Unedited interview with Eric Monte Part Deux

[knl9674]

hello all.
been a minute since i've posted.
new article with eric monte, original creator or Good Times - very interesting read.

http://www.jimiizrael.com/ji/2005/04...ndex.html#more

enjoy and post your comments.

[James"Thunder"Early]

That surprised me when he said he pitched the Cosby Show as something else. It make me wonder if Bill Cosby took this idea and used it as his own. the fact that Marcy Carsey who was a producer of the Cosby Show heard the idea makes me almost sure of that.

[knl9674]

hmmmm....wouldn't surprise me. i'm sure several shows are created based on some unlucky sap sending in his ideas. word to the wise, get your ideas/scripts...copyrighted. don't think producers and developers throw all of them away.

he makes an interesting point about black women in sitcoms usually are heavier and more matronly than sexy & beautiful. i think that has commonly been the stereotype of black women in early television. claire huxtable was definitely the antithesis of this idea and a what a welcome change it was. beautiful, black, educated, well spoken, motherly..it was truely a first. but, we can't forget about dianne carol's groundbreaking role/sitcom as an AA nurse - can't recall the name. but she was independent, strong and beautiful. so we had a few out there...but not like we see today. Helen from the Jeffersons was out of stereotype. I don't think anyone considered her "sexy" but she defied the stereotype just the same.

[James"Thunder"Early]

Originally Posted by knl9674

hmmmm....wouldn't surprise me. i'm sure several shows are created based on some unlucky sap sending in his ideas. word to the wise, get your ideas/scripts...copyrighted. don't think producers and developers throw all of them away.

he makes an interesting point about black women in sitcoms usually are heavier and more matronly than sexy & beautiful. i think that has commonly been the stereotype of black women in early television. claire huxtable was definitely the antithesis of this idea and a what a welcome change it was. beautiful, black, educated, well spoken, motherly..it was truely a first. but, we can't forget about dianne carol's groundbreaking role/sitcom as an AA nurse - can't recall the name. but she was independent, strong and beautiful. so we had a few out there...but not like we see today. Helen from the Jeffersons was out of stereotype. I don't think anyone considered her "sexy" but she defied the stereotype just the same.

Diahann Carroll was in Julia and she was the first to break the stereotype. and Claire Huxtable really broke ground because she had it all. The stereotype started with Beulah. we got past that problem now the new problem is that blacks aren't getting good TV shows like we did in the past. as for the script since he pitched it and probably didn't have it on paper it would have made it to use.

[jamesanthony]

Originally Posted by Dr. Phillips

Diahann Carroll was in Julia and she was the first to break the stereotype. and Claire Huxtable really broke ground because she had it all. The stereotype started with Beulah. we got past that problem now the new problem is that blacks aren't getting good TV shows like we did in the past. as for the script since he pitched it and probably didn't have it on paper it would have made it to use.

The current crop of black shows pales badly in comparison to the old Norman Lear shows, Cosby Show, Different World etc.

I'm not sure what to make of Monte's interview though- he seems a bit egotistical and arrogant, but then again if everything he says is true and they stole his ideas (which is not farfetched at all knowing how Hollywood operates) I'd be pissed off too. I never thought that he had a hand in all of those series.

What I want to know is when if ever will there be a show actually created and produced by blacks that isn't of middling to poor quality? I think Moesha was black produced and Eric Monte says the script he wrote for it is more or less the worst script he's ever put together? He may well be right.

The premises of all these AA shows of the past 10 years or so are viable (except for Homeboys in Outer Space) but its their execution that makes them less than classic.

[jamesanthony]

Originally Posted by Dr. Phillips

Diahann Carroll was in Julia and she was the first to break the stereotype. and Claire Huxtable really broke ground because she had it all. The stereotype started with Beulah. we got past that problem now the new problem is that blacks aren't getting good TV shows like we did in the past. as for the script since he pitched it and probably didn't have it on paper it would have made it to use.

Watching that show now it has a very dated sort of feel to it and it is not a very funny series, however there is a real charm and feel good vibe to it that is missing from today's shows. From what I've read Carroll's life was threatened and certain blacks called her characterization a sellout because she wasn't poor and spoke standard English.

