B.A.D. CATS/ABC/1980 **(Jimmie Walker) Rodney Washington, a
car-thief turned auto re-possessor who helped the Los Angeles police squad
called B.A.D. C.A.T.S. (Burglary Auto Detail, Commercial Auto Thefts). Also
featured was LaWanda Page as Ma, the black owner of Ma's Place, a local rib
joint and favorite hangout of the policemen attached to Burglary Auto
Detail.
BABY I'M BACK/CBS/1978 *(Demond Wilson) Ray Ellis, a black man who returns to his Washington,
D.C. home (which he deserted seven years earlier due to the pressures of
married life) to reconcile with his wife and family. Unfortunately, Ray
discovered he had just been declared legally dead. Also included were
Denise Nicholas as Ray's wife, Olivia; Tony Holmes as their son, Jordan;
Kim Fields as their daughter, Angie; Helen Martin as Olivia's mother,
Luzelle Carter; and Ed Hall as Army Colonel Wallace Dickey, Olivia's
fiance.
BABY TALK/ABC/1991-92
**(Francesca P. Roberts) Anita Craig, a black friend and babysitter of
single white woman with small child. Alicia & Celicia Johnson were
featured as Anita's baby, Danielle. (Vernee Watson-Johnson provided the
voice for baby Danielle's thoughts)
BABYLON 5/SYN/1994-98
*(Richard Biggs/costar) Dr. Stephen Franklin, black Chief of Staff of
Medlab Facility (specialist in Xenobiology) aboard the space station
Babylon 5 which orbits planet Epsilon 3. Stephen resigned his position in
August 2060 while battling "stim" addiction. Before taking his assignment,
Stephen bartered his medical talents in exchange for passage aboard
spacecrafts traveling to other worlds, so that he could learn more about
various alien races. He practices the religious belief of "Foundationism."
His father, Richard Franklin, is General of the 356th Infantry Division of
the Earth Force Marines and known by the nicknames "Firestorm," "Hero of
the Canal Wars," "Scourge of Janos 7," and "Liberator of the African
Block."
BACKSTAIRS AT THE WHITE HOUSE/NBC/1979 (Miniseries)
*(Olivia Cole) Maggie Roberts, a black hairdresser and maid who worked
on the staff of the White House. The miniseries followed the careers of
Maggie and her seamstress daughter, Lillian Rogers Parks (played by Tania
Johnson and Leslie Uggams) as they served a number of Presidents and their
First Ladies over the years (the Taft through Eisenhower administrations).
Other cast included Louis Gossett, Jr. as Levi the White House
butler/footman.
BAGDAD CAFE/CBS/1990
*(Whoopi Goldberg) Brenda, a black owner of a roadside diner and motel
called the Bagdad Cafe' located in the California Mojave Desert. Other
cast members included Monica Calhoun as Brenda's boy-crazy sixteen year
old daughter, Debbie; Scott Lawrence as her musician son, Juney; and
Cleavon Little as Sal, Brenda's worthless ex-husband.
BAKERSFIELD, P.D./FOX/1993-94
*(Giancarlo Esposito) Paul Gigante, a half-black, half-Italian police
detective who moves his family from Washington, D.C. to a mostly white
desert community of Bakersfield, California. There, he is teamed with a
partner whose police techniques were learned from watching television.
THE BARBARA MCNAIR SHOW/SYN/1969-71
*(Barbara McNair) Musical/variety series hosted by black song stress
Barbara McNair.
BAREFOOT IN THE PARK/ABC/1970-71
*(Scoey Mitchlll) Paul Bratter, a newlywed black attorney for
Kendricks, Keene & Klein living in lower Manhattan with his wife, Corie
(played by Tracy Reed). Other regulars included Thelma Carpenter as
Corie's, mother, Mable Bates; and Nipsey Russell as pool hall owner, Honey
Robinson.
BARETTA/ABC/1975-78
**(Michael D. Roberts) Rooster, a colorful streetwise personality who
provided information to a white undercover detective.
