As a young child growing up, my sisters and i used to watch "Benson" and i always wonered why, if this was his show he never made a effert to have any black cast members. Did he wanted to be the only person of color on that show. Just wondering.:wave:

:wave: That's a good guestion, but I'll give it my two cents worth.

Benson definitely wouldn't qualify as a black sitcom due to the fact that the majority of the cast was white. That being said, I think Tony Thomas summed up the concept for the series best in his season one disk interview. Tony stated that the ideal for Benson's character came from an African Amerian man who worked for his family, Tony's father was producer Danny Thomas, "The Andy Griffith Show", "The Dick Van Dyke Show" and "The Mod Squad". According to Tony, when their household was in a state of confusion, the guy always brought order to chaos through his enormos degree of common sense and the fact that he always had all the right answers.
As far as why the series never featured other African American cast members, my guess would be that in keeping with the series original concept, they would have had to have been as zany as the white characters we're all accustomed to from the series. In other words, someone Benson would constantly have to guide down the right path. That may explain why Katie wasn't utilized more in the last few seasons, after reaching adolescence she was smart, level-headed and didn't need Benson's help trying her shoes all the time like the others. :winkgrin

Yeah, I don't think of it as a black sitcom either. Despite the main character being black the show is simply dominated by white characters. When I think of black sitcoms, I think of the Jeffersons, Good Times, the Cosby Show and other such shows that are dominated by a black cast. (Yet, the show WAS aired on BET for awhile.)

And that's MY two cents. :cool:

Ditto. I think of Benson as a COMEDY, plain and simple. A terrific comedy. :D

I read in a book about Jerry Seinfeld that Benson was a spin-off of Soap.

Andrea

I read in a book about Jerry Seinfeld that Benson was a spin-off of Soap.

Andrea

It is! :thumbsup:

Ditto. I think of Benson as a COMEDY, plain and simple. A terrific comedy. :D

That's a great way to put it - not every sitcom with a black character has to be a black sitcom. If a show is funny, no matter who's in, then why does it matter?

Ditto. I think of Benson as a COMEDY, plain and simple. A terrific comedy. :D

Me too. There were black performers who appeared as guest stars occasionally. The show dealt with things far more important than the color of one's skin.

I read in a book about Jerry Seinfeld that Benson was a spin-off of Soap.

Andrea

It was.

One of the thing's that made "Benson" stand out was the fact that it was very original and different. :nod:

One of the thing's that made "Benson" stand out was the fact that it was very original and different. :nod:
:yeahthat :nod: