Hulu completely outdid itself by dropping every season of Living Single on its platform—honestly, that was the best present I got this year (sorry, Grandma, those socks were a miss). Living Single was a groundbreaking ’90s sitcom for so many reasons: Yvette Lee Bowser, the first Black woman to create a primetime sitcom, was behind it; Queen Latifah starred and delivered that unforgettable theme song; and, let's be real, Friends basically ripped it off. But it also reminded me of all the other classic Black TV shows from the decade that I’d love to see on Netflix. Here are a few!
1. Martin
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This show gave us the iconic phrase “Damn Gina,” the art of kicking friends out of your apartment, and calling people out for being secretly unemployed. Man, I miss the ’90s. It also introduced unforgettable characters—a young Tracy Morgan’s Hustle Man, Bruh Man from “da fifth flo,” Shanaynay, and so many more.
2. Moesha
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As a Black girl, I credit Moesha for every box braid I’ve ever worn. Watching this coming-of-age comedy about a young Black girl was incredibly inspiring for me growing up. Moesha was so cool and pretty—I wanted to be just like her. Looking back, she was actually kind of annoying, a terrible friend, and super disrespectful to her parents, but somehow the show still holds up!
3. The Parkers
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And from Moesha came The Parkers, a show about a girl finally heading off to college… and her mother deciding to tag along. I know it sounds like a horror movie, but it’s actually hilarious.
4. Sister, Sister
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This show was pure fun, and I think it has the perfect opening act—Tia walks into a mall store with her mom and asks for a blue sweater. At the same time, Tamera, her long-lost identical twin, comes in with her dad asking for a sweatshirt in the same color. A hilarious mix-up follows, ending with both twins shouting, “That girl has my face!” It’s perfect, sweet, and I’m now realizing how corny my taste still is.
5. In Living Color
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This was hands down the sketch show to beat all sketch shows. Not only did it bring hip-hop and a nearly all-Black cast to comedy and primetime TV, but it launched some major stars: Jamie Foxx, David Alan Grier, fly girls JLo and Carrie Ann Inaba, and the artist formerly known as Jim Carrey.
6. Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
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I’m pretty sure the Fresh Prince and Living Single theme songs are the only rap songs—no, songs period—that I know every word to. And that’s because the show was so fresh (see what I did there?). Seriously, Will Smith was at the top of his game, and the show was hilarious. It even had tons of celebrity cameos, including Trump back before we knew he’d destroy the world. Much simpler times.
7. Girlfriends
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I’m breaking the theme of this article for this last one because I love my giiiirrrlfriends! Long before Black-ish, this was the show that made me fall in love with Tracee Ellis Ross. It was one of the first shows I watched regularly where the characters were having sex, living in a big city, and being mid-2000s fly. It made me feel so grown-up, even though I still had to be in bed by 9 PM.
What shows are you hoping pop up on Netflix? Let us know on Twitter @Smosh!