BARNEY MILLER/ABC/1975-82
**(Ron Glass) Ron Harris, a handsome, well-dressed black detective
working in a run-down Greenwich Village police precinct. His character was
an aspiring novelist who eventually had his first book "Blood on the
Badge" successfully published. On the series last episode, Harris decided
to become a full-time writer.
BATMAN/ABC/1966-68
**(Eartha Kitt) Catwoman, a pur-r-r-r-fectly sinister leather-clad
Gotham City criminal who kept crime fighters Batman and Robin on their
toes. Earth Kitt inherited the role of Catwoman from two white actresses
(Julie Newmar & Lee Meriweather) who previously played this perfidious
kitty character.
BATTERY PARK/NBC/2000
**(Bokeem Woodbine) Derek, a black police detective working together
with police offers from all walks of life in NY’s Battery Park.
BATTLESTAR GALACTICA/ABC/1978-80
**(Terry Carter) Colonel Tigh, a high ranking black officer on-board
the space cruiser Battlestar Galactica who helped lead an armada of 220
smaller spacecraft to safety from the evil robot Cylon warriors. Herb
Jefferson, Jr. also appeared as Lt. Boomer, a black fighter pilot.
BAY CITY BLUES/NBC/1983
**(Bernie Casey) Thomas "Ozzie" Peoples, black baseball coach who
motivated the players of the Bluebirds, a minor-league baseball team in
the working-class town of Bay City, California. Also featured was Mykel T.
Williamson as Deejay Cunningham.
BAYWATCH/NBC/SYN/1989-2001
**(Traci Bingham) Jordan Tate, black female lifeguard working on the
beaches of Santa Monica during seasons 7-8. Jordon became romantically involved with white
lifeguard, Mitch Buchannon. She later discovers that she is adopted, that
her black Marine father was killed in Vietnam, her white birth mother gave
her up for adoption in 1972; and years later her mother tracked her down
to inform her she might be susceptible to Huntington Disease (her mother
had the brain disease and there was a 50% chance of Jordon inheriting it).
Traci Bingham, the first black "actress" to appear as a regular on the
series, is half Afro-American, part Cherokee Indian (father is Cherokee)
and part Italian. Other cast included Greg Alan-Williams as Sgt. Garner Ellerbee,
a black Baywatch lifeguard patrolman who appeared during seasons 1-5. Greg
was the first black "actor" to appear as a regular on the series.
BAYWATCH NIGHTS/SYN/1995-97 **(Dorian Gregory) Diamont Teague, a black
agent for a secret organization who interacted with Mitch Bucannan, a
white Malibu-based private detective who investigated the bizarre and
supernatural (vampires, witches, demons, etc.).
BECKER/CBS/1998+
**(Alex Desert) Jake Malinak, the blind black man who operates the
newspaper/candy concession stand inside a Bronx diner. He is the reluctant
confidant of Dr. Becker, a Caucasian physician who frequents the joint and
rambles on about how rotten things are in the world. Once when angered,
Jake shouted “Don’t screw with me. I’m blind and I sell chiclets for a
living.” Desert’s mother, father, and big brother are all natives of
Haiti, but Desert is the first member of his family to be born on American
soil. He is also one of the lead singers in Hepcat, a ska/reggae band that
has toured the United States and Europe with the likes of music groups The
Mighty Mighty Bosstones and The Specials. Also featured is Dr. Becker's
black medical office manager, Margaret Wyborn played by Hattie Winston..
Winston was born in Lexington, Mississippi, and raised in nearby
Greenville.
BEN VEREEN...COMIN' AT YA/NBC/1975
*(Ben Vereen) Ben Vereen, talented black actor and singer hosted this
summer musical variety program. Song stress Lola Falana was a regular on
the program.
BENSON/ABC/1979-86
*(Robert Guillaume) Benson Dubois, a wisecracking black butler sent by
a wealthy family (See also SOAP) to the governor's mansion to assist in
running the household. Benson's talents for organization and problem
solving were later rewarded with a promotion to the job of state budget
director.
