VirginiaHamilton

I preferred that to what they made her in seasons 3-5 - increasingly self-righteous, shrill, and finally, a very brittle parody.

Oh, I'm not saying that Freddie's boho character didn't irk (I loved her as a kid, but have grown to be impatient of her as an adult), but it was a lot truer to who she was (or rather, her development from the wide-eyed sheltered freshman of season 2 to the young college woman who knew what she stood for - even if she got on her friends'/professors'/classmates' nerves in the process). In addition to being made over to be a generic character with no particular qualities outside of getting with Ron, the writers muddied her friendship with Kim in the process (which I hated most of all) over a guy that truly wasn't worth it, IMO.

I will take Chenelle (Kim, last name escapes me).

Charnele Brown, who, aside, from a guest spot on Living Single, I haven't seen since that show ended.

No one wants Cree Summer back?!

Freddie-La is welcome - as long as she isn't brought back as the watered-down simp that ended up with that bum, Ron, in season 6.

As for Sinbad, I'd like to see him and Jaleesa try at it again, as I'm sure that they (mostly he) have matured since their initial Hillman days. No offense to Colonel Taylor (who I did like indivudually), but I hated what being married to him did to her.

No, no, and HELL NO to the newbies that came in the last season, as they were the main reason why I didn't care for the last season as much as I did the previous ones. If they weren't carbon copies of superior characters (Choir Boy being a bootleg Dwayne and his buddy being a bootleg Ron, who I didn't even like), they were exaggerated versions of who they were on other shows (Charmaine).

I don't count Dean Dorothy Dandridge Davenport as a newbie because she'd been around for at least a season before the last one. Same goes for Gina Deveaux (the only youngster that I consistently cared for, though Jada Pinkett will always have a place in my heart because of her breaking out as Lena), who I'd rather see over the rest of the new characters who they tried to make happen after the OG crew graduated.

*bumping this thread up in light of this*

As per TheGrio:

Legendary producer and choreographer Debbie Allen is featured in the new issue of Ebony magazine, in which she talks about the popular ’80s/90s sitcom A Different World, a spin-off of The Cosby Show that aired for six seasons on NBC from 1987-1993.

The Fame star recently took to her Twitter account to promote her interview in the magazine, and also reveal that she wants to reboot A Different World.

I think that this would be able to work if the original staff (and by that, I mean the Debbie Allen era) were overseeing this reboot and made sure to maintain the core values that made this sitcom so great. Plenty of the social issues that influenced their best episodes are relevant today and Lord knows young Black people need to see a show like this on TV.

Jagger & Karen return and find out Stone has been diagnosed with AIDS, 1995:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EeQhWQAkmok

*sniff*

Top-notch soap, I tell you!

Back when they were viable and fully-fleshed out characters...

Can't wait for this!

Same here. I'm such a sucker for old Black Hollywood stories.

That is awesome news.

It is and I do hope that they consider Ms. Holly as a subject down the line because the story of Blacktors/Blacktresses on soaps needs to be shared with a wider audience.

They only do musicians, but Ellen Holly needs to be on this show.

Actually, TV One is developing Destined (which is supposed to be the acting counterpart to Unsung), which is suppposed to debut sometime this year. I'm not sure if Ellen Holly is on the lineup, but I did hear the late Howard Rollins' name being thrown around as an episode subject.

I am ready for them to start doing some on 90's artists, I have secretly wanted to see one on Tevin Campbell lol

Arrested Development doesn't count?

And as much as I'd love to see one on Tevin Campbell (a.k.a.: the love of my life when I was a tween and no I don't want to hear a single peep from anyone about that), I doubt that'll ever happen for the simple fact that folks aren't ready for him to spill the beans on what really went down behind the scenes during his heyday. After all, the majority of his fanbase vanished like a thief in the night after his "try-sexual" interview.

The Rose Royce episode was SO sad, and nobody died. It was just all about how the guys all got together first, then their label put Gwen Dickey in as the "face" of the group, and the guys all resented her and treated her like sh!t because they were jealous. She left the group and, even though she's proud of the work she did with them, she's basically chosen to rise above them and not have anything to do with them anymore.

Hmm, that sounds similar to the Atlantic Starr episode with the the brothers in the group treating the female members (especially Sharon Bryant and Barbara Weathers) like sh!t.

I'm so glad that you started this thread, as this is one of my favorite TV shows.

