How Necessary Is "A Black Lady Sketch Show"?
To fully appreciate A Black Lady Sketch Show, we contextualize the show in the sketch comedy universe and the show's mechanics to get to the bigger picture.
Robin Thede’s creation, A Black Lady Sketch Show, is necessary — and now more than ever. The obvious appeal of the show extends beyond the all-Black women cast but to the Black women among the directors, writers, and a Black woman creator.
For those who don’t regularly scrub IMDb, Wikipedia, or the end credits, the Black womaness of the show inside and out is a very big deal. In a comedy climate that is changing with networks taking fewer chances with potentially offensive material, it is an important time to really dissect the landscape that A Black Lady Sketch Show is existing in and to look at its predecessors of Black sketch comedy programming.
The following data-driven essay will aim to:
Briefly discuss the ways in which comedy has been forced to shift its material as it holds more comedians accountable for their behavior on and off stage
Highlight the dearth of women comics given large platforms in comedy programs
Provide a data-driven view of writer’s rooms across current and past sketch comedy shows
Discuss the most well known sketch comedy programs that have left a lasting impact
Dive into some elements of what makes A Black Lady Sketch Show reminiscent of In Living Color, while forging its own path
At the conclusion of this essay, I raise a few questions worthy of consideration to better contextualize the importance A Black Lady Sketch Show.
Standup Comics take on Bigger Stages
Some of the most beloved and culturally important mainstream television shows of have been the brainchild of well-known standup comics. Ray Romano’s Everybody Loves Raymond (CBS), Brett Butler’s Grace Under Fire (ABC), Ellen DeGeneres’ Ellen (ABC), and Jerry Seinfeld’s Seinfeld (NBC) are Emmy-award winning sitcoms built around the standup comedy of its creator and star.
Black show creators and standup comics have also seen success, though largely existing outside of the mainstream awareness. Martin Lawrence’s Martin (FOX), Bernie Mac’s The Bernie Mac Show (FOX), and Jamie Foxx’s The Jamie Foxx Show (WB) were sitcoms with Black standup comics at the creative helm that helped build the early audiences of newly launches networks. The UPN was built on the back of Black women-led sitcoms including Girlfriends, Moesha, Half & Half, The Parkers, and Eve.
A handful of Black standup comics have been successful on both television and feature films including those listed above as well as Eddie Murphy, Chris Rock, and Monique.
Comedy Experiences a Paradigm Shift
Compared to comedy in the 1990s and 2000s, today’s comedy is subject to greater accountability. Sitcoms and standup specials that once took aim at marginalized groups are no longer free from scrutiny, as impacted communities and advocacy groups demand greater accountability for harm caused.
In fact, some well known comedians have warned of the end of comedy due to “political correctness.” Jerry Seinfeld (Seinfeld) has gone on record stating political correctness will destroy comedy, Tina Fey (Saturday Night Live, 30 Rock, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt) believes offending comedy does not require apology, and Billy Crystal (Saturday Night Live) has characterized today’s comedy as a “minefield.”
Many of the comics expressing worry about “cancel culture” have already experienced significant success across television and film. Yet late-night shows like Saturday Night Live repeatedly lampooned presidential candidates, MadTV caricatured celebrities, and Chappelle’s Show highlighted the nuances of racism. It is unclear if comedy that pushes boundaries are reserved for late-night slots and pay-cable, but in today’s comedy landscape that is where most of the edgy material exists. The days of primetime ribald humor such as In Living Color seem to be over.
In an era of comedy that includes greater broadcast scrutiny and network social media teams at the ready to engage with viewers, even comedy legends best known for explicit material like Chris Rock and Eddie Murphy entertain differently than they had in the past. Eddie Murphy has apologized for the past offense of his early standup material.
Women in Comedy
If there is a Black comedy Hall of Fame, many of the recipients of those honors would come from ComicView (BET) and Def Comedy Jam (HBO). For many viewers, those two late-night programs were the foundation of how we view Black humor. The women of both programs held their own although their talents remain undervalued.
