TALK TO ME/ABC/2000 **(Michael J. Estime) Cam, black producer of radio
talk show at station WSJB. Cam’s character is sharp and witty.
TAXI/ABC/NBC/1978-83 **(J. Alan Thomas) Jeff Bennett, African-American
employee of a Sunshine Cab Company in New York City who assisted with taxi
dispatch operations. Jeff worked in an elevated cage area inside the
garage area along side his supervisor, a lecherous, pint-sized
Italian-American.
TEAM KNIGHT RIDER/SYN/1997-98 **(Duane Davis) Duke DePalma, member of the
Foundation of Law and government, which employs a collection of highly
skilled operatives paired with most advanced, state-of-the-art vehicles
who battle crime as Team Knight Rider! Duke drives a rugged all-terrain
vehicle called “Beast.”
TEECH/CBS/1991 *(Phill Lewis) David Gibson, a black music
instructor who taught pupils at the Winthrop Academy, an all white private
school near Philadelphia. B. B. King performed the theme song.
TEKWAR/USA/1994-96 *(Eugene Clark/costar) Sid Gomez, black private
detective hired by the Cosmo Detective agency, a state-of-the-art private
detective agency based in the year 2044. Sid’s reunites with his old white
partner, Jake Cardigan (the series main character) to battle Tek Lords,
the pushers of an illegal drug known as Tek.
TEMPERATURES
RISING/ABC/1972-74 *(Cleavon Little) Dr. Jerry Noland, a black
physician at Capital General Hospital in Washington, D.C. whose work
activities included being in-house bookie and thorn-in-the-side of very
straight laced, conservative chief of staff of surgery. The series was
revised under the title THE NEW TEMPERATURES RISING/ABC/1973-74.
TENAFLY/NBC/1973-74 *(James McEachin) Harry Tenafly, a happily married
black Los Angeles private detective. The series was part of the NBC
TUESDAY/WEDNESDAY MYSTERY MOVIE. Also featured were Lillian Lehman as his
wife, Ruth and Paul Jackson, as his son, Herb.
TENSPEED AND BROWN
SHOE/ABC/1980 *(Ben Vereen/costar) E. L. Turner, aka "Tenspeed"
a black ex-con hustler on parole who became a partner in a private
detective agency. Vereen reprised his role of Tenspeed in the hour
adventure series J. J. STARBUCK/NBC/1987-88 as the sidekick of Jerome
Jeremiah Starbuck, a San Antonio billionaire.
THAT'S MY MAMA/ABC/1974-75 *(Clifton Davis) Clifton Curtis, a hip, young
black who inherited the family Washington, D.C. barbershop. He lived with
his mama, Eloise (Theresa Merritt) in living quarters attached to the
shop. Ted Lange who played one of the regulars on the show later starred
as bartender Isaac Washington on the comedy series THE LOVE
BOAT/ABC/1977-86. (Theresa Merritt died on June 22, 1998. She originated
the role of Ma Rainey in Broadway's acclaimed "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom.")
THEA/ABC/1993-94 *(Thea Vidale) Thea Turrell, black portly widow
with four lively children who worked as a supermarket clerk and ran a
beauty shop from her home to make ends meet. Other cast included Adam
Jeffries as her sixteen-year-old son Jarvis, Jr.; Jason Weaver as her
fourteen-year-old son, Jerome; Brenden Jefferson as youngest son, James;
Brandy Norwood as her thirteen-year-old daughter, Danesha; Yvette Wilson
as Thea's sister, Lynette; Cleavant Derricks as Lynette's husband Charles;
and Kenny Ford, Jr. as Danesha's boyfriend.
3RD ROCK FROM THE
SUN/NBC/1996-2001 **(Simbi Khali) Nina Campbell, sassy black office
assistant and often referee for college professors Mary Albright and Dick
Solomon (who is an outer space alien disguised as an Earthling). Khali was
born in Jackson, Mississippi in 1971 and raised in Chicago. .