Favorite Unsung episode? I'd have to say the Phyllis Hyman one, though the DeBarge one clocks in at a close second.

Least favorite is the Sly Stone episode - hands down. Granted, the episodes were already becoming watered down by that point, but the way they blatantly skated around the fact that Sly was and is mentally ill was just too much for me.

Watching the recent episodes (namely, Jared's impending death by Messenger Mitch) and it's making me mad all over again that they threw him, Kish, Kimmy Cakes, and Schuyler away and replaced them with the lame-ass Fords.

Other than my Clint/Kim, there isn't a thing for me to look forward to in 2010 at all.

So do I.

who wants to party on sticks, grass and dirt?

You're just intimidated by her success.

Read it and weep Wig and SheBroke!

There goes your invitation to the Chateau Sheree housewarming party...

Rosalind Cash - yet another underrated Blacktress who I miss dearly.

I loved her on this show as Mary Mae, as well as her friendship with L&L. Looking back, though, I'm glad that Claire Labine allowed the character to die peacefully along with her portrayer instead of living on long enough to be destroyed by the HWs that succeeded her.

In honor of this glorious news, I'll be searching this thread for some vintage Laura Spencer clips to tide me over until she makes her glorious return...

I had a mouth full of coffee and caught it just in time. LMAO! She was beyond delusional!

My apologies for making you almost spill your coffee, but what I can I say...she was a fabulous source of comedy for four years.

I don't care... I still miss Sherry's delusional ass.

there was. You may want to do a search and resurrect it

Thanks for the heads-up. I may just bump it up.

I just read somewhere that Porsha didn't finish high school... lol

SMDH

Memories of when VH1 Celebreality was truly on and popping...

New York was truly the Queen of my heart, while her goddess of a mother provided plenty of entertainment. I think I'll go revisit the good times online this weekend.

Not sure if there was a Rock of Love thread on here, but that was another ratchet show that I enjoyed. I still miss Heather (a.k.a.: the realest white chick in the VH1 Celebreality era) to this very day.

I keep blocking them out of my memory. I had forgotten what became of the show that summer which is sad and frustrating as they had hit a good stride, IMO.

The worst part of it all is that they overstayed their welcome, in spite of their not being at all popular with the majority of the viewers. Not only did they replace great characters - as you pointed out - but they brought down the decent characters that they did have.

Then again, I guess that I should be grateful this show wasn't on long enough for Ron to turn either of them into a long lost member of a core family.

I don't usually agree with you, but I agree 100% on Amanda Setton/Kim. She was amazing. Losing Kim, Kyle, Fish, Jared, Rachel, etc. Within 5 months hurt the show so badly for me and took another year for me to fully enjoy it. That was by far among the worst casting decisions I have ever seen.

What's more, their unneeded departure made way for the Implentation of the Fords, which made 2010 such a dreadful year for this show and one of the worst decisions that Cartini made for the show. They made the Arrival of the Rappaports - whom I had no use for aside from Lindsay - look like smooth sailing in comparison.

Watching the SoapNet reruns (I believe they're up to the fall of '09) and my opinion is still same as it was 3+ years ago:

My Kimmy Cakes (Kimberly Andrews/Aubrey Wentworth to the rest of you) was truly the best new female character to come along in the last 5 years of that show. Not only did she spark with Clint and make Stacy a smidge interesting, she consistently shat on that smug heifer Gigi all day, every day.

Bipolar Yellgado and Frodd were truly the most nauseating couple on this show and I thank God that I have the option of DVR to fast-forward through their bullshit these days. I also thank God that Frank succeeded in bringing back the Real Todd Manning to finally snatch back the place that his no-talent replacement didn't deserve to have.

Blair - even in her Frodd-obsession period that hurts my soul - is still the baddest bitch in Llanview.

The Jared period was the only time that I found that red-headed heifer tolerable, though she sure tested my patience with the way that she treated Messica as if she was an intruder in the Buchanan family. All the more reason why I dread Jared's death - because I know that she'll rear her ugly head once again while I'll have to fast-forward through that worthless pairing that was her and McBain.

Kish should've been the prized young couple of the show instead of those two dummies Rex and Gigi. Yes, I'm well aware that it took them a century for them to finally get their sh!t together, but I'd rather watch hours of their angst than a minute of the twin dolts with the cockatoo hair.