L. A. HEAT/SYN/1996 *(Steven Williams/costar) August Brooks, a cool,
calm and collected black Los Angeles police detective teamed with a white
partner, Detective Chester 'Chase' McDonald. Renee Tenison appeared as
Kendra Brooks, August's wife.
L.A. LAW/NBC/1986-94 **(Blair Underwood) Jonathan Rollins, a confident,
but unseasoned black lawyer hired on board the Los Angeles law firm of
McKenzie, Brackman, Chaney & Kuzak during the 1987 season.
LAND OF THE GIANTS/ABC/1968-70 **(Don Marshall) Dan Erikson, black co-pilot on
the sub orbital aircraft the "Spindrift" (Flight #612) which passed
through a time warp into a land of beings tens-of-times larger than the
crew and its passengers.
THE LARRY SANDERS
SHOW/HBO/1992-98 **(Penny Johnson) Beverly, the savvy, super
efficient black assistant to the insecure, ego-maniacal late night talk
show host Larry Sanders.
THE LAST PRECINCT/NBC/1986 **(Ernie Hudson) Det. Sgt. Tremaine "Night Train"
Lane, black plainclothes officer (who dressed like a pimp) assigned to the
56th precinct in Los Angeles with a variety of other misfit officers.
LATELINE/NBC/1998-99 **(Sanaa Lathan) Briana, a beautiful but sardonic,
black booker (that's booker with a "B") who arranges for guests to appear
on a late night talk show called "Lateline." Although overworked and
underpaid, Briana is very competent and could probably do everybody's job
on the show, if necessary.
LAW & ORDER/NBC/1990+ *(Richard Brooks II/costar) Paul Robinette, a
black Assistant District Attorney conducting law in the criminal courts in
New York City. He grew up in Harlem, is single and likes tennis. Paul left
the D.A.’s office to become a private practice defense lawyer. S. Epatha
Merkerson also appeared as Lt. Anita Van Buren, the tough-as-nails black
supervisor of police detectives at the 27th precinct who investigate
crimes prosecuted by the district attorney's office. She is married to the
owner of a hardware store and has two young sons. In the fall of 1999 (the
tenth season?) Jesse L. Martin was introduced
as Detective. Ed Green, the new partner of white Detective Lennie Briscoe.
LAWLESS/FOX/1997 *(Glenn Plummer/costar) Reggie. a black helicopter
pilot living in Miami's trendy South Beach who assisted his friend and
former Army buddy John Lawless, a private eye.
THE LAWRENCE WELK
SHOW/ABC/1955-71/SYN/1971-1982 **(Art Duncan) Black tap dancer who was a featured
member of the Lawrence Welk family of musical/dance performers. Art Duncan
was with Lawrence Welk from 1964 until the program's last show on February
24, 1982.
THE LAYTONS/DUM/1948 **(Amanda Randolph) Black maid working for the
white Layton family on this short-lived domestic comedy series. Amanda
Randolph was known as Sapphire's Mama on the radio and TV series AMOS 'N
ANDY/CBS/1951-53 and played Louise, the maid on MAKE ROOM FOR
DADDY/ABC/CBS from 1953-64.
THE LAZARUS SYNDROME/ABC/1979 *(Louis Gossett, Jr.) Dr. MacArthur St. Clair, a
stern black Chief of Cardiology at Webster Memorial Hospital who was
always at odds with the hospital's bureaucracy. Sheila Frazier appeared as
the doctor's wife, Gloria St. Clair.
LEGACY/UPN/1998-99 **(Sharon Leal) Marita, attractive black
administrative assistant/bookkeeper for a horse and tobacco farm owned by
the Logan family, Irish-American landowners living near the city of
Lexington, Kentucky in the post-Civil War days of 1881. Steven Williams
also appeared as Isaac, the trusted black ranch hand.
LENNY/CBS/1990-91 **(Scott Lawrence) Richard Johnson, black attorney
who married white Irish-Catholic Megan Callahan on the 1/5/99 episode of
this Boston-based sitcom.
THE LESLIE UGGAMS
SHOW/CBS/1969 *(Leslie Uggums) Leslie Uggums, talented black
singer/entertainer who hosted this musical variety program featuring
celebrity guests, The Howard Roberts Singers, The Donald McKayle Dancers
and various comedy skits One of the recurring sketches on the program was
entitled "Sugar Hill." It featured a middle-class black family living in a
large metropolitan area. The family members included Leslie Uggams as
Henrietta; Lincoln Kilpatrick as B. J., her husband; Lillian Hayman as
Leslie's mother; Johnny Brown as Leslie's brother, Lamar; and Allison
Mills as Leslie's sister, Oletha.
LIFE WITH BONNIE/ABC/2002+ **(David Allen Grier) Dave Bellow, the black
producer of Morning Chicago, an early morning talk show hosted by
Irish-American hostess Bonnie Molloy.
LINC'S/SHO/1998-2000 *(Steven Williams) Russell A. “Linc” Lincoln, the
black proprietor of Linc's Bar & Grill, a Washington, DC hot spot where
“debates flow like the beer on tap and the patrons wouldn't have it any
other way!” Pam Grier costarred as Linc’s romantic interest Eleanor
Braithwaite Winthrop; Regulars to the bar included George Stanford as
Johnnie B. Goode; Joe Inscoe as Harlan Hubbard IV; Golden Brooks as CeCe
Jennings; Tisha Campbell as Rosalee Lincoln; Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje as
Winston Iwelu; Daphne Reid as Eartha; Tim Reid as Priest; Rodney Choice as
Tracy; Jamie Mann as Hugh; and Edward A. Brooks as Kalil.