THIRD WATCH/NBC/1999+ *(Michael Beach/costar) Monte "Doc" Parker,
emergency medical technician based in New York City. Beach also had a
recurring role on NBC’s award-winning drama "ER" as Jeanie Boulet’s
(played by Gloria Reuben) husband who had contracted the HIV virus and
passed it on to her. Other black “Third Watch” characters include Corey
Bell as rookie police officer Ty Davis. Bell is an honors graduate of San
Jose State University.
THE THREE FLAMES SHOW/NBC/1949 *(Tiger Haynes, Roy Testamark, Bill Pollard) The
Three Flames, a popular black vocal group who performed to a backdrop of
flickering flames hosted this live summer musical variety series. They
were among the first black performers to have a regular network series.
The group consisted of guitarist Tiger Haynes, pianist Roy Testamark and
bass player Bill Pollard.
THROB/SYN/1986-88 **(Richard Cummings, Jr.) Phil Gaines, a black
employee of a small New York City record company called Throb.
TIME OF YOUR LIFE/FOX/1999-2000 **(Gina Ravera) Jocelyn 'Joss' House, a pretty black female who
befriends a young white girl (series star Jennifer Love-Hewitt as Sarah
Reeves Merrin) recently moved from San Francisco to a East Village
apartment in New York City. The series is a spin-off of Fox’s “Party of
Five.”
TODAY'S BLACK WOMAN/SYN/1981 *(Freda Payne) Freda Payne, hosted this on-the-air
newsmagazine for black women.
TODAY'S F.B.I./ABC/1981-82 **(Harold Sylvester) Dwayne Thompson, a former
black Marine intelligence officer working for the Federal Bureau of
Investigation working in Washington, D.C.
THE TOM SHOW/WB/1997-98 *(Tasha Smith/costar) Tanya Cole, sassy black
female TV station worker working with a recently divorced white man who is
struggling to keep his job as program director.
TOGETHER WE STAND/CBS/1986-87 **(Natasha Bobo) Sally Pandall, an adorable
six-year-old black girl adopted by a white family.
TONY BROWN'S JOURNAL/SYN/1976-81/PBS/1982+ *(Tony Brown) Tony Brown, host of public affairs
program aimed chiefly at black viewers. The program was formerly seen on
PBS in the 1970's as BLACK JOURNAL.
TONY ORLANDO AND
DAWN/CBS/1974-76 *(Telma Hopkins, Joyce Vincent Wilson/costars)
Dawn, a group of two black singers, Telma Hopkins & Joyce Vincent Wilson,
who were Tony Orlando's back-up singers and co-hosts on this musical
variety program.
TOTAL RECALL 2070: THE SERIES/SHO/1999 **(Michael Anthony Rawlins) Martin Ehrenthal,
black police detective who supervises detective David Hume and his android
partner as they investigate for the Citizens Protection Bureau in the year
2070. Michael Anthony Rawlins is also known for his recurring role on
hugely popular BEVERLY HILLS 90210 and numerous television appearances on
such shows as NYPD BLUE, ROSEANNE, THE TRIALS OF ROSIE O’NEILL and FULL
HOUSE.
TOTAL SECURITY/ABC/1997 **(Flex) Neville Watson, a black operative working
for Total Security, a private security firm based in Los Angeles.
TOUCHED BY AN ANGEL/CBS/1994+ *(Della Reese/costar) Tess, an African-American
angel who supervised a beautiful Irish-accented angel named Monica
responsible for helping mortals with problems.
TOUR OF DUTY/CBS/1987-90 **(Stan Foster) Pvt. Marvin Johnson, a black
soldier from Kansas City assigned to fight in the jungles of Vietnam with
the men of Bravo Company during the late 1960's. Carl Weathers as Colonel
Brewster, a veteran black combat officer appeared later in the series.
