CULTURE CLASSICS - Moesha - Creators For The Culture

#RunTheCulture

By most accounts, the 1990’s were a haven for black sitcoms and for todays #CultureClassic we wanted to take a look at one of the more unique shows of it’s time, Moesha.

Moesha was a sitcom series that aired on UPN from 1996-2001 and starred one of the biggest R&B singers of the day Brandy Norwood as the title character Moesha, a high school student living with her upper-middle class family in south Los Angeles. The show jumps off with her father, a widower and car salesman has married Dee (the vice principal at Moesha’s high school) much to Moesha’s chagrin and the blended family goes through typical ups and downs.

During it’s run, the show covered the gambit of real social issues facing young people such as teen pregnancy, drug use, race relations, the death of a parent, and day-to-day issues teenagers faced at home and school. First, it was good to see these issues tackled from a black perspective. Secondly, in the 90’s many of the depictions of the lives of young black women were centered around drama and traumatic life events so having a show focused on a black female teen dealing with typical teen issues was both a breath of fresh air and something much needed for young black girls to see.

Moesha was a big deal in the black community. Every celebrity wanted to be a part of. Guest stars ranged from Snoop Dogg and Mary J. Blige to Shaq and Kobe! It ended up becoming the most successful show in UPN’s brief history earning it’s #CultureClassic distinction. So many could relate to Moesha and her friends as she spoke directly to a generation of young people coming-of-age in the mid-90’s.

*Also the theme song was a slapper*

#FunFact: The show was originally ordered as a pilot by CBS but was ultimately not picked up by the network. That’s when UPN scooped it up and first aired it as a mid-season replacement and the rest is history.