Victoria Rowell: "Debbi Morgan wanted to come to Y&R"

[Y&RWorldTurner]

The Good Times audience could be annoying as hell sometimes though, especially when J.J. walked into a scene or said something that wasn't even remotely funny.

[Khan]

"OH, NO! DON'T DO IT, PENNY, DON'T DO IT! OH, LAWD!!!!"

[SFK]

True, but then I say to myself, "Well maybe that WAS funny 35 years ago."

[Khan]

Believe me, a joke with the punchline, "Or maybe the AVON Lady's got brass knuckles!" wasn't funny, isn't funny, and will never be funny.

[SFK]

And even worse, they resorted to sight gags, putting J.J. in the most ridiculous outfits possible to accentuate his skinny frame. The first few times in the pajamas were classic, but then they always have to go and get greedy and end up beating a joke to death...

[DeeeDee]

KATHERINE! KATHERINE DARLING! HAVE ESTHER FETCH THE IMPORTED CAVIAR!

Any show that can't handle Vicky Rowell DEFINITELY can't handle Jenifer Lewis.

[Khan]

Josephine Premice as Katherine's equally affluent half-sister FTW.

[DeeeDee]

They're not.

What they said was Y&R's audience is built on the backs of minority audiences.

An audience who is treated with (along with the genres minority actors/actresses) disrespect at BEST & blatant racist derision at worst when TPTB even remember to treat them at all.

Matching caftans!

[SFK]

While we're on the subject... in Susan Fales-Hill's book Always Wear Joy about her life with her fabulous mother Josephine Premice, she shares an anecdote about her and Whoopi trying to pitch a pilot about a black aging diva, a former singing sensation. The character was inspired by, and would be a tribute to the black divas these women knew in their own lives (like Susan's mother). So they decide that they've found their lead in Jenifer Lewis and they pitch the idea on a conference call. TPTB they speak with say in so many words that when they think "diva" they think "Bette Midler" or someone of that ilk, not this kind of woman they've proposed. They try their best to explain that this character, this black woman, is based in truth, by not just the Diana Rosses of the world but also by the everyday women who are divas in their own right, who make their own money and lavished themselves with the finer things in life before waiting for a man to do so, et cetera. Gist of story, they pass on the show, Whoopi and Susan are left on the line a mix of gobsmacked/hurt/offended/disappointed/not at all surprised. If you remember Whoopi's sitcom, it looks like she pretty much implemented the skeleton of the project there, and of course Jenifer Lewis got her hilarious mockumentary Jackie's Back so it all worked out in a way. Point is, these are the kind of folks who are running [!@#$%^&*] and this is why people get loud and frustrated and up in arms because there's a lot of ignorance, inequality, and unfairness out there, it can be infuriating not just to be ignored, but to be misunderstood.

[ian]

So, then leaving out these possibilities, I present, for your consideration:

Mann Coulter

[bellcurve]

IMO, the overemphasis on J.J. really destroyed that show.

[DRW50]

Esther Rolle and John Amos would agree with you.

I think the Evans kids were a big weak link all around, the writing for them and most of the acting.

[OldSchoolSoapFan]

And if you attempt storyline and character development on a black show, the end result will always remain--not much has changed/we're still not doing enough to create solid black images, ad nauseum. I read this crap all the time. The dirty secret of that mindset is that when the numbers come in--white people aren't watching the show. White dollars are the only thing that's craved.

[alphanguy74]

That would have been a GREAT show, I'd have loved something like that. But I tell you who I would have liked to play the lead:

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[All My Shadows]

Because one or two shows every five years is nothing compared to the constant stream of programs focused on white characters. Until you can turn on the networks in primetime and see at least one or two shows with predominantly black casts every single night, then representation is still low.