Of the well-known Black women comics, Monique, Sommore, Laura Hayes and Adele Givens, were some of the best. The four would film the standup special, “The Queens of Comedy.” Along with Monique, other Black women comics that found success on television and film include Tiffany Haddish and Wanda Sykes. Sykes, the only woman writer of The Chris Rock Show (HBO), has been a recurring star on several sitcoms and appeared in box office films.
Although standup comedy is a popular starting point for many of the comedy greats, sketch, sitcom, and improv have also spawned stars. From the world of sketch comedy, Debra Wilson’s big break was on MadTV (Fox) and Maya Rudolph and Ellen Cleghorn hail from Saturday Night Live (NBC).
Television actresses including Jackee Harry (227, Sister Sister), Tisha Campbell (Martin, Wife & Kids), and Niecy Nash (Reno 911, Claws) demonstrate the versatility of so many Black women performers. Given the dearth of Black writers, women writers, and Black women writers on most television programs, these comedic actresses delivered legendary performances that are layered. Their characters are funny, flawed, and full. It cannot be understated how impressive this is as these same actresses often act across disciplines (drama, comedy, music).
Inside The Writer’s Rooms
It is no secret that comedy writers’ rooms are overwhelmingly male and white — a broader trend seen in Hollywood even outside of comedy. In a report produced by Color of Change, 17% of the analyzed shows include 1 Black writer, another 17% included 2 or more Black writers, while 65% had no Black writers. The analysis examined over 230 series, finding 4.8% included a Black writer and 8.9% included other POC writers.
In comedy and drama, the clearest progress report for the industry occurs at the Emmy Awards. The winning comedy writing team is often very homogenous.
Data Deep Dive: Race & Gender
In the below charts, you’ll see comparisons for writer’s room diversity historically and currently.1 In order to compare shows that have been on the air for nearly 5 decades (SNL) and those with shorter runs, a representative sample was used to (i) enable faster analysis and (ii) counterbalance shows adding non-white, non-male writers in their most recent seasons.
The data shows that shows led by Black hosts and talent does not always translate to a completely Black writer’s room, though Black women are still underrepresented even with the host (or show namesake) is Black. A Black Lady Sketch Show (HBO) is revolutionary in the context of comedy writing: 100% of its writing staff are Black women. While it may be easy to assume this is not “equitable,” the show itself is over-correcting for a history of Black women’s underrepresentation in writer’s rooms.
The representative sample may not be a perfect measure, but it does provide insight into the bulk of the show’s writing staff. In the case of Saturday Night Live (NBC), Michael Che is the only Black person to clear the threshold of a representative writer for the show. The measure is directional and long-tail focused. In comparing Saturday Night Live (NBC) to A Black Lady Sketch Show (HBO), Thede’s show starting off with a writer’s room of all Black women is meaningful just as is the distribution of writing credits.
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live (NBC) is the preeminent late night sketch comedy show, having been on the air since 1975. Among its most famous stars are Kenan Thompson, longest standing cast member, and white alums who have starred in numerous films and television. Its most famous Black cast members include Kenan Thompson, Maya Rudolph, Ellen Cleghorn, Chris Rock, Eddie Murphy, Garret Morris, Tim Meadows and Tracy Morgan.
SNL has won 73 Emmy Awards from among 275 nominations that span writing, comedic performance, and overall outstanding variety show. As part of the conglomerate NBCUniversal-Comcast, SNL sketches have become feature films produced by studios within the same conglomerate. Additionally, NBC as a non-pay network makes all of its sketches available to the public and its sister stations and NBC properties like The Today Show regularly amplify SNL sketches. While FOX is also a non-pay network, it does not have the same reach with all of its properties to amplify sketches within its sister properties. Black-led comedy and sketch shows have largely remained on pay-networks where some clips are made available online, but the potential virality is proportional to that network’s black subscriber base.
In SNL’s nearly 5 decade run, many sketch ensemble shows have come and gone including the significantly more diverse casts of In Living Color (FOX) and MadTV (FOX).
