Good Black Dramas on TV Are Possible

As a black American, I salute CBS. The new family drama “Under One Roof” is the shot in the arm Hollywood needed and an antidote to my usual feelings about Hollywood, which vacillate between anger on a good day and disgust most others. (As angry as I am, I’m not alone. Black folks all over the country feel this way.)

Finally, there’s a TV drama that appears to be sensitive in its depiction of a black family (“Drama of a Different Color,” Calendar, March 12). Black dramas have been tried before, just not tried very well. I’ll explain.

From “Spencer for Hire” came Avery Brooks’ dynamic “A Man Called Hawk.” “The Women of Brewster Place” gave us “Brewster Place.” And I had almost totally forgotten about “Harris and Company.” All forgotten black dramas? Why? I’ve talked to TV executives to the point of exasperation and the line I heard most was, “Lovelace, black dramas don’t work.” That’s just a defensive mechanism.

What really happens is we in the industry often fail to give our product a chance to succeed.

But not always. I studied public relations in college. One of the most interesting case studies we did was on the ever-popular family drama “The Waltons.” Yeah, admit it. You felt something warm inside of you when you read the name of the show. What a lot of people won’t remember is how “The Waltons” was a major ratings dud. Did the network drop it after the first six shows? Of course not. And was that decision made because it was a white family drama? I certainly don’t know for sure, but I have an idea.

The network responded like a manufacturer that had a product in trouble. As they should have. They rolled out the public relations red carpet and pleaded with America to give the show another chance. Well, we Americans like to be asked for our help. The response was a second chance and the rest, of course, is history.

I’ve been in Hollywood 12 years. In that time I’ve learned a lot. One of the things I’ve learned is black professionals trying to be part of Hollywood are seemingly offered a cruel choice. One that members of other races don’t even have to consider. For us, it’s money or integrity. Shamefully, we aren’t offered both.

My circle of associates gets smaller as more people say to me, “Lovelace, just get the money. Then you can do what you want.” A dear friend of mine even suggested I write the bloodiest, most pimp-, dope- and whore-infested gangster movie script ever. Then, with the money from that, do a decent story about black folks. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work like that. Someone’s babies are going to be tainted and influenced by the filth with my name attached to the credits. No amount of money will ever wash that away. I’ve worked too long and too hard for children to create that type of product.

I want to create movies and TV programming for the world. Black folks, included. And I will. Just because my wife and I reside in South-Central Los Angeles, drugs and gangs aren’t the focus of my stories. Mine offer something different. Gangsters and drugs are a reality. They are just not my reality. What we don’t see in movies or on TV is how fear rules the lives of the blacks on top. I mean, some are even afraid to visit working-class black neighborhoods, like the ones they grew up in. These are places where their presence could make a notable difference. As notable a difference as their obvious absence.

Or what would it be like for a prominent black professional athlete to walk away from fame and money? And instead live a life of service to others? That’s the story I want to tell.

Don’t get me wrong. I don’t have to see the big and small screens filled only with black lawyers, doctors, writers, etc. That’s not reality. But, let’s show it all. As “Under One Roof” depicts, blacks represent a number of professions. And every character of person under the sun, too.

This diversity is rich material for endless TV shows, miniseries and movies. Will white America buy it? I think so. Show the viewing public interesting, human characters and skin color won’t matter. But the networks have to stand in support of the shows.

Yes, a black cast can carry a TV drama. Black folks are the only immigrants to come to this country as slave labor. Don’t sentence us to the ‘90s plantations--the mindless sitcom; we deserve better.

One TV drama certainly can’t heal the wound. But it’s a start. Kudos to CBS and executive producer Thomas Carter for having the courage to launch “Under One Roof.”