BETTER DAYS/CBS/1986
*(Chip McAllister, Guy Killum/co-stars) Luther Cain (a wisecracker)
and Anthony "Snake" Johnson (very hip), two black high school basketball
players at Buckner high school in Brooklyn, who befriend a white transfer
student from California. Also featured was Richard McGregor, as Beat-Box.
BETWEEN BROTHERS/FOX/1997-98/UPN/1999
*(Kadeem Hardison/costar) Charles Winston, highly responsible, highly
meticulous black sportswriter who hangs with three other black single men
struggling to make it professionally and romantically in the Windy City
(Chicago). Also featured were Dondré T. Whitfield as James Winston,
Charles’ brother, an easy-going real estate and ladies man; Tommy Davidson
as Mitchell Ford, a twice-divorced high school teacher; Kelly Perine as
Dusty Canyon, a weatherman with bad fashion sense; and Rachel Crawford as
Terri, the boy’s favorite waitress at their local bar. The program was an
African-American version of the successful NBC sitcom FRIENDS.
BEULAH/ABC/1950-53
*(Ethel Waters/Louise Beavers) Beulah, TV's favorite black maid who
always rescued the Hendersons, her bumbling white employers from
predicaments. The character of Beulah first appeared on the radio program
"Fibber McGee and Molly" (voice of white male Marlin Hurt). Later the
character starred on radio series THE MARLIN HURT AND BEULAH SHOW and
finally BEULAH. Other regulars on the television series included Percy
"Bud" Harris & Dooley Wilson as Bill Jackson, Beulah's shiftless
boyfriend; and Butterfly McQueen as Oriole, Beulah's friend and fellow
maid. Additional actors to perform the voice of the Beulah character on
the original radio program included Bob Corley (a white male), Lillian
Randolph, Hattie McDaniel and Louise Beavers. Like the earlier Amos and
Andy Show, Beulah was also pulled from syndication because of NAACP
protests.
BEULAH LAND/1980 (Miniseries)
**(Dorian Harewood) Floyd, black slave living on a Georgian plantation
during the early-to-mid 1800s who was eventually touched by the events of
the Civil War.
BEVERLY HILLS 90210/FOX/1990-2000
**(Cory Tyler) Herbert, the first black regular on the series who
befriends a bunch of white yuppies in the 1992 season. Michael Anthony
Rawlins as Jordon Bonner appeared in a recurring role during the 1992-1993
season.
BIG BREAK/SYN/1990
*(Natalie Cole) Natalie Cole, the black hostess of this talent show
that featured a hunt for wanna-be-singers with weekly winners and
semi-final competitions.
BIG BROTHER JAKE/FAM/1990-94
*(Barbara Meek/costar) Connie Duncan, aka "Ma," a black woman who runs
an interracial foster home in Brooklyn, New York. Gabrielle Carmouche
appeared as Kateri, a studious young black girl who lived at the foster
home.
BIG EDDIE/CBS/1975
**(Ralph Wilcox) Raymond McKay, a jive-talking black business
associate of Edward "Big Eddie" Smith, the owner of the Big E Sports Arena
in New York City.
THE BIG VALLEY/ABC/1965-69
**(Napoleon Whiting) Silas, a black house servant for the Barkley's, a
wealthy western family living on a large Ranch outside Stockton,
California in the late 1880's.
THE BILL COSBY SHOW/NBC/1969-71
*(Bill Cosby) Chet Kincaid, a bachelor physical education teacher and
coach who worked in a lower-middle class Los Angeles high school. Chet's
family members were Lillian Randolph & Beah Richards as his mother, Rose;
Lee Weaver as his brother, Brian; and Olga James as his sister-in-law,
Verna.
BIRDLAND/ABC/1994
**(CCH Pounder) Nurse Lucy, the no-nonsense black head nurse employed
at the psychiatric section of Riverside Hospital in Oakland, California.