In Living Color
In Living Color (FOX) was the creation of Keenen Ivory Wayans — of the comedy dynasty that includes Kim, Damon Sr, Shawn, Marlon, Damon Jr, and Chaunte. Keenen’s show featured a nearly all Black cast and an ensemble of soon to be famous dancers. Although the show has been off the air for nearly 30 years, many of its alums still have thriving careers in film and television including Jamie Foxx, Jim Carrey, David Alan Grier, Damon, Kim, Shawn, Marlon, Keenen, Tommy Davidson, and Kim Coles.
With Keenen at its creative helm, In Living Color created characters that are still recognizable today and featured in memes and gifs on social media. Part of the show’s success can be attributed to a key gap in understanding and lagging technology, artfully exploited by Keenen. In a taped reunion panel, Keenen discusses how little network censors — those responsible for enforcing broadcast standards and reducing potential network fines — understand the nuances of Black culture and humor. In other words, the creative writing and skillfully layered jokes were slipped past network censors. That disconnect allowed In Living Color to push boundaries rarely pushed on primetime broadcast television. During the show’s run, complaints were received via fax machine which significantly lag behind the immediacy of social media.
A major turning point in the history of In Living Color was its 1992 live show. Competing with the Super Bowl Halftime show, In Living Color captured 22 million viewers. The following year, the NFL hired Michael Jackson as the headliner. The NFL has continued to hire the music industry’s biggest stars for that highly coveted broadcast spot.
While In Living Color lasted five season, many of the performers from the show would go on to star in sitcoms including Wife & Kids (ABC), The Jamie Foxx Show (WB), Living Single (FOX) and The Wayans Brothers (WB). Even the show’s dancers, The Fly Girls, would find success after the show including Rosie Perez, Carrie Ann Inaba, Laurieann Gibson, and Jennifer Lopez.
The World After In Living Color
In the days before DVR and next-day online replays, audiences voted with their television remotes. While In Living Color (FOX) did not compete for the same time spot as Saturday Night Live (NBC), MadTV (FOX) did. As In Living Color went off the air in 1995, MadTV would debut the same year. MadTV’s initial cast was smaller than SNL’s it was more racially diverse (3 of its 8 original cast were Black). Notable alums of the show include Orlando Jones, Phil LaMarr, Nicole Sullivan, Debra Wilson, Alex Borstein, Aries Spears, Mo Collins, Bobby Lee, Keegan-Michael Key, and Jordan Peele.
Premiering in 1997, The Chris Rock Show (HBO) was a variety show that was a hybrid of sketch, standup comedy, and interviews. Nominated for 7 Primetime Emmys (winning 1), the sketch performers and writers included Chris Rock, Wanda Sykes, and Lance Crouther. The show’s format is similar to Dave Chappelle’s Chappelle Show (CC) that would premiere in 2003. Both Rock and Chappelle’s shows come in the footsteps of Primetime Emmy Award winning, The Arsenio Hall Show (CBS), which ran from 1989 through 1994.
A Black Lady Sketch Show
Robin Thede’s A Black Lady Sketch Show (HBO) premiered in 2019. Thede’s stated aims included a desire for Black women to see themselves — with the inclusion of women of different body sizes, skin tones, sexuality, and representing different parts of the Black diaspora. With the support of HBO’s Programming executives, Thede was encouraged to “do more” and “be crazier,” in support of her vision for the show. Delivering on its mission, the show features black women in front of the camera as talent, directors, producers and in the writer’s room.
Thede’s show also showcases a tighter run of show compared to other sketch programs that feature musical guests and host monologues. This departure from an industry norm puts much more focus on each sketch. For example, Saturday Night Live (NBC) includes a monologue, 2 musical performance, Weekend Update, and 8 sketches in an episode. The Chris Rock (HBO) and Chappelle’s Show (CC) both include host monologues, music performances, and sketches in their 30 minute run time.
The additional focus on sketches forces the viewer to more fully engage in each piece without much of a break, though the between sketch segments reset the viewer similar to a palate cleanser. Without a crutch of musical guest, A Black Lady Sketch Show brings the show’s writing to the center and highlights the talent of the writer’s room. This requires a shift for viewers from expecting only guttural belly laughs, which is rounded out with deeply Black references and strategic guest casting.