[James"Thunder"Early]

Originally Posted by jamesanthony

The current crop of black shows pales badly in comparison to the old Norman Lear shows, Cosby Show, Different World etc.

I'm not sure what to make of Monte's interview though- he seems a bit egotistical and arrogant, but then again if everything he says is true and they stole his ideas (which is not farfetched at all knowing how Hollywood operates) I'd be pissed off too. I never thought that he had a hand in all of those series.

What I want to know is when if ever will there be a show actually created and produced by blacks that isn't of middling to poor quality? I think Moesha was black produced and Eric Monte says the script he wrote for it is more or less the worst script he's ever put together? He may well be right.

The premises of all these AA shows of the past 10 years or so are viable (except for Homeboys in Outer Space) but its their execution that makes them less than classic.

The problem today is that we don't have black writers who are focused on giving the characters depth and writing solid scripts. on most shows today the character just says the line and there is no depth. second is with the pressure the NAACP put the networks about a no blacks on TV caused all these shows to pop up without being developed right. and UPN is just using the black shows to build an audience and not looking for good stuff. plus today's show don't deal with real issues and don't show black in positive situations. I'm a writer and I'm determined to create positive shows for blacks. when if ever will there be a show actually created and produced by blacks that isn't of middling to poor quality? the answer to that question is when black writers stand up and give material that is good. I think black writers are afraid to write in the caliber of the old sitcoms because they don't want to be percieved as white.

[knl9674]

you both are making some great points. i have 3 myself:

1. Who really has the power?
The burden to see black television evolve does not fall on the shoulders of black writers. honestly, writers have no true power over content. you need look no further than the crop of today's producers, directors of television programming, VPs of the stations....these are the people that call the shots. even a show creator, as we see from the interview, can get pushed to the side. we need to have blacks in key decision making roles in order to see change. we need people who will fight for proper representation of our community and more shows that contradict the current crop of garbage infiltrating our homes and dumbing down our people.

2. You ask for it, we'll give it to you.
TV execs are not dumb. In addition to catering to their egos and making horrid assumptions about TV audiences, they generally follow the public's tastes. We complain about all the slapstick, idiotic shows on UPN but guess what....WE ARE WATCHING THEM! Blacks make up the largest percentage of the viewing public on that entire network...over 60%. Least watched station by Blacks is NBC. Now why do you think that it is - look at the programming on the 2. One station is supposedly things and faces we can relate to and the other offers offer programming about 6 friends who in live in NY but rarely do you see a Black extra. I live in NY (ahem) and there is always one of us lurking somewhere. It can't be helped. I say all of this b/c if we stopped watching and demanded better, they would deliver better. If we boycotted shows that we thought were demeaning or not even worth our time, they wouldn't put that crap on television. They would be forced to remove it, regroup and develop programs that we want to see. I give UPN (U People's Network) a hard time but they are making ground. We have a whole night of programming dedicated to AA shows, which is good. But why does it have to be a comedy? Is that all we do...laugh and shop? It's a diversity advertiser's dream on Monday night and the advertising space cost is cheap as hell on UPN. Another prob I have but that it is a different topic. So you get my point here.

3. TV itself has changed
Television in the 50s thru 70s was groundbreaking in and of itself. Because that was the virtually the ONLY medium to reach thousands of people at once, it also became a platform for social consciousness. America was comfortable discussing social issues b/c it was buried under the premise that it was "just TV" and that's it's not "real". Even though the topics they covered were in fact very real and needed to be discussed. We were more comfortable hearing the Jeffersons, Waltons, Evans, Bunkers and the like rant and ponder on racism, poverty, political corruption, segregation, sexism....Your era of the Honeymooners, I love Lucy and the like are not in this same category of what I'm speaking of. TV during that era was centered around family programming..feel good TV. Blacks weren't even a part of this era of programming really because A: The general community could not fathom seeing our faces on TV and B: We didn't own TVs. Plain and simple.
My point is that TV serves a different purpose in today's environment. It's not a catalyst for social change, it's purely for fast and mindless entertainment. People don't want to be preached to or motivated to even think about anything other than the next punchline. There so many other outlets out there to get your fill, namely the Internet. We are bombarded with so many messages that mean absolutely NOTHING that it's difficult for the substantial material to get filtered in. People no longer just sit in front of the TV. People have a choice and watch their programs, then move onto something else. This wasn't the case when TV and TV programming was a novelty.
I say this to come to the conclusion that the days of the kind of programming that we would consider QUALITY or CLASSIC will never return. It will never be like it use to be.

