|
Issue date: Dec 12, 1999
In this article:
 D.L.
Hughley's rising star
Want better TV? Write it yourself.
That's what D.L. Hughley did. His sitcom about a black
family is a mainstream hit -- no thanks to the NAACP, he says.
By Jeffrey Zaslow
 When
D.L. Hughley watches television, he's amused and amazed by the startling
sameness on network shows. "Everybody's white, in their 20s, with
no visible means of income, living with friends in a great apartment.
If black people with no visible means of income lived in those apartments,
the law would want to talk to those friends!"
Don't let his jokes fool you. As one of TV's highest-profile African
Americans --Ęthanks to his second-year family sitcom, The Hughleys
(ABC, Fridays, 9:30 p.m. ET), and his popular HBO specials -- Hughley,
36, wants to help make TV look more like America. Solutions, he
believes, will come not just from protests, but by proving that
minority shows can have universal appeal.
He doesn't advocate race quotas on TV; when ABC asked him to add
a white teen to his show, he declined. Rather than writing shows
to satisfy advertisers seeking a certain demographic, Hughley prefers
colorblind creativity. He points out that the most beloved shows
-- The Cosby Show, All in the Family -- were about families
people recognized. "They were written from a particular vision,
and audiences, both black and white, responded. The one thing that's
universal about people is we all come from families."
Network executives are "certainly culpable" for the lack of color
on TV, he says. After all, ABC, NBC, CBS and Fox offered 26 new
series this fall, none starring a minority. (Many are now scrambling
to add more minority shows and cast members.) But Hughley also has
sharp words for the NAACP, which has threatened the networks with
litigation and boycotts. He says that when shows with black characters
do make it on TV, the NAACP often objects to the way the characters
are portrayed.
"You can't protest shows [featuring black actors] to get them
off the air, and then say, 'Where are they?' The NAACP needs to
support shows from the outset." Even though The Hughleys
has been critically praised -- he plays a successful businessman
who lives in a mostly white neighborhood -- the NAACP "was indifferent.
They never said anything good or bad." (The NAACP focuses on fighting
"stereotypes and demeaning roles" but soon will open a Hollywood
bureau and may broaden its focus, says spokeswoman Sheila Douglas.)
Darryl Lynn Hughley was a circulation manager for The Los Angeles
Times when he began performing in comedy clubs. After he moved
with his wife and children to an upscale neighborhood, his interactions
with white neighbors gave him the material to create his sitcom.
Traveling America this fall, doing stand-up comedy in front of
arena-sized crowds, Hughley often meets fans who ask about the dearth
of minorities on TV. He tells them to actively support shows they
like. Write letters. Call your local stations. And dream big.
Contributing Editor Jeffrey Zaslow last wrote about actress Mackenzie
Phillips for USA WEEKEND magazine.
Go to the top
PHOTOT CREDIT: Dan MacMedan for USA WEEKEND
D.L. Hughley's
rising star
- From age 16 to age 18, was a member of the notorious L.A. gang
the Bloods.
- First stand-up comedy routine: Feb. 14, 1988, while working
as a circulation manager for The Los Angeles Times.
- First big breaks: HBO special in 1991; hosted Black Entertainment
Television's 1992-93 Comic View, a showcase of black comedians.
- In 1998, created a starring role for himself in The Hughleys,
which went on to become ABC's top-rated new series.
- Married 13 years; has three children with wife LaDonna.
|