Where the show doesn’t always go for big laughs, it leans into the universality and specificity of America’s Black culture. In the fourth episode of the first season, the church prayer that includes “why Father God, why are her pies wet, how do you get water under the crust?” is absolutely perfect. The line when pulled out and studied is known best to Black audiences (i) familiar with the passive aggressive nature church politics (ii) the artful shade employed by church mothers and (iii) the importance of sweet potato pie.
Experiencing water underneath the pie is a reference for — and by — us. It is reminiscent of Bunita Butrell, who is NOT one to gossip so you did NOT hear it from her. There are several glimpses of In Living Color (FOX) that are comforting including Dr Hadassah Olayinka Ali-Youngman, who opens us up to Oswald Bates’ female hotep counterpart.
The show also creates its own set of memorable characters while wisely integrating pop culture figures. Women guest stars on A Black Lady Sketch Show include legends of music like Patti LaBelle and Kelly Rowland, while introducing a younger generation to the likes of Vanessa Bell Calloway, Marla Gibbs, and Jackee Harry. Male guest stars on the show often play hotties and bit parts, a subversive dynamic that is actually refreshing. Watching the show has forced me to consider how many other sketch comedy programs would pass the Bechdel Test.2
Concluding Thoughts
A Black Lady Sketch Show did not immediately strike me as the next great sketch comedy show, but something about the show made me want to understand why it didn’t click. It is possible the show that centers Black women found me, a Black man, on the periphery. Either way, I wanted to explore the disconnect.
I found myself using an art gallery metaphor. If you’re brought to a gallery that is intended to speak to you but it does not, how would you go about understanding what was wrong:
Is that the painting or photographer’s technique does not resonate?
Do the canvas or materials seem wrong or just off?
Is the overall atmosphere distracting from enjoying the art or is it something else?
I sat with A Black Lady Sketch Show, asked friends what they thought of the show, and listened closely to what they loved or found was a miss. Their responses are how I came to realize so much of Black comedy is anchored in a heyday that is gone with material that is too offensive or performers who are not bankable enough to obtain a network show. I also decided to imagine what it would have been like if the big shows of the past like In Living Color or The Chris Rock Show had premiered today. Would their first season be good, what would the network need from viewers and their response to give them the space needed to give us some of the most poignant sketches from Black comedy?
What I became certain of was that I could explore the mechanics of the show to see what I may have missed or what was different. In focusing so closely on writer’s room and the all Black women cast, it is easy to conclude I am asking you to laugh at something that does not speak to you. Instead, my push includes a few things:
Think about your favorite sketch comedy shows, how many of their sketches per episode do you find funny? And compare that to the show’s run time.
Think about which comedians’ material have not changed and if any women would be given the same grace?
Are big laughs the only measure that matters? Is there a place for smart comedy that provides specific references just for its Black audience?
What does it actually mean to believe in “rooting for everybody black,” #blackgirlmagic and #blackexcellence if you cannot provide constructive criticism to its creative team?
Ideally, this essay delivered on providing additional context: a placard at the gallery that explains a bit more about the piece you are watching. The way I see it, this show has immense potential and needs as much Black support as possible. Given that it is on HBO, a pay network, tweets and engagement on Twitter and Instagram with the creators, talent, producers, and network is important for the show to see many more seasons.
For Season 2 of A Black Lady Sketch Show, we’ll be posting episode highlights that include top sketch of each episode, favorite written line from each sketch, specific Black references caught, and Black guest stars. Join us on social channels to amplify the love.
If the research, data, and analysis in this article was valuable to you and your understanding of Black culture, please consider showing your gratitude with a cup (or two) of coffee to the author.
Methodology: (1) Review the credited writers for the series to identify most credited writer, (2) compute 20% of most credited writer’s episode count, (3) include all writers meeting or exceeding the 20% criterion, and (4) cross reference posted photo on IMDb, Google image search to place in gender and race categories. This methodology was used to normalize across a disparate sample and can be used to equate the “most impactful” credited writers over the course of the show’s time on air.
Bechtel Test: All 3 conditions are required for a film, television show, or book to pass the test. The conditions are: (1) it must have at least two female characters, (2) they must both have names, and (3) they must talk to each other about something other than a man.
What is your favorite sketch from Season 1?