Black Comedy Has Never Been About Copaganda
TV reviews, TV opinions and also sometimes other opinions
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Last week, Quinta Brunson tweeted about viewers who expected Abbott Elementary to do a school shooting episode. Enough has been written on why that’s a horrible expectation, but Nina Metz’s piece is perhaps the most succinct: Essentially, you should not expect TV writers, particularly black writers, to speak in place of politicians. Also the success of copaganda in dramas over the years shows us that politicians and law enforcement do know how to leverage media to sway public opinion. If they were incentivized to sway public opinion on the militarization of law enforcement or gun control, they probably could do something about it.
Mostly, though, what shocked me about this request is how out of touch it was with nearly everything black comedians have attempted to do recently. Also, comedies haven’t been a great breeding ground for copaganda or political maneuvering.
When it comes to dramas and reality, there’s been a noticeable shift in what audiences and critics expect from modern cop content. In an examination of TV after 2020, Kathryn VanArendonk looked at the call for police procedurals to evolve or get off the air at a time when networks can no longer guarantee the usual success of a “cop drama.” While the ethics of shows like COPS and Live PD have always been questioned, the protests of 2020 led to the first successful attempts to get both shows canceled (though Fox Nation announced plans last year to reboot the former series). TV’s reckoning with its role as “copaganda” wasn’t being ignored anymore.
Comedy faced a different challenge: while cop and crime dramas were guaranteed hits that made great copaganda, half-hour comedies hadn’t found a way to make cops funny since the 1980s. As Harry Waksberg pointed out, most white sitcoms weren’t even expected to deal with the realities of a policing in their narratives. While black sitcoms would have the occasional “cop episode,” criticism of law enforcement was rarely a topic white writers were expected to touch. Eventually, one show premiered that made a case for why that might be: if a cop comedy is going to work, the cops have got to be the butt of the joke.
Premiering in 2003 on Comedy Central, Reno 911! broke the one-season cop comedy dry spell. Reno 911! benefited from a talented cast of comedy actors who could pull off bumbling buffoonery. The show also had the freedom of being on a cable network where cops could be shown doing drugs and having sex. No one could argue Reno 911! was copaganda because it wasn’t a series that meant to depict anyone positively or seriously.
But by the time Brooklyn Nine-Nine premiered in 2013, the tone of network comedies had changed. The success of The Office (2005), 30 Rock (2006) and Parks and Recreation (2009) inspired the workplace sitcom to shift from silly goofs who happened to work together into something more heartwarming. The focus became friendship, family and, most importantly, a sense of “moral” goodness. Michael Scott and Liz Lemon (even at their most racist) were still characters you were happy to see get their fairytale endings. Parks and Recreation’s characters were always able to rally around the same principles, even if they stood on different sides of the political aisle. When watching Reno 911!, there was no desire to relate to the idiots depicted, but now comedies had to have heart and a relatable message.
Brooklyn Nine-Nine successfully delivered on that promise when it came to the cop comedy for its first seven seasons. But, after the summer of 2020 happened the show couldn’t avoid an interrogation of what it means to be a “good cop.” Despite doing its best to address this by having characters leave the force, many felt it still “struggled” to push its characters. Its ending mostly felt well-timed.
Meanwhile, black comedies had evolved far beyond the Very Special Lesson Cop episode of prior decades (mostly, there was still Black-ish). Atlanta premiered with an episode where its central character shoots someone, gets arrested and it’s never mentioned again. This mostly surprised white critics who expected the show to deal with this while black viewers tended to see the show for what it was: a surreal, funny look at black life featuring invisible cars and a world where cops and a constant fear of cops are de-centered.
Shows like Insecure, Grand Crew, Abbott Elementary, and The Bust Down are hilarious because they take a similar approach. Even The Last O.G., a show about a man on parole, is never interested in humanizing the cops or system that put Tracy Morgan’s character in this system. And while the first season of That Damn Michael Che had a few clunky attempts to address the complicated relationship between black people and the police, the show’s second season was altogether funnier and better when it let that burden go.
South Side, which debuted in 2019 on Comedy Central before moving to HBO Max, found success with cop characters by following in the footsteps of its network sister, Reno 911!. The show successfully picked up the torch from Deputy Raineesha Williams and Deputy Sven Jones in its two imperfect cop characters, Sergeant Turner (Chandra Russell) and Officer Goodnight (Bashir Salahuddin). The two barely respect each other and work for a police department that lacks both heart and brains. South Side’s second season proved its formula for success; mostly in making Turner and Goodnight secondary to the characters in the community they serve. That’s not to say Russell and Salahuddin’s parts are downplayed. Their performances are central to why everything works.
