Malcolm Jamal Warner, Tracee Ellis Ross and BET Read it Right

Yesterday, while sitting in the waiting room waiting for my daughter to finish with her commercial class, I decided to get online and do a bit of surfing.

I was actually working, trying to gather my thoughts and information for my first assignment as a Yahoo! Contributor Network writer, when I came across a picture of two of my favorite actors: Malcolm-Jamal Warner and Tracee Ellis Ross.

Warner and Ross, have a new show, “Reed Between The Lines,” where they play husband and wife. I love the show and their message, so imagine my shock when I saw the title of the online article,”Reed between the Line Fails to Measure Up.”

To say that it fails to measure up is harsh and beckons the question, “Measure up for whom?

Ms. Ukoha’s, the author of the article wrote, To watch the two characters Alex and Carla Reed improvise a sketch in order to make a point to their pre-teen daughter played by Zoe Borde about self-acceptance, revives the memory of a similar episode on “The Cosby Show”, when Warner’s character Theo underwent the same treatment with his family when he decided that college was unnecessary to survive in the real world.

Perhaps if the show had a healthy chunk of hilarity and timely doses of wit, it would be easier
to accept the undeniable “Cosby” Show comparisons that were bound to surface. But it is
disappointing that a show that garnered so much hype really has only been able to rely on the formula of its mentor which wouldn’t be so awful except for the fact that the writers were too lazy to seize this opportunity to create a show that could have positively shifted the landscape of black comedy by offering something urban, modern and humorous. Instead of playing on the usual stereotypes and worn out topics without any inspiration attached.”

I say to Ms. Ukoha what Beth Moore says in her new Bible study, ‘James: Mercy Triumphs’ “A subject doesn’t have to be new. It just has to speak to the predicament you’re in right now.”

I appreciate the fact that I am able to sit down with my children and watch a family program about another black family every Tuesday evening. But for me, it’s not that they are just a black family on TV. It is the fact that they are a black family on Television with values; they believe in training their children in right and wrong, and they use appropriate discipline. Warner’s character Alex, says what he means and he means what he says. This is imperative in the training of children, but so often it is over looked, taken lightly and dismissed by many parents all together.

My love doesn’t stop there. It is also refreshing to see a man of any color play an active role in the home and in particular, take part in the day-to-day activities of his children–to really “be there and involved” is a message all its own.

As a homeschooling mother and someone who works out of her home, I think this family speaks to the generation of today. Their lives are the reality of many families, black or otherwise. And It feels good seeing an African-American family educated, middle class not living in poverty on TV.

I am much obliged to BET, Malcolm and Tracee for what they are doing with the show. With each episode, it is my hope that more of the growing pain kinks get smoothed away, and that they will continue bringing love, laughter, fun and real issues into the homes of likeminded families.

I think Malcolm Jamal-Warner, Tracee Ellis Ross, and the children are excellent positive role models, and though some of us are old enough to remember certain scenes from the Cosby show, some of the younger generation is not. “Reed Between The Lines” can become the Cosby show for the new generation of children.

And let’s keep in mind that, “A subject doesn’t have to be new. It just needs to speak to the predicament you’re in right now.”


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