B. L. STRYKER/1989-90
**(Ossie Davis) Oz Jackson, a loyal older black friend of white New
Orleans cop, B .L. Stryker living in Palm Beach, Florida. Oz was an
ex-prizefighter with at least one fight left in him (so he thought).
BLACK SASH/WB/2003+ **(Ray J Norwood) Bryan Lanier, a black
streetwise teenage hipster with a heart of gold who takes Chinese style
martial arts lessons from Master Li and Tom Chang at their wharf-side
studio in San Francisco. TRIVIA NOTE: Raised in Southern California,
actor Ray J is a McComb, Mississippi native. He is the brother of
singer/actress Brandy and probably best known for his role on his sister’s
series MOESHA playing her cousin (later revealed to be her brother). Ray J
and his family created the Norwood Kids Foundation, a charitable
organization that has provided activities through performing arts for more
than 250 disadvantaged and at-risk youth.
BLAKE'S 7/BBC/1978-81
**(Josette Simon) Dayna Mellanby, a black female weapons expert whose
family was wiped out by an evil futuristic Federation. Bent on revenge,
she joined forces with resistance fighters in the third season of this
British science fiction series, syndicated on the PBS Network in the late
1980's.
BLUE SKIES/ABC/1994
**(Adilah Barnes) Eve Munroe, a sarcastic but highly efficient black
secretary at Blue Skies Trading Company, a outdoor-goods mail-order
catalog business.
BLUE THUNDER/ABC/1984
**(Bubba Smith) Lyman "Bubba" Kelsey, a black support team member for
an elite police squad which operated a super-helicopter named Blue
Thunder.
BODIES OF EVIDENCE/CBS/1992-93
*(Al Fann/costar) Det. Walt Stratton, black homicide detective working
with the Metropolitan Police, Westside Division of the LAPD. Walt was near
retirement and always wore a fedora hat. Also featured was Lorraine
Toussaint as Dr. Mary Rocket, a black psychiatrist who consulted on
homicide cases.
BOONE/NBC/1983-84
**(Davis Roberts) Mr. Johnson, an old blind, blues guitarist who
encouraged and advised an up-and-coming white rock n' roller living in
rural Trinity, Tennessee in the early 1950's.
BOSOM BUDDIES/ABC/NBC/1980-84
**(Telma Hopkins) Isabelle, attractive aspiring black actress who
lived at the Susan B. Anthony Hotel for women in New York City. She later
became the hotel manager.
BOSTON COMMONS/NBC/1996-97
**(Tasha Smith) Tasha King, a salty administrative assistant for the
student union at Randolph Harrington College in Boston. Her razor wit was
the foil for Boyd, a white country bumpkin coworker. She called everyone
"Baby" as a sign of affection. Garrett Morris (of “Saturday Night Live”
fame) appeared as Tasha’s grandfather, the legendary blues singer who
composed the classic “Drop Dead Willy.”
BOY MEETS WORLD/ABC/1993-99
**(Trina McGee-Davis) Angela Moore, an attractive black teenage
girlfriend of Shawn Hunter, a white youth living in Philadelphia. The
Angela character debuted during the 1997 season. Angela and Shawn have
developed an on again/off again romance but in the meantime they have
enjoyed kissing each other on a number of occasions.
BREWSTER PLACE/ABC/1990
*(Oprah Winfrey) Mattie Michael, a black woman and co-owner of a
restaurant living in a Chicago tenement in the 1960's. Olivia Cole
appeared as Miss Sophie, Mattie's business partner and Brenda Pressley
costarred as their friend, Etta Mae Johnson. The series was based on
Gloria Naylor's inspired 1989 TV-movie "Women of Brewster Place".
BROADWAY JAMBOREE/NBC/1948
*Musical/variety program originally called BROADWAY MINSTRELS
featuring an all black cast. After two weeks on the air it changed it's
title to BROADWAY JAMBOREE and starred both black and white performers.
Black entertainers included the Melodeers quintet, the Deep River Boys,
Theodore Hines, Maxine Sullivan, Tom Fletcher and the dance team of Carl &
Haryette.
