CULTURE CLASSICS – Girlfriends
#RunTheCulture
The Girlfriends TV show is featured on this edition of #CultureClassics. We take a look at one of the best representations of #BlackGirlMagic from the early 2000’s.
Girlfriends is a sitcom that looks at the lives, loves, and losses of four diverse black women. Joan (the lead, every-woman attorney played by Tracee Ellis-Ross), Toni (the boougie best friend played by Jill Marie Jones), Maya (the round the way homie played by Golden Brooks), and Lynn (the free spirit played by Persia White). The show premiered on September 11, 2000, on UPN. The show went onto UPN’s successor network, the CW, until 2008 airing 172 episodes.
Girlfriends touched on so many subjects. Episodes ranging from racism, sexism, and infidelity to work/family balance, single life, and the power of friendship. With it’s honest yet hilarious look at successful, modern black women, it quickly became one of the highest-rated scripted shows on television among African-Americans. The show made a bit of TV history for it’s time as well. When it returned in fall 2007 for its eighth season, it became the longest-running live-action sitcom on network television at the time.
The show was created by Mara Brock Akil a talented creator for The Culture. She began her writing career on Fox’s critically acclaimed South Central and also worked Moesha and The Jamie Foxx Show before creating and producing Girlfriends. Akil drew inspiration for the storylines from her own group of good friends. This explains the authenticity and camaraderie the show is renowned for. And for that portrayal of black women and it’s amazing 8 year run on network television, Girlfriends is a certified #CultureClassic.
#FunFact:
A 2006 episode of Girlfriends entitled “The Game” featured guest star Tia Mowry. She played Joan’s cousin Melanie Barnett, an aspiring medical student debating giving up her future to follow her professional footballer boyfriend to California. That episode was the launching pad for the air spin-off series The Game.
#RunTheCulture
If you enjoyed that look at a the Girlfriends TV show. Check out more of our #CultureClassics:
Written by @TalentedMrFord
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