It’s mainly that South Side is a successful experimental sitcom. It can blend genres and tropes and still come up with something coherent, brilliant and hilarious. It’s both a buddy comedy, a workplace comedy and a hangout sitcom. It exists in a space where it can both interrogate exactly what the cops fail to do and why they fail to do it while averaging 120 jokes a minute. Even when Russell and Salahuddin make us sympathetic to their characters, it rarely has anything to do with them doing their jobs well.
These show aren’t concerned with how audiences want to see cops depicted, they instead focus on creative depictions of black life that go beyond our current experience of policing. To expect black creatives to change this focus due to political or social events, or to “step into the breach,” as Metz says, is to limit black creativity. Unless you demand that comedies like The Goldbergs or How I Met Your Father also address mass shootings and policing, it is biased to expect black comedies to take these topics on.
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What Else Is Ashley Ray Watching?
Here’s last week’s watch list. A lot of finales!!
Sunday
The Great North (FOX) - FINALE - This show just keeps getting better and better. I love the slutty mom.
Last Week Tonight (HBO) - It was off this past Sunday, but the Subway episode from the previous Sunday was great.
Bob’s Burgers (FOX) - FINALE - Tina is my favorite and I always love a Tina-focused finale. Can’t wait to see the movie.
Barry (HBO) - The newest episode with the motorcycle scene is maybe my new favorite episode.
Rich and Shameless (TNT) - I am still watching this bad documentary series because it is on. They did an episode about Clare Bronfman that was fine.
90 Day Fiancé (Discovery+) - I mean, read my weekly reviews!
Pistols (Hulu) - I did not enjoy this so far, I don’t know what is going on. Why is it so fuzzy, did someone forget to clean the camera lens?
That Damn Michael Che (HBO Max) - Season 2 is amazing. Best sketch debut of the year with Kids in the Hall. They finally embraced the fact that most people don’t hate Michael Che and it’s mostly in his head. The Ziwe episode is legendary. Tim Meadows does my favorite sketch I’ve ever seen him in.
Legendary (HBO Max) - I wish Meg was still there and someone else (we all know who) had left.
Monday
The Deep End (Freeform) - This is a very odd documentary about a cult that isn’t named until you watch the documentary. I had no clue this person was a thing, but this is fascinating and is a great look at modern cults.
Bling Empire (Netflix) - I finished this last weekend, the season was off to a good start then they clearly lost the most interesting story. Anna was still great.
Tuesday
Young Rock (NBC) - FINALE - I am just so fed up that The Rock won’t put Bruiser Brody in the show, but The Fabulous Moolah was in the finale. She literally sex trafficked women and held back women’s wrestling!! Oh, but yeah, the finale was good.
Wednesday
Kids in the Hall (Prime Video) - The boys are back and they are so good. Just good, tight sketches and a lot of nudity.
George Carlin’s American Dream (HBO) - I loved it, but I am a sucker for comedian documentaries. I did think the ending was a little heavy handed.
Thursday
Grey’s Anatomy (ABC) - FINALE - Oh wow, this was one of the best Grey’s finales IN YEARS. Of course we all still hate Kepner, but every flashback to Old Grey’s made me cry. Grey’s is at its best when it is emotionally manipulative and they found the mojo with this 2 part finale. I hope Teddy is gone forever!
The Flight Attendant (HBO) - FINALE - I am officially done watching this show forever! The finale was rushed and didn’t make sense, but whatever!
Made For Love (HBO) - FINALE - I love an Evil Girl Boss Origin Story so I hope we get another season!
Hacks (HBO) - Deborah Vance is my Don Draper and watching her fuck Devon Sawa was my everything.
The Staircase (HBO) - At last, the owl is here and I am all in. I’ll have more to say about this show soon.
Girls5eva (Peacock) - Why isn’t Peacock promoting this very good season? Winnie singing to the pretend audience was great.
Welcome to Flatch (FOX) - FINALE - I can’t wait to see season two.
Friday
Ziwe (Showtime) - I loved the interview with Emily!!
I Love That For You (Showtime) - We were blessed with two episodes and Jenifer Lewis saying “Now why aren’t you using your God given pussy?” This show is just getting better and better. Again, I need you all to watch it.
Saturday
Saturday Night Live (NBC) - FINALE - Natasha Lyonne is hot and Kyle deserved more.
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