-needed African American dramatic series,” said a letter signed by Brotherhood Crusade President Danny Bakewell.

What a difference a debut makes.

Although the premiere of “South Central” on Fox last Tuesday generated numerous critical raves from newspapers and viewers across the country, it has also prompted a rare outpouring of anger and emotional opposition from local organizations and others who called the show one of the most negative programs ever about African Americans. What was once foreseen as a hit has now landed on the hit list of groups and viewers who find the story lines and characters objectionable.

In the meantime, other shows that previously had been criticized for their portrayal of blacks continue relatively unscathed by protest. Martin Lawrence and his show “Martin” were recently given an NAACP Image Award. “Living Single,” about four black female friends, has been renewed for next year. HBO’s “Russell Simmons’ Def Comedy Jam” is still one of the pay network’s most durable programs and is spawning spinoffs. In addition, the film “Menace II Society,” a brutal look at urban life that showed a murderous teen getting away with the murder of a Korean grocer, earned many accolades from black and white moviegoers and critics.

*

Despite the serious intent of “South Central” creators Ralph Farquhar and Michael Weithorn to create an honest and real portrayal of community life, many have decried what they call a family in turmoil with an unemployed mother, an absent father and a teen-age son who uses the word bitch and defies his mother. A screening of the pilot for community groups days before its premiere exploded into a shouting match where audience members blasted the show’s creators. Bakewell, who said last year’s letter of support from him was actually written by a former aide, called the show “a 1994 version of ‘Amos ‘n’ Andy’ ” and threatened the producers with “vehement opposition” from the community for its “intolerable images.”

One of the lines of dialogue voiced by the teen-age daughter in the show--”Nothing gets me going like the smell of gunpowder in the morning”--drew much criticism. Viewers flooded phone lines at local black radio stations with emotional objections--and defenses of--the show.

As Fox prepares to air the second episode of “South Central” tonight at 8, community leaders and others said they were not surprised that the show has touched off such a powder keg of emotion, despite its relatively serious treatment of its subject and its portrayal of a family that, despite all the odds, is still filled with love and respect for one another.

The leaders cited the community’s frustrations with previous black television images, the media image of the community before and after the 1992 riots, the setting of South-Central as the specific location of the show and the program’s desire to be taken seriously as some of the reasons behind the reaction. Many said the title “South Central” by itself inspires a visceral reaction.

Theodore T. Fortier, president of the Crenshaw Chamber of Commerce, said, “People from the community have all this stuff pent up from the past six shows (about blacks). A lot of this opposition is built-up exasperation. Before, folks have felt powerless to protest images. But now they feel they have a little bit of power because it’s about them.”

“The issue of ‘South Central’ is much bigger than the show itself,” said Sandra Evers-Manley, president of the Beverly Hills/Hollywood chapter of the National Assn. for the Advancement of Colored People.

“When we look at the current images of African Americans in the news media and in prime time, it’s all very negative,” Manley said. “We have an entertainment industry that has not recognized the diversity of our community. People here thought this show was going to be different, but they did not really feel it was reflective of the positive things in the community, and it made them angry.”

Rod Wright, a public affairs host for KGFJ-AM 1230, said, “Take ‘Martin.’ I don’t particularly like him because the typical plot line has him being overly sexual. But he has a job. He’s not a gang member. He’s engaged. In ‘Living Single,’ none of the women are pregnant. They’re not on welfare. One owns her own magazine. One is an attorney. All of these people may act silly, but the basic image is not negative.”

Said Bakewell: “The words South Central have now become major buzz words in America reflecting pain and turmoil. We want a balanced reflection of life here. We don’t need our community trivialized.”

Part of the criticism from blacks against the show stems from the fact that the series is too real, said Armstrong Williams, a prominent African American conservative.

“People are tired of seeing reality, and they want to see a different reality,” he said.

Despite the intensity of the criticism, show co-creator Farquhar said he is encouraged and happy with the controversy the show has provoked: “I don’t think you have people having these kinds of discussions after they see ‘Martin.’ ”