LITTLE
HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE/NBC/1974-83 **(Kelly Lester) Hester Sue
Terhune, an African-American cook at the Sleepy Eye School for the
Blind that Mary Ingalls attended. Hester later moved to Walnut Grove
to work along with Caroline Ingalls at Mrs. Oleson's restaurant worked.
The Hester Sue character appeared during the 1979-83 seasons.
LIVE SHOT/UPN/1995-96 **(Hill Harper) Tommy Greer, a black TV soundman
working in Los Angeles at Channel-3 news room.
LIVING DOLLS/ABC/1989-90 *(Halle Berry/costar) Emily Franklin, a brainy
black teenage girl who lived with Trish Carlin, the owner of the New York
City-based Carlin Agency who groomed a group of young aspiring models.
Emily saved her model earnings so she could train to be a doctor.
LIVING IN CAPTIVITY/FOX/1998 *(Dondré T. Whitfield) Curtis Cook, an upwardly
mobile African-American living in a gated, planned suburban community with
his wife, Tamara (played by Kira Arne) and a bevy of goofy neighbors
including a bigoted Italian-American man who thinks all blacks are thieves
or worse.
LIVING SINGLE/FOX/1993-97 *(Queen Latifah/costar) Khadijah James, editor of
Flavor magazine (a periodical for black women) who shared a Brooklyn
apartment with her cousin and office manager Synclaire James (Kim Coles).
Other cast included Erika Alexander as divorce lawyer Maxine "Max" Shaw;
Kim Fields as sexpot Regine Hunter; T. C. Carson as neighbor Kyle Barker;
John Henton as building superintendent Overton Wakefield Jones and
Synclaire's boyfriend; and Cress Williams as Terrence "Scooter,"
Khadijah's boyfriend. Queen Latifah (real name: Dana Owens) was born in
East Orange, New Jersey. Incidentally, the name "Latifah" is Arabic for
"delicate and sensitive."
LOBO (THE MISADVENTURES OF
SHERIFF)/NBC/1980-81 **(Nell Carter) Sgt. Hildy Jones, black police
officer working with (but not for) the larcenous sheriff Lobo,
transplanted from Orly, Georgia to Atlanta Georgia.
LONESOME DOVE: THE SERIES (THE
OUTLAW YEARS)/SYN/1994-95 **(Diahann Carroll) Ida Grayson, a black frontier
woman who purchased a hotel in the town of Curtis Wells and renamed it
"The Lonesome Dove". Billy Dee Williams played Ida's husband Aaron
Grayson, an Indian Scout.
LOVE AMERICAN
STYLE/ABC/1969-74 **(Tracy Reed, Clifton Davis) Black regulars on
the romantic comedy anthology series. Tracy Reed went on to star in
BAREFOOT IN THE PARK/ABC/1970-71 and Clifton Davis starred in THAT'S MY
MAMA/ABC/1974-75 and AMEN/NBC/1986-91.
LOVE & WAR/CBS/1992-95 *(John Hancock/costar) Ike Johnson, the black
bartender and owner of the "Blue Shamrock, a seedy restaurant/bar located
in downtown New York City." After Hancock (as well as his character, Ike)
died of a heart attack, Charlie Robinson joined the cast as Ike's surly
brother Abe, an unemployed Detroit auto worker who showed up to claim
Ike's inheritance which included ownership of the Blue Shamrock. Both Ike
and Abe co-owned the bar with a white female partner who bought interest
in the place to manage the restaurant concession.
THE LOVE BOAT/ABC/1977-86 **(Ted Lange) Isaac Washington, an out-going black
cruise ship bartender and unofficial big shoulder on which many troubled
passengers laid their problems. Phil Morris (the son of actor Greg Morris
of CBS TV series MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE fame) appeared as Chief Purser Will
Sanders in the revival series LOVE BOAT: THE NEXT WAVE/UPN/1998.
LOVE THY NEIGHBOR/ABC/1973 *(Harrison Page & Janet Maclachlan) Ferguson &
Jackie Bruce, a black couple from Passaic, New Jersey who moved to an
all-white Los Angeles suburban neighborhood of Sherwood Forest Estates.
Ferguson worked as an efficiency expert at Turner Electronics (as did his
white next-door neighbor Charlie Wilson, a middle-class Republican shop
steward. See also THE HUGHLEYS.
LUCAS TANNER/NBC/1974-75 **(Alan Abelew) Jaytee Drumm, black student who
interacted with English teacher Lucas Tanner, assigned to Harry S. Truman
Memorial High School in Webster Groves, Missouri.
LUSH LIFE/FOX/1996 *(Karyn Parsons/costar) Margot Hines, a beautiful,
sassy black female sharing an apartment with an equally outrageous white
female artist named Georgette (both of whom have no visible means of
support). Other cast include Sullivan Walker as Hal Gardner, the owner of
a seedy club frequented by Margot and her friend George; Fab Filippo as
fledgling musician Hamilton Ford Foster; Khalil Kain as social climber
Lance Batista; and Concetta Tomei as Margot’s meddling mother Ann
Hines-Davis-Wilson-Jefferson-Ali.