BROKEN BADGES/CBS/1990-91
*(Ernie Hudson/costar) Toby Baker, a black detective working
undercover with a group of police officers who (including himself) were on
psychological disability.
THE BRONX ZOO/NBC/1987-88
**(Mykel T. Williamson) Gus Butterfield, a young black teacher with a
Masters in Biology who was given a basketball and told to teach gym class
until there was an opening in the science department at Benjamin Harrison
High School (aka "The Bronx Zoo") in New York City. Also featured were
Tyra Farrell as Roberta, an administrative worker; and Gail Boggs as Roz,
a troubled student who was called crazy by her peers.
BROOKLYN SOUTH/CBS/1997
*(Klea Scott/costar) Nona Valentine, African-American uniformed police
officer assigned to the 74th precinct in Brooklyn, New York. Also on the
beat was Richard T. Jones as Officer Clement Johnson.
BROTHERS AND SISTERS/NBC/1979
*(Randy Brooks)/costar) Ronald Holmes III, the token black member at
Pi Nu Fraternity, the zany frat house nicknamed "Le Dump" on the campus of
Larry Krandall College. Also featured was LaWanda Page as Hattie. Randy
Brooks has also played a number of daytime opera characters including
Hayes Grady on “All My Children” (1996); Marshall Lincoln Kramer III on
“Another World” (1994-95); Eric Royal on “Generations” (1990-91); Desmond
on Days Of Our Lives” (1988); and Nathan Hasting on “The Young and the
Restless.”
BUDDIES/ABC/1996
*(Dave Chappelle/costar) Dave Carlisle, a single African-American who
co-owned a fledgling film and video company with his white married friend,
John Butler. Richard Roundtree played Dave's dad Henry, who owned the
building where the two friends' office was located.
BUFFALO BILL/NBC/1983-84
**(Charles Robinson) Newdell, a tough-minded black make-up man who
worked for a talk show host at WBFL-TV in Buffalo, New York. Meshach
Taylor also appeared as Tony, station crew member. On one episode, Bill
Bittinger, the station's opinionated talk show host had a run in with
Newdell. That night Bill had a dream inhabited by a number of
stereotypical black images like Zulu warriors, and nasty black hookers who
chased Bill through a nightmarish landscape accompanied by Ray Charles'
tune "Hit the Road Jack."
BUILT TO LAST/NBC/1997-98
*(Royale Watkins) Royale Watkins, a black computer programmer leaves
Hollywood to return home to help his Washington, D.C.-based family
contracting business after his father had a heart attack. Regulars
included Paul Winfield as the family patriarch Russel Watkins; Natalie
Desselle as Tammy Watkins; J. Lamont Pope as Randal Watkins; Denise Y.
Dowse as Sylvia Watkins; Geoffrey Owens as Robert Watkins; and Jeremy
Suarez as the youngest sibling Ryce Watkins.
THE BURNING ZONE/UPN/1996-97
*(James Black/costar) Michael Hailey, a black scientist teamed to a
squad of special researchers who track down and contain new strains of
viruses threatening to wipe out mankind.
BUSTIN' LOOSE/SYN/1987-88
*(Jimmy Walker) Sonny Barnes, small-time conman who got sentenced to
community service helping a social worker care for four orphans living
with her in Philadelphia. Other cast included Vonetta McGee as social
worker Mimi Shaw; Larry Williams as Rudey Baker; Aaron Lohr as Nickky
Robinson; Tyren Perry as Trish Reagan and Marie Lynnwise as Sue Ann Tyler.
The series was loosely based on the film "Bustin' Loose" (1981) staring
Richard Pryor and Cicely Tyson.
BUSTING LOOSE/CBS/1977
**(Ralph Wilcox) Raymond St. Williams, hip black youth who worked at
Mr. Cabell's shoe store with a twenty-year-old Jewish guy named Lenny
Markowitz.
THE BYRON ALLEN SHOW/SYN/1989-92
*(Byron Allen) Byron Allen, black comedian who hosted this weekly hour
talk show.
