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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Cbs, Nbc Add Shows With Broader Portrayal Of Blacks

Richard Huff New York Daily News

Folks tired of the stereotypical, jivin’ portrayal of blacks on television in recent years should have less to complain about this season.

Along with its returning “Cosby” show, CBS has added “The Gregory Hines Show,” and NBC is rolling out “Built to Last.”

The smaller WB and UPN networks, while returning some of the questionable shows, have also dropped a few.

While different in theme and style, “Cosby,” “Hines” and “Built to Last” have this in common: These sitcoms don’t rely on the loud, street-talking characters that so heavily populate other series.

“Built to Last” revolves around a family that sticks together to run its construction business after the patriarch (Paul Winfield) is slowed by a heart attack. It’ll air Wednesdays at 8:30 p.m. starting this week.

Winfield, an Oscar nominee for the 1972 film “Sounder,” says he’s troubled by the way blacks are portrayed on television today. In fact, he says he won’t watch the black-casted sitcoms on the WB and UPN.

“I just can’t sit through them,” he said. “(They’re) so stereotypical and seem to be so stupid. I’d rather read a book.”

Winfield is not alone. While there has been a gradual increase in programs featuring black casts, critics have often lambasted them for not presenting African Americans in a realistic light.

All that said, Winfield doesn’t agonize over the fate of blacks on television.

“I’ve been in the business now for almost 40 years,” Winfield said. “You realize it’s just not always the way you want it to be.”

Ironically, Marcus King, an executive producer for “Built to Last,” is also executive producer for the WB’s “The Jamie Foxx Show.”

“I just kind of think if we limit ourselves to one kind of show, that’s not what we’re all about,” said King, who admits he feels caught in the middle.

“Be it a family show, or be it a broad comedy, we’re not just one-dimensional. … You need shows like ‘Jamie Foxx’ and you need shows like ‘Built to Last.”’

Doug Alligood, who tracks black viewing patterns for the ad agency BBDO, agrees.

“Every show shouldn’t be ‘Cosby,’ and every show shouldn’t be ‘Boyz N the Hood,”’ he said.

“Black people are not all cut from the same cloth.”