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Edited on Sun May-23-04 11:02 AM by LowerManhattanite
...I work in the television industry as a writer (and also have as an actor) and I can tell you that Faux's potentially doing a Boondocks show is based on cynicism. The entertainment network is a slightly disconnected entity from the Faux News Network and will throw a lot of things up on the tube hoping for decent ratings. That said, Fox has been brutal on "Black" shows ever since "In Living Color"--which was a runaway hit that took Fox by surprise. Every "Black" show they've mounted ever since, from "Townsend Television" to Cedric the Entertainer's show to Wanda Sykes' show has been victimized by wan and distaff publicity (in comparison to the promotion of dreck like "Temptation Island" and "The Swan"), as well as musical chairs games insofar as time slot. Additionally, Fox's cynicism plays to how they target their audience. As the "free" TV audience dwindles, the largest audience in the U.S. still without cable is the African-American audience, so Fox is able to exploit their influence by continuosly floating these shows out there. Their ONE success since "In Living Color", namely the "Bernie Mac Show" was another runaway that caught them by surprise. It's humanity and pathos as well as it's ribaldry garnered high praise from the hood AND the critics. So what does Fox do? Ditch the co-creator and show-runner Larry Wilmore (the ONLY Black male show-runner in the biz). This effectively knee-capped the show and it is no longer the quality show it had the potential to be.
Story in a nutshell? If McGruder wants to get a show on the air for a few episodes, Fox is the place to do it. if he wants to retain creative control, see it properly promoted and have it in a consistent time slot, other entities are a muuuuuch better bet.
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