TRACY GOES ON/HBO/1996-99 *(Tracy Ullman) Sheneesha Turner, a black airport
security guard and one of many characters created by white British
comedian and impressionist Tracy Ullman.
TRAPPER JOHN, M.D./CBS/1979-86 **(Brian Mitchell) Dr. Justin Jackson, aka,
"Jackpot", a young black surgeon on the staff of San Francisco Memorial
Hospital. Madge Sinclair appeared as Ernestine Shoop, the trustworthy
nursing supervisor.
TRAUMA CENTER/ABC/1983 *(Dorian Harewood/costar) Dr. Nate "Skate" Baylor,
a black emergency physician from McKee Hospital Trauma Center in Los
Angeles who worked with a dedicated staff of medical personnel saving
peoples lives.
TRIALS OF ROSIE
O'NEILL/CBS/1990-91 *(Dorian Harewood/costar) Hank Mitchell, black
ghetto-raised attorney who worked in the Los Angeles Public Defenders
Office with fellow lawyer Rosie O'Neill.
TRUE COLORS/FOX/1990-91 *(Frankie Faison/costar) Ron Freeman, a widowed
black dentist with two teenage sons Terry (Claude Brooks) and Lester (Adam
Jeffries) who married a widowed white kindergarten teacher who had a
teenage daughter and a mouthy mother-in-law. In the fall of 1991, Cleavon
Little replaced Frankie Faison in the lead role.
TV 101/CBS/1988-89 **(Alex Desert) Holden Hines, a black teenager
enrolled in the journalism program at Roosevelt High School where he
helped produce the school newspaper and video news segments. Stacey Dash
also appeared as Monique, a journalism student.
24/FOX/2001+ *(Dennis Haysbert/costar) Senator David Palmer,
the first African-American to be elected United States President. David is
divorced from Sherry Palmer (Jenny Johnson Jerald). They have two
children: Son, Keith and daughter Nicole. David received his Juris
Doctorate at the University of Maryland, School of Law and his
Bachelor of Arts in Political Economy from Georgetown University. His
career path included a stint at the law firm of Fidley, Barrow and Bain;
Maryland State Congress Representative, (Baltimore); US Congress
Representative (Maryland); House Ethics Committee Chairman; House Ways and
Means Committee Member; House National Subcommittee member; United States
Congress Senator; Senate Appropriations Committee Member, Senate Commerce
Subcommittee Member. His athletic experience includes being
NCAA All-American Men's Basketball; Big East Conference Defensive Player
of the Year; Sporting News College Player of the Year; and the Wooden
Award for Player of the Year. During his run for President, David
was involved in an assassination plot and in his forts year in the White
House he had to handle a terrorist plot to explode an atomic bomb in the
Los Angles Basin. His ex-wife Sherry was implicated in a power-play to
bring down his administration. Through all the rumor, and political
rancor, David's most trusted ally has been a white CIA agent named Jack
Bauer.
21 JUMP STREET/FOX/SYN/1987-91 *(Holly Robinson/costar) Judy Hoffs, a young black
police woman assigned to a special squad of baby-faced cops who posed as
high school students to infiltrate/battle juvenile crime. Steven Williams
starred as Captain Adam Fuller, their commander.
227/NBC/1985-90 *(Marla Gibbs) Mary Jenkins, a sharp-tongued
busybody who lived at No. 227 in an unidentified apartment house in
Washington, D.C. Also featured were Hal Williams as Lester, her husband;
Regina King as Brenda, their teenage daughter; Jackée Harry, as Sandra
Clark, a flirtatious neighbor; Alaina Reed Hall as Rose Lee Holloway, the
building's owner and Mary's close friend; Kia Goodwin as Tiffany Holloway,
Rose's daughter; Helen Martin as Pearl Shay, the building busybody; Curtis
Baldwin as Calvin Dobbs, Pearl's grandson; and Paul Winfield as an
effeminate entrepreneur who bought 227 and became its landlord.