[knl9674]

it will never be like it use to be
because
WE
aren't how we use to be.

[James"Thunder"Early]

you brought up things I hadn't thought of, I think the only way change will occur is if we want it. I think we still need black drama series which is something that has never been done with success.

[jamesanthony]

Originally Posted by Dr. Phillips

you brought up things I hadn't thought of, I think the only way change will occur is if we want it. I think we still need black drama series which is something that has never been done with success.

How strange that there has never been a well rated black drama on network tv. After Roots there were attempts at several: Lou Gossett was in Lazarus Syndrome, James Earl Jones in Paris, Bernie Casey in Harris and Co (I never saw that last one but it sounded pretty good), but all of those shows were axed within a few months. If White Shadow had a black lead it would have probably gotten cancelled quickly as well. Same with Hill St Blues.

To comment on something knl said above, to an extent I can see the point about audiences wanting mediocre shows and getting what they want, but don't the Neilsens play a part in this? What I watch or don't watch is really insignificant unless I am a Neilsen participant and I have never ever met anyone who confessed to being one. Unless the government hooks up some kind of system that automatically reads what everyone in the country is watching via some kind of new technology (which would be a serious invasion of privacy) these Neilsen surveys are what determines what gets on and what stays on the air.

One thing I liked about the black Norman Lear productions, Cosby and Different World is that they all were like watching theatrical productions. The actors had to be able to put across the material because you didn't have elaborate fancy sets to distract. Also in those shows the emphasis wasn't on the sex appeal of the performers. I don't think anyone watched the Jeffersons because they thought the leads were sexy.

There is a different mindset in this country now and its more than just conservativism, its like a real dumbing down and its not just in the AA community, its everywhere.

[James"Thunder"Early]

I think we haven't experimented enough with black drama. I'd like to see something that used the ensemble cast like LA Law and Hill Street Blues used and see if that was success. what you said about the Nielsen rating got me thinking. Nielsen picks the people who participate and those people could only be part of the crowd that dumbing down and looking for shows with no depth. I know what you mean about those old shows being theatical. it was because writing was good, the acting was and there was alot of hard work and dedication put into it. you don't have that today and it's needed. I agree this country seems to be dumbing down.

[jamesanthony]

Any show with a large cast now like Hill Street could not be all black because the networks are promoting integration. The only all black drama that might get a chance would be one about a family and since Soul Food was just on, I don't think any network would go for this idea now. They'd shoot down the idea, saying that audiences have already seen a black family drama. Now a drama about a mixed race couple might be interesting... Or even one where one is black or African American and the other is East Indian or Chinese or something like that.

As for other black starred dramas Gideon's Crossing was a show that had a black lead and a mixed race cast. I thought it was pretty intelligently put together, but ABC cancelled it after one season. The NY Times even wrote an article basically defending it as being a quality show and more or less advocating for it to not get cancelled. Kojak is on now in a black version on cable, but I have no idea how good it is.

There's not much else on broadcast TV now that is really strong. Bernie Mac might be about the best AA show on now and this might be its last season. None of the 6 UPN AA shows has real heart, every last one seems like it was concocted almost by feeding info into a computer that designed something to appeal to what is perceived as being a certain demographic. None of those shows has the heart of something like Good Times even when that series was exhibiting poor writing and unremarkable episodes in its 5th season.

Girlfriends is a bit better than the other ones, but it falls very flat and the characters come across as being in need of psychotherapy because they are just too confused about things that are not that complicated really.